George Gershwin
Jacob Gershwine entered the world on the 26th of September 1898, inside a second-floor apartment at 242 Snediker Avenue in Brooklyn. His parents were Jewish immigrants from the Russian Empire who had fled increasing anti-Jewish sentiment to find safety in America. His father Morris worked as a leather cutter for women's shoes while his mother Rose Bruskina was born in Saint Petersburg. The family name originally appeared as Gershovitz before Morris Anglicized it to Gershwine and later to Gershwin around the time he married. George grew up running through New York tenements with friends and roller-skating down streets that smelled of coal smoke. He lived in the Yiddish Theater District where he occasionally appeared onstage as an extra child actor. Until 1908 the boy cared nothing about music despite living in a household filled with sound.
In 1913 fifteen-year-old Jacob left school to work as a song plugger for Jerome H. Remick and Company in New York City. He earned fifteen dollars a week playing piano for potential buyers of sheet music. His first published song titled When You Want Em You Cant Get Em appeared in 1916 and earned him fifty cents. By 1916 he recorded dozens of player piano rolls under pseudonyms like Fred Murtha and Bert Wynn for the Aeolian Company. These recordings became a main source of income during his early career years. He also made brief appearances accompanying vaudeville stars Nora Bayes and Louise Dresser on stage pianos. His first Broadway credit came in 1916 with Making of a Girl which opened in The Passing Show of 1916. A novelty rag called Rialto Ripples achieved commercial success later that same year.
Paul Whiteman's Concert Band premiered Rhapsody in Blue at New York's Aeolian Hall on the 12th of February 1924. Ferde Grofé orchestrated the piece specifically for this orchestra and piano combination. The performance established Gershwin's signature style blending jazz rhythms with classical structures. Critics initially struggled to categorize the work but it quickly became his most popular composition. The score incorporated syncopated melodies from African-American blues alongside European harmonic traditions. Maurice Ravel later commented on Gershwin's abilities while visiting Paris in 1928. Ravel found jazz interesting yet warned against rigorous classical study ruining his unique style. This warning shaped how Gershwin approached future orchestral compositions without formal conservatory training.
Gershwin stayed in Paris during the mid-1920s applying to study composition with Nadia Boulanger. She refused him fearing rigorous classical instruction would ruin his jazz-influenced style. While there he wrote the tone poem An American in Paris which received mixed reviews upon its first performance. The piece debuted at Carnegie Hall on the 13th of December 1928 before becoming part of standard repertoire worldwide. The opening section developed in typical French style using Debussy and Les Six influences. Original tunes wove through sounds mimicking taxi horns and city streets. Critics could not decide whether it was opera or simply an ambitious Broadway musical. It crossed barriers between music and drama critics who responded differently to each element.
The Gershwin brothers created Girl Crazy in 1929 introducing standards like Embraceable You sung by Ginger Rogers. Their next work Of Thee I Sing became the first musical comedy to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1931. George S. Kaufman Morrie Ryskind and Ira Gershwin shared the award while George composed the score. They followed this success with Funny Face and Strike Up the Band released in 1927 and 1930 respectively. A modified version of Strike Up the Band served as UCLA's football fight song until modern times. These works demonstrated their ability to manipulate forms into a unique voice reflecting American aspirations. True music must reflect thought and aspirations according to Gershwin himself speaking about his people being Americans.
Gershwin spent summer 1934 on South Carolina's Folly Island after DuBose Heyward invited him to visit. He wrote music inspired by Heyward's novel Porgy which later became the opera Porgy and Bess. Critics could not figure out how to evaluate it since it crossed barriers between opera and Broadway musicals. It elicited responses from both music critics and drama critics simultaneously. The work included the hit Summertime which remains one of most recorded songs in history. Initially considered a commercial failure it eventually came to be regarded as an American cultural classic. The Colonial Theatre in Boston hosted its premiere before moving to New York stages. Later productions preserved the composer's vision through direct access to scores provided by University of Michigan partnership.
Early in 1937 George began complaining of blinding headaches smelling burning rubber repeatedly. On the 11th of February 1937 he performed Piano Concerto in F with San Francisco Symphony Orchestra under Pierre Monteux. Coordination problems caused blackouts during the performance while normally a superb pianist. His wife Leonore noticed mood swings and inability to eat without spilling food at dinner tables. She suspected mental illness insisting he move into lyricist Yip Harburg's empty quarters nearby. Paul Mueller served as his valet caring for him until July 9 when Gershwin collapsed inside Harburg house. Doctors removed large brain tumor believed to have been glioblastoma but died that morning on the 11th of July 1937. He was thirty-eight years old when Cedars of Lebanon Hospital declared him comatose after standing up suddenly.
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Common questions
When and where was George Gershwin born?
Jacob Gershwine entered the world on the 26th of September 1898 inside a second-floor apartment at 242 Snediker Avenue in Brooklyn. His parents were Jewish immigrants from the Russian Empire who had fled increasing anti-Jewish sentiment to find safety in America.
What happened during George Gershwin's performance with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra in February 1937?
On the 11th of February 1937 he performed Piano Concerto in F with San Francisco Symphony Orchestra under Pierre Monteux. Coordination problems caused blackouts during the performance while normally a superb pianist.
Why did Nadia Boulanger refuse to teach George Gershwin composition in Paris?
She refused him fearing rigorous classical instruction would ruin his jazz-influenced style. Maurice Ravel later commented on Gershwin's abilities while visiting Paris in 1928 and found jazz interesting yet warned against rigorous classical study ruining his unique style.
Which opera by George Gershwin premiered at the Colonial Theatre in Boston before moving to New York stages?
The work included the hit Summertime which remains one of most recorded songs in history. The Colonial Theatre in Boston hosted its premiere before moving to New York stages.
How old was George Gershwin when he died and what medical condition caused his death?
He was thirty-eight years old when Cedars of Lebanon Hospital declared him comatose after standing up suddenly. Doctors removed large brain tumor believed to have been glioblastoma but died that morning on the 11th of July 1937.