Rhapsody in Blue

Summertime, from the folk opera Porgy and Bess, is a haunting, languid melody created by the highly esteemed American composer and pianist, George Gershwin. Gershwin was one of the twentieth-century’s most influential, beloved composers, and a multitalented musical genius. He composed numerous orchestral works for piano and jazz orchestra, and created popular musical compositions for several stage works and films. Gershwin’s most famous piece, however, is undoubtedly Rhapsody in Blue. I have admired and revered Gershwin’s musical virtuosity for the greater portion of my life; thus, I was ecstatic when my piano instructor chose Rhapsody in Blue as my senior recital piece. The song was incredibly complicated, and took the greater part of a year…

In the late 1940s he was part of the style of jazz that was known as the Transition to Cool and West Coast. Cool jazz is a type of modern jazz that has a sound that is softer than the bop form of jazz. In the 1950s Miles Davis was known for his hard bop style. Hard bop is a style of jazz that fuses blues, gospel music, and rhythm and blues. In the late 1950s there was another transition style that Miles Davis was a part of. It was known as the Transition to Modal Jazz and Free Jazz. Modal…

Birth: September 26, 1898 Death: July 11, 1937 George didn't go to school, he dropped out at the age of 15. He played piano professionally. His father was named Morris Gershowitz And his mother's name was Rosa Bruskewitz. He had one brother named Ira and he was never married. He became a very good artist. He was nominated to win an Oscar in 1938 and later won the Tony award for music. Understanding his Music …

World War II was not only a time of destruction, but also a time of creation. Many new music styles appeared during this time period. One of these great innovators was George Gershwin, who created Rhapsody in Blue. Gershwin’s introduction of a new music style in his first performance sent waves around the country that pulled in people of all music preference. The musical genius, Gershwin, created a new rhythm and style by combining Classical and Jazz music. In the time before Gershwin rose to…

As a kid, I was constantly watching Disney, Pixar, and superhero cartoons. Something about the way they can animate everything seamlessly and capture things that couldn’t exist in real life drew me in, pun fully intended. It stuck with me throughout life and it was a source of comfort when middle school and high school got too hard for me. Once sophomore year hit and I was in Honors English II, we were given a chance to study any subject freely. Of course, I jumped at the chance that I’d…

Americans, I am the only one who can read. It's mind boggling; my nine year old self had to sit down when she first learned it, mere hours after meeting the eyes of the astonished boy who was told that the note he was looking for was a B-flat. I have words running through my mind constantly, small phrases or whole pages on a loop, complete with percussion, until another strain catches my fancy. The pages of my conscious mind are never blank, and my pretentious self wonders how 99.99% of people…

This composition is known as one of his most well known and challenging composition. This composition is said to be one of the greatest compositions of the 20th century. With his success with porgy and bess he decided to move to Hollywood. There he was hired to compose music for a move titles, “Shall We Dance,”.In 1937, Gershwin began to experience weird symptoms such as headaches and noticing strange smells. Doctors found out that he had a malignant tumor in his brain. He died on July 11,…

After conducting for the jazz opera Blue Monday, he was approached by a bandleader named Paul Whiteman. Whiteman was impressed with Gershwin’s work and offered for him to write a piece for Whiteman’s next show. Supposedly, Gershwin forgot about this offer until three weeks before the show. From a rush of writing, Rhapsody in Blue was born. George also wrote many pieces with his older brother Ira. Ira Gershwin was a phenomenal lyricist that was sometimes called “The Jewellist” because of his need…

his first published song, “When You Want 'Em, You Can't Get 'Em; When You Have 'Em, You Don't Want 'Em.” During the times of 1920 to 1924, Gershwin composed for an annual production put on by George White. After a show titled “Blue Monday,” the bandleader in the pit, Paul Whiteman, asked Gershwin to create a jazz number that would heighten the genre’s respectability. The rumor that has been around for many years is that Gershwin forgot about the request until he read a newspaper article…

(George Gershwin: His Life and Work p.29) There are various melodic, harmonic and rhythmic aspects of the music that show an influence of jazz. All of the themes in the piece make use of the blues scale, which has a lowered 7th and a major and minor 3rd. Most of the themes have a syncopated ragtime rhythm, and there are various sections throughout the piece that have a swung feel. There are also multiple modulations by 3rds and 4ths in this piece, which were not common in traditional…