System Mechanic - Clean, repair, protect, and speed up your PC!George Gershwin, Composer
September 26, 1898 - July 11, 1937
George Gershwin was born Jacob Gershowitz on September 26, 1898 in Brooklyn, New York, the second of four children from a close-knit immigrant family. Gershwin's first experiences came as a piano was rolled into the house for Ira, the brother. But it was George who took the immediate interest in the piano and immediately began to successfully play by ear. Although his parents invested some piano lessons on him, he was essentially self-taught. In his late teens, George began to play professionally
Gershwin spent the first years of his professional life as a song-plugger in "Tin Pan Alley, " a place where musical songs were pitched to music executives in hopes of selling the rights to them for a modest amount of cash. Soon, Gershwin was writing his own pieces. Gershwin's first published song, "When You Want ‘Em, You Can't Get ‘Em, " demonstrated innovative new techniques, but only earned him five dollars. Soon after, however, he met a young lyricist named Irving Ceaser. Together they composed a number of songs including "Swanee, " which sold more than a million copies.
In the same year as "Swanee, " Gershwin collaborated with Arthur L. Jackson and Buddy De Sylva on his first complete Broadway musical, "La, La Lucille". Over the course of the next four years, Gershwin wrote forty-five songs; among them were "Somebody Loves Me" and "Stairway to Paradise, " as well as a twenty-five-minute opera, "Blue Monday." Composed in five days, the piece contained many musical clichés, but it also offered hints of developments to come.
In 1924, George collaborated with his brother, lyricist Ira Gershwin, on a musical comedy "Lady Be Good". It included such standards as "Fascinating Rhythm" and "The Man I Love." It was the beginning of a partnership that would continue for the rest of the composer's life. Together they wrote many more successful musicals including "Oh Kay!" and "Funny Face", staring Fred Astaire and his sister Adele. While continuing to compose popular music for the stage, Gershwin began to lead a double life, trying to make his mark as a serious composer.
In 1924, at age 25, he became famous: he wrote Rhapsody in Blue (in less than three weeks) as a concerto for piano and Paul Whiteman's jazz band. The jazz-influenced piece premiered in New York's Aeolian Hall and its success led him to devote increasing energy to 'serious' composition. His more ambitious works include the Piano Concerto in F (1925) and the tone poem An American in Paris (1928).
In the early thirties, Gershwin experimented with some new ideas in Broadway musicals. "Strike Up The Band", "Let ‘Em Eat Cake", and "Of Thee I Sing", were innovative works dealing with social issues of the time. "Of Thee I Sing" was a major hit and the first comedy ever to win the Pulitzer Prize.
In 1935 he presented a folk opera "Porgy and Bess" in Boston with only moderate success. Now recognized as one of the seminal works of American opera, it included such memorable songs as "It Ain't Necessarily So, " "I Loves You, Porgy, " and "Summertime."
In 1937, after many successes on Broadway, the brothers decided go to Hollywood. Again they teamed up with Fred Astaire, who was now paired with Ginger Rogers. They made the musical film, "Shall We Dance", which included such hits as "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" and "They Can't Take That Away From Me." Soon after came "A Damsel in Distress", in which Astaire appeared with Joan Fontaine. Gershwin's flirtation with Hollywood brought us some of his most famous writings, including Someone to Watch Over Me, S'wonderful, I Got Rhythm, and Our Love Is Here To Stay.
George's life met a short and tragic end in 1937. After becoming ill while working on a film, he had plans to return to New York to work on writing serious music. He planned a string quartet, a ballet and another opera, but these pieces were never written. On July 11, at the age of 38, he died of a brain tumour in Hollywood. Today he remains one of America's most beloved popular musicians.
