George Gershwin 1898-1937
Born with the name Jacob Gershowitz in 1898 to a poor Jewish family that immigrated to the United States from Russia in the year 1891, George Gershwin was a very unique composer and gained not only fame but the respect of many great musicians and listeners from around the world. His music is also representative of American society between WW I and WW II.
It all started at the age of 12 when his family bought a piano for Gershwin’s brother, Ira, who had been expected to become the musician in the family. Gershwin surprised everyone when he started playing a song he had learned on the neighbours piano. Due to his great interest, the family arranged for him to have lessons. After going through a few different teachers, in 1913, he began studying piano with Charles Hambitzer who was undoubtedly Gershwin's strongest musical influence. Hambitzer introduced him to the music of Debussy, Chopin, and Ravel, along with the early works of Arnold Schoenberg, and a broad range of other classical piano literature. He also had additional music theory lessons from a man named Edward Kilenyi, as well as the composer Rubin Goldmark. All of these figures had always ecouraged Gerswin to experiement with music. It was during this time that Gershwin wrote his first ragtime songs within classical forms, Since I Found You and Ragging the Traumerei. The pieces were a little rough around the edges, but it is significant that he had tried, even at this time, to merge the two musical forms. Yet, an interesting fact is that he never really became fluent in reading music.In 1914, only 4 years after his musical education began, he decided to drop out of high school and go into the practical field of music. He got a job at ‘Jerome H. Remick & Co.,’ a music publishing firm on Tin Pan Alley. He earned a salary of $15.00 a week as a ‘song plugger’, a salesman who promoted the firm’s songs by playing and singing them for performers. ( Tin Pan Alley, originally used as a term to specify an area of Manhattan, was used as a name for the center of the U.S. music insdustry during the early 20th century based in New York.)
The ‘song plugger’ job he took, must have inspired him a great deal, being around music and the music world on a daily basis, not to mention how much time he spent playing. Soon after, he was having his own songs published and wrote his first musical, La La Lucille. It was in this very year that he had his first hit, Swanee, which became popular due to a recording by Al Jolson.
Since then, George Gershwin had written a great deal of works and popular songs, which have remained popular to this day even to the most amateur of classical and jazz listeners. He was teamed up with his brother Ira, who wrote the lyrics to a great deal of songs such as Girl Crazy and Strike up the Band. With George Gershwin’s music and his brother Ira’s lyrics, they became one of the most sucessful song writing teams on Broadway.
During the late 20’s, aside from his love for music, Gershwin developed an interest for painting. In the late twenties, having made a fortune, he started collecting works by artists such as Braque and Chagall. Along with this, he even started painting himself.
Gershwin’s most innovative work was the opera Porgy and Bess, which was written between 1934 and 1935. It was described by George Gershwin himself as a ‘folk opera’. Gershwin wrote the opera while living near Charleston, South Carolina, where the opera is set. It was largely influenced by the speech and music of the local black community living there. After having been premiered on broadway, it is considered one of the most important American operas of the 20th century.
During Gershwin’s prolific life, he had the opportunity to study music theory with the American composers Rubin Goldmark, Henry Cowell, and Wallingford Riegger and with the Russian-born composer and theorist Joseph Schillinger. Along with the great French composers of the time, he was influenced by Alban Berg, Dmitri Shostakovich, Igor Stravinsky, Darius Milhaud, and Arnold Schoenberg. He had a tremendous life not only as a composer, but the experiences he had as a person, meeting and being respected by all of these great people, must have been incredible. His death at the early age of 39 at the height of his career is quite sad. Having experieced a series of dizzy spells, he died in July of 1937 of a brain tumor.
Using the two musical styles, jazz and serious classical, this melodically talented musician created a remarkable type of music that will be enjoyed for years to come. His music not only entertains, but truly reminds of a place, a generation, and an era in time. Thank you George Gershwin!!
INTERESTING SIDE NOTE:
When Gershwin went to his cherished composers to ask for lessons in composition, two very interesting quotes have made history.:
He approached Igor Stravinski at a party. Stravinski surprised him with the question, "How much money do you make a year?"
On hearing the answer, Stravinski said "Perhaps I should study with you, Mr. Gershwin."
The second story is when he went to Arnold Schoenberg for lessons only to hear from him, "I would only make you a bad Schoenberg, and you're such a good Gershwin already.”
(Many claim that on both occasions, Gershwin heard these quotes from Maurice Ravel. Unfortunately, the composers in question get muddled a bit in history and the source of the quotes can only be speculated. Nevertheless, they are classic.)
To listen to music by this great composer, click here
