George Gershwin: Classical Music And American Music

George Gershwin was one of America's most well-known composers and respected pianists that introduced the sounds of Broadway and Hollywood together. He coordinated the elements of classical music style and the robust sounds of American jazz; Gershwin created a musical style that made the music of jazz acceptable to the classical listeners, and brought in American music into the mix. “Gershwin wrote mainly for the Broadway musical theatre.” He blended, in different variations, techniques and forms of classical music with the stylistic hints and techniques of popular music and jazz. George Gershwin was born in Brooklyn, New York on September 26, 1898 to Russian immigrants. George always knew he wanted a career in music. When George was

Gershwin wrote “Rhapsody in Blue”, his best-known work, in a few weeks. “Gershwin improvised much of the piano solo during the performance, and conductor Whiteman had to rely on a nod from Gershwin to cue the orchestra at the end of the solo.” This propelled Gershwin even further up the ladder. “The revolutionary work incorporated trademarks of jazz (blue notes, syncopated rhythms, onomatopoeic instrumental effects) into a symphonic setting.” It is probably the most-performed and most-recorded orchestral composition of the 20th century.

It is interesting to note that when heard, “Rhapsody in Blue” was widely used in a United Airlines promotion, and ad campaign years ago, and if you listen carefully, you may hear it at select United Airlines terminals at airports worldwide. When I let my parents listen, they knew it immediately, but did not know it originated from one of George Gershwin’s famed

Some of Gershwin’s most highly respected works were “Rhapsody in Blue”, and the Concerto “An American in Paris” (1928), another of Gershwin’s famous orchestral creations, best represents Gershwin’s use of both jazz and classical practices. The harmonic structure of “An American in Paris” is first found in blues and Jazz. George Gershwin was one of the first American composers to use African American blues and jazz styles into his masterpieces. Gershwin died at the young age of 38, and his career tragically cut short at peak success, wealth and fortune by a brain tumor; Gershwin was experiencing symptoms of headaches, weight loss, and blurry vision for only about seven months before seeing a doctor. George Gershwin died during surgery to remove the tumor. George Gershwin was one of the greatest songwriters in American history, and he enriched this very vibrant period of music, but also a gifted "serious" composer who merged the worlds of classical and popular music. Gershwin was most influenced by such styles as jazz and