Gershwin was one of the most prolific American composers of the 20th century. He was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1898 to Ukrainian immigrants, Morris and Rosa Gershowitz. He began to study piano at a young age and was instructed by noted piano teacher Charles Hambitzer. After dropping out of high school at the young age of 15, he began his career as a song-plugger. A song-plugger was somebody who demonstrated new sheet music to be sold in a music store. He did this for three years and by that time had turned into a highly skilled pianist.
In 1916 he composed his first published song entitled “When You Want ’Em You Can’t Get ’Em”. From 1920 to 1924, he composed for an annual production put on by George White. Legend has it that he actually composed what most say is his greatest work, Rhapsody in Blue, in a rush because he had forgotten about the performance. About ten years later, he wrote one of the most famous American operas called Porgy and Bess. Many people say it is “considered to not only be Gershwin’s most complex and best-known works, but also among the most important American musical compositions of the 20th century.” (Gershwin, 2013).
After the success of his compositions, he moved to Hollywood and was asked to compose music for a film entitled Shall We Dance? On July 7, 1937, George Gershwin passed away immediately following a surgery to remove a malignant brain tumor. He was only 38 years old and even in his short life was remembered as one of the great American composers. When George Gershwin composed “Rhapsody in Blue” in 1924, there was still a sense of classical style in most performances.
The Term Paper on Afro American Rock Roll Music
Research Proposal: The Social Realities of Rock 'n' Roll's Birth and the Teenager The story of the birth of rock 'n' roll has a mythical quality to it. It speaks of racial barriers bridged through the fusion of Afro-American musical styles with white popular music in 1950 s America. Not only did white record producers and radio disc jockeys market Afro-American artists, but white artists began to ...
This particular piece really announced the beginning of a serious influence of American Jazz into performances. This had been done before, but Gershwin’s piece “seized the attention of the musical world and provided the irresistible stimulus for others to go and do likewise. ” (Neimoyer, 2011).
This composition paved the way for other composers to follow in his footsteps and create a less “formal” style within their music. “Rhapsody in Blue” was initially received as “formless” and that he only just pasted together his melodic segments to make one piece.
What those critics didn’t know is that Gershwin’s composition would become an internationally recognized piece of American music. When you listen to Gershwin’s work it’s hard to not be amazed in what you are hearing. It is difficult to describe parts of the music that you like because there are so many. Several critics claimed the piece was not fluid and seemed to be just put together. One critic said you “can remove any of these stuck-together sections and the piece still goes on as bravely as before. ” (Gershwin, 2012).
We believed that this made the piece unique. The beginning of the piece briefly introduces all the different themes in short solos before expounding on all of them later which is something that was not common during this time either. We also enjoyed the “American” feeling that was on display throughout the piece. It is a melting pot of themes and ideas that all seem to fit together perfectly. “Rhapsody in Blue” is a difficult piece to dislike. The only critical comment that we could make about this wonderful piece is that it was hard to follow.
Even though the sporadic tempos and themes make this an iconic piece of American music history, it had a sense of not being organized. For the most part, we had nothing but good comments for Gershwin’s work and enjoyed being able to research such a wonderful piece of music. George Gershwin. (2013).
The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 08:20, May 02, 2013, from http://www. biography. com/people/george-gershwin-9309643. Neimoyer, S. (2011).
The Essay on Aaron Copeland Copland Music American
Melinda Davidson Period 6 Aaron Copland (November 14) was an American composer of modern tonal music as well as film music. Copland's music achieved a difficult balance between simple and effective composition. His often slow harmonies were near motionless recalling the vast American landscape. He incorporated percussive orchestration For the use of the term 'orchestration' in computer science, ...
George Gershwin and Edward Kilenyi, Sr. : A reevaluation of Gershwin’s early musical education. (2011, Spring/Summer).
Oxford Journals, 94(1-2), 9-62.
