20th Century Composers: George Gershwin

Part of the 20th Century Composers series.

George Gershwin (1898-1937) is arguably the century's greatest songwriter, admired and loved for hit songs such as "The Man I Love" and "'S Wonderful". He achieved early acclaim and riches from the song "Swanee" (1919) and was one of the first composers to realise the exciting potential of combining elements of jazz and popular sons with the forms and instrumentation of symphonic music. In the wake of his successful concert pieces that followed the famous "Rhapsody in Blue" (1924) he was lauded by such classical luminaries as Schoenberg and Ravel. But critics quickly seized on the technical deficiencies of these larger-scale works, wounding the egocentric Gershwin who was ever defensive about his lack of formal training. The enduring popularity of the concert pieces (among them "An American in Paris") is nevertheless testimony to the appeal of wonderful melody and fascinating rhythm over structural perfection.

Over the same period George, together with lyricist brother Ira, produced a stream of successful Broadway musicals. But the single musical achievement for which Gershwin is remembered is the folk opera "Porgy and Bess", a fusion of opera and theatre. Sadly Gershwin did not live to see its acceptance in the world's greatest opera houses.

This expert and colourful biography places Gershwin's music within the context of his frenetic lifestyle to show how a teenaged song-pluger from Tin Pan Alley became internationally renowned in a career that spanned a mere two decades. It also brings home the realisation that Gershwin's tragic death from a brain tumour aged thirty-eight robbed us of untold musical treasures.

Includes black-and-white illustrations.