George Gershwin American composer and pianist Date of Birth: 26.09.1898 Country: USA

Biography of George Gershwin

George Gershwin, born Jacob Gershowitz on September 26, 1898, in Brooklyn, was an American composer and pianist. His musical career began with studying under musicians such as Charles Hambitzer, Edward Kilenyi, Rubin Goldmark, and Igor Stravinsky. Although he did not finish school in his youth, he was captivated by the American popular music industry known as Tin Pan Alley, where he started as a music demonstrator and later became a songwriter.

Gershwin achieved success with his musical comedy "La, La, Lucille" in 1919. Shortly after, he soared to fame with the song "Swanee," performed by Al Jolson from 1919 to 1920. He went on to compose thirty operettas and musicals for theater and film, most of them with the successful librettos written by his brother, Ira Gershwin. Their music was characterized by sharp rhythms, original intonations, and wit.

Some of Gershwin's most famous works include "Lady, Be Good" (1924), "Girl Crazy" (1930), and the satirical shows "Strike Up the Band" (1930) and "Of Thee I Sing" (1931), for which he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize. Gershwin's first attempt to incorporate jazz elements into traditional composition came with his one-act opera "135th Street," written for the 1923 musical "Scandals" by George White. However, it was his next composition in this mixed style, the "Rhapsody in Blue" for piano and orchestra (1924), that truly revolutionized the American music scene. This composition, despite its loose form and occasional repetition, gained wide international recognition thanks to its exceptional originality, liveliness of melody, rhythm, and, most importantly, its distinctly national character. The Gershwin Rhapsody can be considered the most frequently performed work by an American composer worldwide.

Following the success of the "Rhapsody in Blue," Gershwin composed the Piano Concerto in F major (1925), which, though less perfect in form and perhaps less original in material, captivated audiences with its emotional intensity. His trip to Europe inspired him to create the programmatic symphonic suite "An American in Paris" (1928), a charming composition that showcased the growing mastery of the composer.

The pinnacle of Gershwin's career was the ballad opera "Porgy and Bess" (1935), based on the play "Porgy" by DuBose Heyward. It not only represented his most mature music (with the songs from this opera among the best he created in his lifetime) but also became the finest American opera. George Gershwin passed away in Hollywood on July 11, 1937.