Ira Gershwin American lyricist, author of lyrics for hundreds of songs from the 20s to the 40s Date of Birth: 06.12.1896 Country: USA

Biography of Ira Gershwin

Ira Gershwin, born as Israel Gershwin in 1896 and died in 1983, was an American lyricist, author of the lyrics for hundreds of songs from the 1920s to the 1940s. He was the eldest son in the Gershwin family and developed a passion for reading from a young age. As he grew older, his interest in reading only increased. He would take notes from the books he read, collect articles and clippings from magazines on a wide range of topics, from "William Shakespeare" to "How Phrases are Constructed."

During his time at the New York College, Ira focused on studying English and continued his diary entries about the books he read. He also published his literary experiments in the student newspaper. It was during this time that he received his first symbolic honorarium of one dollar after having a poem published in "Smart Set" magazine. However, realizing that it was difficult to quickly succeed financially in the literary field, Ira tried out various occupations. He worked as a carnival parade organizer, a photographer's assistant, a clerk on a trading fleet, and a theater magazine reviewer.

Ira Gershwin's career as a professional poet and lyricist began in 1918. By this time, his younger brother, George Gershwin (born Jacob, 1898-1937), had already gained fame in the world of music. Initially, Ira published under the pseudonym Arthur Francis, incorporating the names of his younger brother and sister, as he wanted to achieve success on his own. From 1924 onwards, the brothers worked as a team, writing for theater and film. Ira's poetic texts for the 1931 musical "Of Thee I Sing" received the first-ever award given for a musical comedy. Some of their works became hits, such as the song "They Can't Take That Away From Me," which was first performed by Fred Astaire in the film "Shall We Dance" and won an Oscar in 1937.

Ira loved working with his brother the most, but he also collaborated with other renowned composers, including Burton Lane, Jerome Kern, Harry Warren, and others. Even after George's tragic death, Ira continued to write. The lyrical song "Long Ago and Far Away," created with Jerome Kern in 1944 for a film, became a significant milestone. Ira Gershwin became the first American lyricist to have a centennial celebration in his honor, which took place on December 6, 1996, at Carnegie Hall.

The central arias of the opera "Porgy and Bess," including "Summertime," "It Ain't Necessarily So," "I Love You, Porgy," "Bess, You Is My Woman Now," "A Woman is a Sometime Thing," and "I Got Plenty o' Nuttin," were created by the Gershwin brothers (the last one is beautifully performed by Paata Burchuladze). However, the jazz vocalists particularly favored "Summertime." The remarkable American singer Sarah Vaughan, known for her vocal range spanning three and a half octaves, recorded an album titled "Sarah Vaughan Sings George Gershwin" in 1957.

There is also an excellent Russian website dedicated to the works of the Gershwin brothers.