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George Gershwin (September 26, 1898 – July
11, 1937) was an United States|American composer. 
He was born Jacob Gershowitz in Brooklyn, New York
to Russia|Russian Jewish immigrant parents. 
George wrote most of his works together with his
elder brother lyricist Ira Gershwin.  Gershwin
composed both for Broadway theatre|Broadway and
for the classical concert hall. He also wrote
popular songs with success. 

Many of his compositions have been used in
film|cinema, and many are famous jazz standards;
songbooks have been recorded by Ella Fitzgerald
(three memorable discs recorded for Verve, with
Nelson Riddle's orchestra), Herbie Hancock and
several other singers or players.

==Biography==

In 1910, the Gershwins had acquired a piano for
Ira's music lessons, but George took over,
successfully playing by ear. He tried out various
piano teachers for two years, then was introduced
to Charles Hambitzer, who acted as George's mentor
until Hambitzer's death in 1918. Hambitzer taught
George conventional piano technique, introduced
him to music of the European European classical
music|classical tradition, and encouraged him to
attend orchestral concerts.  (At home following
such concerts, young George would attempt to
reproduce at the keyboard the music he had heard).
 He later studied with classical composer Rubin
Goldmark. 

His 1916 novelty Ragtime|rag "Rialto Ripples" was
a commercial success, and in 1918 he scored his
first big national hit with his song "Swanee".
In 1916 he also recorded fourteen piano roll|piano
rolls including six pieces of his own compositions
for the Welte-Mignon of M. Welte & Sons, Inc. of
New York, the inventor and first producer of
reproducing piano|reproducing pianos.

In 1924, George and Ira collaborated on a musical
comedy, Lady Be Good. It included such future Jazz
standards|standards as "Fascinating Rhythm" and
"The Man I Love." 
This was followed by Oh, Kay! (1926); Funny Face
in (1927); Strike Up the Band (1927 & 1930); Girl
Crazy (1930), which introduced the standard "I Got
Rhythm"; and Of Thee I Sing (1931), the first
musical comedy to win a Pulitzer Prize. 

It was in Hollywood, while working on the score of
The Goldwyn Follies, that George Gershwin
collapsed and, on July 11, 1937, died of a brain
tumour. He was interred in the Westchester Hills
Cemetery, Hastings-on-Hudson, New York.

Gershwin had a ten-year affair with composer Kay
Swift.  Swift was a frequent consult of Gershwin;
he named the musical Oh, Kay after her. 
Posthumously, Swift arranged some of his music,
transcribed some of his recordings, and
collaborated with Ira on several projects.

Gershwin died intestate, and all his property
passed to his mother. The Gershwin estate
continues to bring in significant royalties from
licensing the copyrights on Gershwin's work. The
estate supported the Sonny Bono Copyright Term
Extension Act because its 1923 cutoff date was
shortly before Gershwin had begun to create his
most popular works. The copyrights on those works
expire in 2007 in the European Union and between
2019 and 2027 in the United States|United States
of America.

==Music==
===Musical style and influence===
Gershwin was influenced very much by French
composers of the early twentieth century.  Upon
meeting composer Maurice Ravel, Gershwin asked him
of the possibility of becoming a student of
composition under the master. Ravel is said to
have replied, "Why should you be a second-rate
Ravel when you can be a first-rate Gershwin?" 
Ravel was already quite impressed with the ability
of Gershwin, commenting, "Personally I find jazz
most interesting: the rhythms, the way the
melodies are handled, the melodies themselves.  I
have heard of George Gershwin's works and I find
them intriguing." (Mawer 42)  The orchestrations
in Gershwin's symphonic works often seem similar
to those of Ravel; likewise, Ravel's two piano
concertos evince an influence of Gershwin. He also
asked Igor Stravinsky for lessons; when Stravinsky
heard how much Gershwin earned, he replied "How
about you give me some lessons?"

Gershwin's own Concerto in F was criticised as
being strongly rooted in the work of Claude
Debussy, more so than in the jazz style which was
expected.  The comparison didn't deter Gershwin
from continuing to explore French styles.  The
title of An American in Paris reflects the very
journey that he had consciously taken as a
composer: "The opening part will be developed in
typical French style, in the manner of Debussy and
the Six, though the tunes are original." (Hyland
126)

Gershwin was intrigued by the works of Alban Berg,
Dmitri Shostakovich, Igor Stravinsky, Darius
Milhaud and Arnold Schoenberg. Russian  Joseph
Schillinger's influence as his teacher of
composition was substantial in providing him with
a method to his composition.  After the posthumous
success of Porgy and Bess, Schillinger claimed he
had a large and direct influence in overseeing the
creation of the opera; Ira completely denied that
his brother had any such assistance for this work.
 In analysis, Schillinger's student Vernon Duke
found that while many of Gershwin's works
certainly were reviewed by Schillinger, Porgy does
not seem to be one of them.  The indirect
influence of his study with the teacher was
apparent in the opera's even more clear
orchestrations but it is characteristically
Gershwin in ways that Schillinger would not have
approved of. (Hyland 167)

===Partial list of classical works===
Gershwin's works in the classical field include:
*Rhapsody in Blue - 1924
*Concerto in F (Gershwin)|Concerto in F for piano
and orchestra - 1925
*Three Preludes for piano - 1926 
*Short Story for violin and piano - 1927
*An American In Paris - 1928
*Lullaby for string quartet - 1929
*Second Rhapsody for piano and orchestra - 1932
*Cuban Overture - 1933
*I Got Rhythm Variations - 1934
*Porgy And Bess - 1935
*Walking the Dog - 1937
*Impromptu in Two Keys for piano - 1973
*Two Waltzes in C for piano - 1975
*Six Songs

===Musical theater credits===
*1919 - La La Lucille (lyrics by Arthur Jackson
and B. G. DeSylva)
*1920 - George White's Scandals|George White's
Scandals of 1920 (lyrics by Arthur Jackson)
*1921 - George White's Scandals|George White's
Scandals of 1921 (lyrics by Arthur Jackson)
*1922 - George White's Scandals|George White's
Scandals of 1922 (lyrics by E. Ray Goetz and B. G.
DeSylva)
*1922 - Our Nell (lyrics by Brian Hooker)
*1923 - The Rainbow (lyrics by Clifford Grey).
Premiered in West End|London.
*1923 - George White's Scandals|George White's
Scandals of 1923 (lyrics by E. Ray Goetz and B. G.
DeSylva)
*1924 - Sweet Little Devil (lyrics by B. G.
DeSylva)
*1924 - George White's Scandals|George White's
Scandals of 1924 (lyrics by B. G. DeSylva)
*1924 - Primrose (musical)|Primrose (lyrics by
Desmond Carter). Premiered in London.
*1924 - Lady, Be Good! (lyrics by Ira Gershwin)
*1925 - Tell Me More! (lyrics by Ira Gershwin and
B. G. DeSylva)
*1925 - Tip-Toes (lyrics by Ira Gershwin)
*1925 - Song of the Flame (lyrics by Otto Harbach
and Oscar Hammerstein II, and musical
collaboration by Herbert Stothart)
*1926 - Oh, Kay! (lyrics by Ira Gershwin)
** Includes the famous song, "Someone to Watch
Over Me"
*1927 - Funny Face (lyrics by Ira Gershwin)
*1927 - Strike Up The Band (lyrics by Ira
Gershwin)
**Revised 1930
*1928 - Rosalie (lyrics by Ira Gershwin)
*1928 - Treasure Girl (lyrics by Ira Gershwin)
*1929 - Show Girl (lyrics by Ira Gershwin and Gus
Kahn)
*1930 - Girl Crazy (lyrics by Ira Gershwin)
*1931 - Of Thee I Sing (lyrics by Ira Gershwin)
*1933 - Pardon My English (lyrics by Ira Gershwin)
*1933 - Let 'Em Eat Cake (lyrics by Ira Gershwin)
*1935 - Porgy and Bess (lyrics by Ira Gershwin and
DuBose Heyward)

===Musical films===
*1931 - Delicious (film)|Delicious (lyrics by Ira
Gershwin)
*1937 - Shall We Dance (lyrics by Ira Gershwin)
*1937 - A Damsel in Distress (lyrics by Ira
Gershwin)
*1938 - Goldwyn Follies (lyrics by Ira Gershwin)
*1947 - The Shocking Miss Pilgrim (Kay Swift
adapted a number of unpublished Gershwin melodies
and Ira Gershwin wrote the lyrics.)

==Media==
multi-listen start
multi-listen item|filename=Gershwin Prelude No 2
Brian E Young.ogg|title=Prelude No
2|description=from Three Preludes for
Piano|format=Ogg 
multi-listen end

==References==
* Hyland, William G.George Gershwin : A New
Biography Praeger Publishers (August 30 2003) ISBN
0275981118 
* Mawer, Deborah (Editor). Cross, Jonathan (Series
Editor). The Cambridge Companion to Ravel
(Cambridge Companions to Music) Cambridge
University Press (August 24 2000) ISBN 0521648564

==External links==
*
http://www.carolinaclassical.com/gershwin/index.ht
ml George Gershwin: American Genius
* http://www.gershwin.com Official Site
* http://www.hamienet.com/cat11355.html George
Gershwin MIDI
*
http://www.classical.net/music/comp.lst/gershwin.h
tml
*
http://www.anecdotage.com/browse.php?category=peop
le&who=Gershwin Anecdotage: Gershwin Gershwin
Anecdotes (with sources noted)

Porgy