Remembering the great George Gershwin, on the centenary of his birth

Abstract

Gershwin was born in Brooklyn, New York, on September 26, 1898; Of Russian-Jewish parents who had immigrated to the United States of America, a few years earlier. He grew up on the fertile East Side. The dynamic and outgoing young man was about ten years old when he began studying music and as his instrument: The Piano. In Paris, France, he studied with the renowned artist Nadia Boulanger, later took composition lessons with the great Maurice Ravel. Given his intensity and zeal for learning, he could have continued in a conservatory, but his future guidance was already clear to him. He took the first step towards his ultimate goal when he entered the firm Remick, a well-known popular music editor, performing songs to the keyboard to spread to the public. "When You Want'Em You Can't Get'Em" from 1916, it was his first song released and he reported five dollars to him. From these modest beginnings, Gershwin's career progressed rapidly. In 1919 he wrote his first score for a musical comedy, "La Lucille", and his first hit, "Swanee", which Al Jolson brought to fame. Over the next decade he produced a substantial number of the memorable songs associated with his name, including "Somebody Loves Me" from the Scandals of 1924; "Oh Lady Be Good" and "Fascinating Rhythm" (1924); "The Man I Love" from "Tip Toes" (Tip Toes) 1925; and 'S Wonderful," from 1927's "Funny Face". In these musical comedy melodies we find the distinctive profile of the gershwinian song: A fresh melodic lyricism, subtle rhythms, caressing prayers, impulsive prayers, chromatic harmony and sudden modulations.