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Oct 5, 2020 · Regardless, how did Gershwin rise from a school dropout and song plugger—basically a salesman and staff pianist who promoted a Tin Pan Alley music-publishing firm—to become the biggest cheese on the block? The short answer is that he brought the economic experience of popular music to the concert hall.
In this frequently reprinted anecdote, the young American met Stravinsky (or Ravel in some tellings) and asked for lessons. The European master replied by asking Gershwin how much money he made and, after Gershwin named an astronomical sum, quipped: “Then I should take lessons from you!”
- George Gershwin Was Not His Given Name. Indeed, the name George Gershwin is known worldwide — it’s synonymous with great American music. However, it may surprise some to know that this was not his birth name.
- He Had Humble Origins. Gershwin was the second of four children in a working-class family of Russian Jewish immigrants. His parents were Morris and Rose, and his siblings were Ira, Arthur, and the young sister, Frances.
- He Had No Formal Training. George Gershwin is known as one of the greatest composers in American history. That’s why it may come as a surprise to many that he had no formal training in music theory or composition.
- Gershwin Was A Piano Prodigy. As we mentioned above, when George Gershwin was still a child, his parents bought his brother a piano. Yet it was George who took to the instrument like a moth to a flame.
Gershwin’s love for jazz and classical music was evident in his compositions. The year 1924 marked a significant turning point in his career when band leader Paul Whiteman commissioned him to create an original piece for a concert of modern music.
In 1934, in an effort to earn money to finance his planned folk opera, Gershwin hosted his own radio program titled Music by Gershwin. The show was broadcast on the NBC Blue Network from February to May and again in September through the final show on December 23, 1934.
Gershwin began his career as a song plugger in New York’s Tin Pan Alley. To earn extra, he also worked as a rehearsal pianist for Broadway singers. In 1916, he composed his first published song, ‘When You Want ’Em You Can’t Get ’Em.’
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Oct 21, 2024 · George Gershwin, one of the most significant and popular American composers of all time. He wrote primarily for the Broadway musical theatre, but his orchestral and piano compositions were also important. His notable works included the composition Rhapsody in Blue and the opera Porgy and Bess.
