George Gershwin Autobiography

George Gershwin Autobiography

Full Name: Mr. Jacob Gershowitz
Date of Birth: September 26, 1898
Place of Birth: Brooklyn, New York, USA
Died: July 11, 1937
Place of Death: Beverly Hills, California, USA
Classification: Artists & Entertainers


His songs have been sung by greats such as Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Judy Garland, and Ella Fitzgerald. Many would agree that George Gershwin did for jazz what Mozart did for symphony. His mixture of the popular music of the day coupled with his amazing piano rolls changed the form of music; he alone began defining a young 20 th century America.

As a young boy, George took over his sister’s spot at the piano and could mimic what he had heard. His parents, realizing they had something of a small maestro on their hands, decided to provide him with piano lessons. Within two years, Gershwin was working with Charles Hambitzer, where he learned traditional piano that would help him later in life as he spliced it with modern styles. By the time he was a teenager, he was working with a musical publishing company on Tin Pan Alley. His first ragtime release called Rialto Ripples and later his commercial success called Swanee sent him to immediate fame.

A few years later, George Gershwin worked on pieces called Lady Be Good, The Man I Love and Oh, Kay! Within ten years, he released Of Thee I Sing, which was the first musical comedy to win a Pulitzer Prize. It was, however, Rhapsody in Blue and Porgy and Bess that would have a lasting impression and resounding effect on ragtime and jazz music.

George Gershwin admitted that French composers had greatly influenced his style. He decided to live in Paris for a while, where he composed An American in Paris, but found the music scene there overly haughty for his tastes. He soon returned to New York City where he would compose daily.

During his time in the United States, he had a prolonged relationship with Kay Swift and later with Paulette Goddard. But, the influence of French music would have a lasting effect on his newfound style. He was strongly influenced by Ravel and Claude Debussy. His fondness of Alan Berg, Darius Milhaud, and Arnold Schoenberg are apparent in his opus. And, although he passed away from a brain tumor at the age of 38, his music continues to have a phenomenal effect on modern compositions.