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George Gershwins music journey started at the age of 11 when his parents bought his older brother, Ira, a second-hand piano (Biography.com, 2019 ). George had a natural talent for piano and he took it up, eventually seeking out mentors who could help him hone and nurture his abilities (Biography.com, 2019 ) He went on to study with and impress the noted piano teacher Charles Hambitzer who stated in a letter to his sister: &the boy is a genius (Biography.com, 2019 ). After dropping out of school when he was 15, Gershwin played in numerous New York nightclubs and on The Tin Pan Alley and became a highly skilled composer after three years of playing for demanding customers and working as a rehearsal pianist for Broadway singers (Biography.com, 2019 ). He composed his first song in 1916 and was asked by Paul Whiteman to create a jazz number that would emphasize the genres respectability and he birthed Rhapsody in Blue (Biography.com, 2019 ). Gershwin wrote several songs for screen and stage including his orchestral composition An American in Paris as well as Porgy and Bess and Shall We Dance? (Biography.com, 2019 ). Georges older brother Ira wrote the lyrics for many of his compositions (Biography.com, 2019 ).
George Gershwin composed over 500 works. His compositions include over 16 Classical works including the Famous Rhapsody in Blue (1924), 11 Overtures, 23 Solo Works for Piano, more than 31 Musical Theatre compositions, 31 Miscellaneous Songs, and composed music for 8 Musical Films (www.revovly.com, n.d.) Some of George Gershwins works include Porgy and Bess, Shall We Dance, Blue Monday and I Got Rhythm (www.revovly.com, n.d.). George Gershwin was popular for his Jazz and Popular Song Compositions (Microsoft® Encarta®, 2007).
Typical jazz instrumentation starts with a rhythm section that consists of string bass, piano, drums, and guitar (optional), and any number of wind instruments can be added to these instruments (Microsoft® Encarta®, 2007). The wind instruments are grouped into three sections in big bands namely: saxophones, trombones, and trumpets (Microsoft® Encarta®, 2007). Even though there are exceptions in some styles, according to Microsoft Encarta Encyclopaedia Standard 2007, most jazz is based on the principle that an infinite number of melodies can fit the chord progressions of any song (Microsoft® Encarta®, 2007). The chord progression is repeated numerous times as each soloist is featured for as many choruses as they wish. Musicians improvise new melodies that fit the progressions (Microsoft® Encarta®, 2007). There are two formal patterns that are quite often found in songs used for jazz. According to Microsoft Encarta Encyclopaedia Standard 2007, One is the AABA form of popular-song choruses, which typically consist of 32 bars in 1 meter, divided into four 8-bars sections: section A; a repeat of section A; section B (the bridge or release , often beginning in a new key); a repeat of section A (Microsoft® Encarta®, 2007) . The second form is the 12-bar blues form, and it has deep roots in black American folk music (Microsoft® Encarta®, 2007). Blues songs have a standardized chord progression that is unlike the 32-bar AABA form (Microsoft® Encarta®, 2007).
Rhapsody in Blue Premiered as part of An Experiment in Modern Music concert by Paul Whiteman at New Yorks Aeolian Concert Hallin in 1924 on 12 February (Schwarm, 2019). It is well known for integrating Jazz Rhythms with Classical Music. Of all American concert works, Rhapsody in Blue is popularly known as Gershwins most famous work (Schwarm, 2019). It is one of the most performed compositions. According to Britannica.com. Its opening clarinet glissando is one of the most recognized musical passages in the world. (Schwarm, 2019)
The orchestration was created for solo piano as well as Paul Whiteman’s band. The band consisted of three woodwind players doubling one oboe, one clarinet, one sopranino saxophone in E-flat, two soprano saxophones in B-flat, two alto saxophones in E-flat, one tenor saxophone in B-flat, one baritone saxophone in E-flat, two trumpets in B-flat, two French horns in F, two trombones, and one tuba (doubling on double bass), a percussion section which includes a drum set, timpani, and a glockenspiel as well as one piano, one tenor banjo, and violins. The opening of the composition is written as a clarinet trill followed by a legato (17 notes in a diatonic scale) (Chen & Smith, 2008).
Strong motivic interrelatedness characterizes the composition and much of the motivic material is introduced in the first 14 measures (Chen & Smith, 2008). The composition starts and ends in B-flat major, then it quite early on modulates towards the sub-dominant direction and abruptly returns to B-flat major at the end (Chen & Smith, 2008). The opening modulates ‘downward’ through the key: B-flat, E-flat, A-flat, D-flat, G-flat, B, E, and lastly to A major (Chen & Smith, 2008). Rhapsody in Blue has a harmonic structure and modulations occur freely and easily, though not always with harmonic direction. Gershwin quite often uses a recursive harmonic progression of minor thirds which gives the illusion of motion. (Chen & Smith, 2008)
Bibliography
- Biography.com. (2019 ). George Gershwin. Retrieved June 26, 2019, from biography.com: https://www-biography-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.biography.com/.amp/musician/george-gershwin
- Chen, J. M., & Smith, J. (2008). How to Play the First Bar of Rhapsody in Blue. Retrieved July 27, 2019, from Acoustical Society of America: https://web.archive.org/web/20130425041259/http://www.acoustics.org/press/155th/chen.htm
- Microsoft® Encarta®. (2007). Jazz. Microsoft Corporation 2006. Retrieved July 27, 2019
- Schwarm, B. (2019). Rhapsody in Blue by Gershwin. Retrieved July 27, 2019, from www.britannica.com: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Rhapsody-in-Blue-by-Gershwin
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2019). Geroge Gershwin American Composer. Retrieved June 26, 2019, from Britanninca.com: https://www.britannica.com/biography/George-Gershwin
- www.revovly.com. (n.d.). List of Compositions by George Gershwin. Retrieved July 27, 2019, from www.revolvy.com: www.revolvy.com/List-of-compositions-by-George-Gershwin
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