1 / 20

George Gershwin

George Gershwin. Music 1010 By Melanie Jenkins. Background. Born: September 29, 1898 Parents: Rose and Morris Gershwin Religion: Jewish Hobbies: Roller Skating Played Hooky from School Petty Thief. The Beginning. Heard student playing violin Interest in music began

magnar
Download Presentation

George Gershwin

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. George Gershwin Music 1010 By Melanie Jenkins

  2. Background • Born: September 29, 1898 • Parents: Rose and Morris Gershwin • Religion: Jewish • Hobbies: Roller Skating • Played Hooky from School • Petty Thief

  3. The Beginning • Heard student playing violin • Interest in music began • Learned to play piano in secret • Parents bought piano for his brother Ira • Lessons with Charles Hambitzer who praised him

  4. Jobs • Dropped out of school at 15 • Jerome H. Remick & Company – salesman • Tin Pan Alley – 3 years • Highly Skilled Composer • “When You Want ‘Em, You Can’t Get ‘Em” • “Swanee” – First real fame

  5. Rhapsody in Blue • Paul Whiteman asked him to write a jazz number • Concert “An Experiment in Modern Music” • Declined because he was busy with other work • Newspaper announced he was writing for it • 3 weeks to put it together Rhapsody in Blue

  6. Cont. • Riding on a train • Jazz music didn’t have to be in strict time • Worked straight through for 3 weeks • Brother Ira suggested a melody George had played • Ira came up with the name

  7. Cont. • George played piano part at the concert • Improvised where not finished • Clarinetist turned opening into glissando, George liked it • 5 curtain calls

  8. Listening Guide • “Rhapsody in Blue (LP Version), The Piano Rolls” • 0:00 – Long piano trill, ascending in a glissando, main theme, slow, mezzo forte. Binary, quadruple meter • 0:26 – A short second theme is introduced (B), alternates between themes A and B, alternating piano/forte • 1:10 – Build up to a crescendo, descends, then slows to a moderate pace, soft (piano)

  9. Listening Guide • 1:34 – Theme A, variation, loud and soft alternating, fast to slow • 2:09 – Theme B, quadruple complex meter, soft to forte • 2:39 – Return to Theme A, fast, mezzo forte • 3:08 – Variation on Theme B, quick and hurried, fast, medium loud. • 3:30 – Theme A, fast, then slow, reverts to loud and fast, slows down.

  10. Listening Guide • 4:14 – Theme B variation, quick, and softer. The tempo slows, notes ascend . Slower, notes continue to climb. • 5:21 –Theme B, much slower , piano, speeding up • 5:58 – Key change, alternates between fast and slow • 6:36 – Slower, soft (p), swings. • 6:50 – Theme A variation, complex meter. • 7:50 – Glissando, tempo slows ,Theme B, speeds up.

  11. Listening Guide • 8:29 – Rhythm swing, then returns to the original rhythm. Tempo increases, forte • 9:03 – Quick glissando up and down, and back up, inverted arch. • 9:20 – Theme A, slow and low. Thoughtful. • 10:04 – The music ascends • 10:40 – Theme B, another variation. • 10:56 – Still Theme B, alternating slow and fast, soft and loud • 11:36 – Complicated series of quick notes, impression of raindrops. Increasing intensity, lower notes in the left hand, climbing higher.

  12. Listening Guide • 12:28 – Glissando racing up the piano keys, louder • 12:32 – Variation on Theme A. Very fast tempo, ascending. • 13:03 – Theme B, ascends, faster. 2 more glissandos, then slows. • 13:28 – Theme B starts swinging, rocking back and forth. • 13:56 – Theme A returns, very slow tempo, continues until the end.

  13. Gershwin Brothers • Close to brother Ira • Never more than a house away • 1924 – working together; Ira the lyricist • Broadway musicals

  14. Compositions • Fascinating Rhythm • Oh, Lady Be Good • The Man I Love • Someone to Watch Over Me • They Can’t Take That Away From Me • Strike Up the Band • Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off • An American in Paris • Embraceable You

  15. Awards • Pulitzer • “Of Thee I Sing”

  16. Influences • Claude Debussy • Piotr Tchaikovsky • Igor Stravinsky • Maurice Ravel – wanted to meet Gershwin • Gershwin asked Ravel to teach him • Ravel: “It is better to be a first-rate Gershwin than a second-rate Ravel”.

  17. Opera • Read book “Porgy” • Teamed with author DuBose Hayward • Seven years later wrote “Porgy and Bess” • Folk Opera • One of the most important American compositions of century

  18. Illness • 1937 – Severe headaches and strange smells • Thought to be due to stress • Friends and family thought it was an act • Headaches progressed, trouble chewing • Problems playing his own music • Coma – Cedars of Lebanon, brain tumor • Died July 11, 1937

  19. Future Works Planned • String Quartet • Ballet • 2nd Opera

  20. Bibliography • http://www.findfast.org/composers/facts-about-gershwin.htm • http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/george-gershwin/about-the-composer/65/ • www.gershwin.com • http://www.allmusic.com/artist/george-gershwin-mn0000197918 • http://www.artsalive.ca/en/mus/greatcomposers/gershwin.html • http://www.classical.net/music/comp.lst/articles/gershwin/biography.php • http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0006097/ • http://www.biography.com/people/george-gershwin-9309643 • George Gershwin: An Intimate Portrait, by Walter Rimler • Gershwin: His Life and Music, by Charles Schwartz, (1979) • Various images from the Internet, Google, and clip art

More Related