George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue

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George Gershwin’s Life
George Gershwin was a popular and successful American pianist and composer. He composed music for movies, Broadway musicals, opera and the concert hall. He combined classical music and jazz to create his style and was well known for his composition, “Rhapsody in Blue.” As a result of George Gershwin’s composition which included adding jazz elements to classical music, this classical music became popularized.
George Gershwin was born on the 26th of September, 1898 in Brooklyn, New York. His original name was Jacob Gershwin. He was the son of Russian immigrants. His dad, Morris (Moishe) Gershowitz changed his last name to Gershwin when he came to the United States from Russia. His mother, Rosa Bruskin was also a Russian immigrant. His parents were poor and they lived in New York in harsh conditions due to their poverty, often struggling to find enough food for the family. George Gershwin had three siblings and they all had musical talents. Ira Gershwin was George Gershwin’s older brother and later he wrote lyrics for George Gershwin’s famous songs, including Strike Up The Band, Shall We Dance and A Foggy Day. Frances Gershwin, his younger sister, also had musical talents. Arthur Gershwin was his younger brother and was also a composer.
George Gershwin began formal piano lessons in 1910, when he was 12. His family had bought a piano for his older brother Ira. Before this, he had already learnt to play some pieces, having been thought by his friend, Max Rosenzweig. Gershwin’s first teacher was Charles Hambitzer. Hambitzer wrote a letter to his sister and said, “I have a new pupil who will make his mark if anybody will. The boy is a genius.” (A+E Television Networks, 2013) George Gershwin reported that Charle...

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...rshwin. http://www.atencionsanmiguel.org/2013/08/16/a-special-concert-tribute-to-george-gershwin/
National Arts Centre. 2013. George Gershwin. http://www.artsalive.ca/en/mus/greatcomposers/gershwin.html
Paul Helm. 2013. George Gershwin. http://www.52composers.com/gershwin.html
Schiff, D. 1997. Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue. Cambridge University Press. 10 Stamford Road, Oakleigh, Melbourne 3166, Australia.
Schwarz, Frederick D. (1999). Time Machine: 1924 Seventy-five Years Ago: Gershwin's Rhapsody. American Heritage 50(1), February/March 1999. Retrieved Feb 17 2007.
Thomsen, C. 2013. George Gershwin An Analysis of His Style and Influence on Music Through Rhapsody in Blue. http://prezi.com/m23drmpkgbcp/george-gershwin-an-analysis-of-his-style-and-influence-on-music-through-rhapsody-in-blue/
Wikipedia. 2013. Rhapsody in Blue. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhapsody_in_Blue

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