This comprehensive biography of George Gershwin (1898-1937)
unravels the myths surrounding one of America's most celebrated
composers and establishes the enduring value of his music. Gershwin
created some of the most beloved music of the twentieth century and,
along with Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin, and Cole Porter, helped make the
golden age of Broadway golden. Howard Pollack draws from a wealth of
sketches, manuscripts, letters, interviews, books, articles, recordings,
films, and other materials―including a large cache of Gershwin scores
discovered in a Warner Brothers warehouse in 1982―to create an expansive
chronicle of Gershwin’s meteoric rise to fame. He also traces
Gershwin’s powerful presence that, even today, extends from Broadway,
jazz clubs, and film scores to symphony halls and opera houses.
Pollack’s
lively narrative describes Gershwin’s family, childhood, and education;
his early career as a pianist; his friendships and romantic life; his
relation to various musical trends; his writings on music; his working
methods; and his tragic death at the age of 38. Unlike Kern, Berlin, and
Porter, who mostly worked within the confines of Broadway and
Hollywood, Gershwin actively sought to cross the boundaries between high
and low, and wrote works that crossed over into a realm where art
music, jazz, and Broadway met and merged. The author surveys Gershwin’s
entire oeuvre, from his first surviving compositions to the melodies
that his brother and principal collaborator, Ira Gershwin, lyricized
after his death. Pollack concludes with an exploration of the
performances and critical reception of Gershwin's music over the years,
from his time to ours.
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