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George Gershwin
Brooklyn, New York, United States
Archival Overview
Genius American composer and pianist who seamlessly fused jazz, blues, and Broadway song into classical orchestral music.
Biographical Record
George Gershwin was an iconic American composer and pianist whose brilliant compositions seamlessly bridged the gap between popular Broadway song, African American jazz, and classical symphonic form. Born in Brooklyn to Russian-Jewish immigrant parents, Gershwin began as a Tin Pan Alley song plugger before scoring massive Broadway successes with his lyricist brother Ira Gershwin.
In 1924, Gershwin made music history with Rhapsody in Blue, blending syncopated jazz rhythms with lush symphonic orchestration. He followed with An American in Paris, the Piano Concerto in F, and his monumental American folk opera Porgy and Bess (1935), featuring 'Summertime'. Gershwin's incandescent career was cut tragically short at age 38 by a brain tumor.
Key Life Milestones
Rhapsody in Blue
Premiered his epochal jazz-classical concerto with Paul Whiteman at Aeolian Hall, transforming American concert music.
Porgy and Bess
Staged his groundbreaking American folk opera on Broadway, creating the immortal aria 'Summertime'.
Memorial Guestbook & Tributes
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Final Resting Place
Perpetual MemorialHastings-on-Hudson, New York, United States