George Gershwin

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Biography

Born: 1898   Died: 1937   Country: USA   Period: 20th Century
In a career tragically cut short in mid-stride by a brain tumor, George Gershwin (1898-1937) proved himself to be not only one of the great songwriters of his extremely rich era, but also a gifted "serious" composer who bridged the worlds of classical and popular music. The latter is all the more striking, given that, of his contemporaries, Gershwin was the most influenced by such styles as jazz and blues.

Gershwin's first Read more major hit, interpolated into the show Sinbad in 1919, was "Swanee," sung by Al Jolson. Gershwin wrote both complete scores and songs for such variety shoes as George White's Scandals (whose annual editions thus were able to introduce such songs as "I'll Build a Stairway to Paradise" and "Somebody Loves Me").

After 1924, Gershwin worked primarily with his brother Ira as his lyricist. The two scored a series of Broadway hits in the '20s and early '30s, starting with Lady Be Good (1924), which included the song "Fascinatin' Rhythm." 1924 was also the year Gershwin composed his first classical piece, "Rhapsody in Blue," and he would continue to work in the classical field until his death.

By the '30s, the Gershwins had turned to political topics and satire in response to the onset of the Depression, and their Of Thee I Sing became the first musical to win a Pulitzer Prize. In the mid '30s, Gershwin ambitiously worked to meld his show music and classical leanings in the creation of the folk opera Porgy and Bess, with lyrics by Ira and Dubose Heyward. The Gershwins had moved to Hollywood and were engaged in several movie projects at the time of George Gershwin's death. Read less

Featured George Gershwin CDs & DVDs:

Gershwin: Rhapsody In Blue; Strike Up The Band Overture; Promenade / Falletta, Buffalo Philharmonic
Gershwin: Rhapsody In Blue; Strike Up The Band Overture; Promenade / Falletta, Buffalo Philharmonic
Release Date: 06/25/2013   Label: Naxos  
Catalog: 8559750   Number of Discs: 1
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Gershwin: Concerto In F, Rhapsody No 2, I Got Rhythm Variations / Orion Weiss
Gershwin: Concerto In F, Rhapsody No 2, I Got Rhythm Variations / Orion Weiss
Release Date: 02/28/2012   Label: Naxos  
Catalog: 8559705   Number of Discs: 1
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Gershwin / Judd, New Zealand
Gershwin / Judd, New Zealand
Release Date: 05/21/2002   Label: Naxos  
Catalog: 8559107   Number of Discs: 1
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Symphonic Brass - Verdi, Bizet, Gershwin, Et Al
Symphonic Brass - Verdi, Bizet, Gershwin, Et Al
Release Date: 11/20/2007   Label: Naxos  
Catalog: 8570726   Number of Discs: 1
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Gershwin: An American In Paris; Grofe: Grand Canyon Suite / Schwarz, Seattle Symphony
Gershwin: An American In Paris; Grofe: Grand Canyon Suite / Schwarz, Seattle Symphony
Release Date: 05/29/2012   Label: Naxos  
Catalog: 8571205   Number of Discs: 1
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Work: Preludes (3) for Piano

Browse 1-25 of 120 Available Recordings
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  • 1.
    Music In Life / Umi Garrett
    Music In Life / Umi Garrett
    Label: Umi Garrett   Catalog: 5638232876 Release Date: 01/11/2014   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Frédéric Chopin,  Ludwig van Beethoven,  Claude Debussy,  George Gershwin  ... 
    Performer:  Umi Garrett
    CD: $33.99
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  • 2.
    Prelude Cocktail
    Prelude Cocktail
    Label: Lawler + Fadoul   Catalog: 5638178065 Release Date: 09/18/2013   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach,  Frédéric Chopin,  Alexander Scriabin,  Claude Debussy  ... 
    Performer:  Christopher Grymes
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Lawler + Fadoul
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  • 3.
    Rhythm & Hues: Music Of Gershwin & Chopin
    Rhythm & Hues: Music Of Gershwin & Chopin
    Label: Four-tay   Catalog: 4036 Release Date: 06/11/2013   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  George Gershwin,  Frédéric Chopin
    Performer:  Alicia Zizzo
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  • 4.
    Our American Roots
    Our American Roots
    Label: Delos   Catalog: 3449 Release Date: 05/28/2013   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  George Gershwin,  Samuel Barber,  George Walker,  Aaron Copland
    Performer:  Emmanuel Feldman,  Joy Cline-Phinney
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  • 5.
    Findlay in Blue - Piano Music of Gershwin, Gottschalk & Gould / Findlay Cockrell
    Findlay in Blue - Piano Music of Gershwin, Gottschalk & Gould / Findlay Cockrell
    Label: Albany Records   Catalog: 1414 Release Date: 05/14/2013   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  George Gershwin,  Louis Moreau Gottschalk,  Morton Gould
    Performer:  Findlay Cockrell
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  • 6.
    In Rhythm / Sebastian Manz, Martin Klett
    In Rhythm / Sebastian Manz, Martin Klett
    Label: Cavi Music   Catalog: 8553271 Release Date: 05/14/2013   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  George Gershwin,  Alec Templeton,  Aaron Copland,  Steve Reich  ... 
    Performer:  Sebastian Manz,  Martin Klett
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  • 7.
    Waiting For Benny / Julien Herve, Jean-hisanori Sugitani
    Waiting For Benny / Julien Herve, Jean-hisanori Sugitani
    Label: Naxos   Catalog: 8573032 Release Date: 04/30/2013   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Francis Poulenc,  Leonard Bernstein,  George Gershwin,  Igor Stravinsky  ... 
    Performer:  Julien Herve,  Jean-Hisanori Sugitani,  Ying Lai Green,  Maud Lovett
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  • 8.
    Edition Klavier-festival Ruhr, Vol. 29: Frankreich, Amerika & Neue Musik
    Edition Klavier-festival Ruhr, Vol. 29: Frankreich, Amerika & Neue Musik
    Label: Cavi Music   Catalog: 8553273 Release Date: 04/09/2013   Number of Discs: 3
    Composer:  Maurice Ravel,  Claude Debussy,  George Gershwin,  Earl Wild  ... 
    Performer:  Juan Perez Floristan,  Jean-Frédéric Neuburger,  Cheng Zhang,  Bertrand Chamayou  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Gershwin Quartett (String Quartet)
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  • 9.
    American Piano Music / Christopher Harding
    American Piano Music / Christopher Harding
    Label: Equilibrium   Catalog: 116 Release Date: 02/12/2013   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Aaron Copland,  Samuel Barber,  George Gershwin,  William Bolcom
    Performer:  Christopher Harding
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  • 10.
    Gershwin At The Keyboard / Ivar Anton Waagaard
    Gershwin At The Keyboard / Ivar Anton Waagaard
    Label: Lawo Classics   Catalog: 1021 Release Date: 02/12/2013   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  George Gershwin
    Performer:  Ivar Anton Waagaard
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  • 11.
    Violin Encores / Jascha Heifetz
    Violin Encores / Jascha Heifetz
    Label: Regis   Catalog: 1296 Release Date: 01/29/2013   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Erich Wolfgang Korngold,  Edouard Lalo,  George Gershwin,  Traditional  ... 
    Performer:  Jascha Heifetz,  Emanuel Bay,  Milton Kaye
    Conductor:  Alfred Wallenstein,  William Steinberg
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra,  RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra
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  • 12.
    Americana / Modern Mandolin Quartet [CD & Blu-ray Audio]
    Americana / Modern Mandolin Quartet [CD & Blu-ray Audio]
    Label: Sono Luminus   Catalog: 92157 Release Date: 08/28/2012   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Aaron Copland,  Antonín Dvorák,  Leonard Bernstein,  Traditional  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Modern Mandolin Quartet
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  • 13.
    Gershwin: Songbook, Rhapsody In Blue / Michael Endres
    Gershwin: Songbook, Rhapsody In Blue / Michael Endres
    Label: Oehms   Catalog: 418 Release Date: 08/28/2012   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  George Gershwin
    Performer:  Michael Endres
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  • 14.
    Imaginary Landscapes - Sounds Of America [20-CD Set]
    Imaginary Landscapes - Sounds Of America [20-CD Set]
    Label: Emi Classics   Catalog: 44290 Release Date: 07/03/2012   Number of Discs: 20
    Composer:  John Philip Sousa,  Scott Joplin,  Ferde Grofé,  George Gershwin  ... 
    Performer:  Joshua Rifkin,  Ralph Grierson,  Richard Rodney Bennett,  Barry Tuckwell  ... 
    Conductor:  Timothy Foley,  George Sponhaltz,  Felix Slatkin,  Ferde Grofé  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Great American Main Street Band,  Southland Stingers,  Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra  ... 
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  • 15.
    Gershwin Plus: Piano Solos And Novelty Arrangements
    Gershwin Plus: Piano Solos And Novelty Arrangements
    Label: Aca Digital   Catalog: 20031 Release Date: 05/08/2012   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  George Gershwin,  Zez Confrey,  Bix Beiderbecke
    Performer:  Geoffrey Haydon
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  • 16.
    Alki Guitar Trio
    Alki Guitar Trio
    Label: Gha   Catalog: 126066 Release Date: 02/28/2012   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  George Gershwin,  Kevin Callahan,  Heitor Villa-Lobos,  Sérgio Assad  ... 
    Performer:  Adrien Brogna,  Magali Rischette,  Hughes Kolp
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Alki Guitar Trio
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  • 17.
    Gottschalk, Joplin, Gershwin / Joshua Rifkin, Leonard Pennario
    Gottschalk, Joplin, Gershwin / Joshua Rifkin, Leonard Pennario
    Label: Emi Classics   Catalog: 0829342 Release Date: 11/15/2011   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Scott Joplin,  Louis Moreau Gottschalk,  George Gershwin
    Performer:  Joshua Rifkin,  Leonard Pennario
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  • 18.
    Music For Chamber Winds / United States Navy Band
    Music For Chamber Winds / United States Navy Band
    Label: Altissimo   Catalog: 70452 Release Date: 11/15/2011   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Henri Tomasi,  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,  Vincent Persichetti,  Alphonse Hasselmans  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  United States Navy Band
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  • 19.
    The Legacy Of George Gershwin / United States Army Field Band
    The Legacy Of George Gershwin / United States Army Field Band
    Label: Altissimo   Catalog: 63402 Release Date: 10/25/2011   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  George Gershwin,  Philip Sparke,  Unspecified
    Performer:  Jennifer Everhart,  Robert McIver Jr.,  Meghan Whittier
    Conductor:  Thomas H. Palmatier
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  United States Army Field Band,  Marcus Roberts Trio
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  • 20.
    Famous Violin Encores / Alexander Markov, Dmitriy Cogan
    Famous Violin Encores / Alexander Markov, Dmitriy Cogan
    Label: Apex   Catalog: 674300 Release Date: 08/30/2011   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Aram Khachaturian,  Sergei Rachmaninov,  Sergei Prokofiev,  Franz Schubert  ... 
    Performer:  Alexander Markov,  Dmitri Cogan
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  • 21.
    Gershwin: Rhapsody In Blue, An American In Paris, The Man I Love / Tilson Thomas, Kostelantz
    Gershwin: Rhapsody In Blue, An American In Paris, The Man I Love / Tilson Thomas, Kostelantz
    Label: Sony   Catalog: 64349 Release Date: 06/27/2011   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  George Gershwin
    Performer:  George Gershwin,  Harold Jones,  Sarah Vaughan,  George Gaffney  ... 
    Conductor:  Michael Tilson Thomas,  Morton Gould,  Andre Kostelanetz,  Eugene Ormandy  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Columbia Jazz Band,  Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra,  Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra  ... 
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  • 22.
    The Heifetz Collection Vol 19 - 51 Miniatures 1944-1946
    The Heifetz Collection Vol 19 - 51 Miniatures 1944-1946
    Label: Rca Victor Gold Seal   Catalog: 61750 Release Date: 06/10/2011   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky,  Frédéric Chopin,  Robert Schumann,  Alexander Krein  ... 
    Performer:  Jascha Heifetz,  Emanuel Bay,  Milton Kaye,  Bing Crosby
    Conductor:  Salvador Camarata,  Victor Young
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Orchestra
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  • 23.
    Gershwin / K. & M. Labeque, Chailly, Maazel, Cleveland Orchestra [7-CD Collector's Edition]
    Gershwin / K. & M. Labeque, Chailly, Maazel, Cleveland Orchestra [7-CD Collector's Edition]
    Label: Decca   Catalog: 001546202 Release Date: 04/19/2011   Number of Discs: 7
    Composer:  George Gershwin,  Robert Russell Bennett
    Performer:  Katia Labèque,  Marielle Labèque,  Ralph Votapek,  Peter Jablonski  ... 
    Conductor:  Riccardo Chailly,  Arthur Fiedler,  Vladimir Ashkenazy,  John Mauceri  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Cleveland Orchestra,  Boston Pops,  Royal Philharmonic Orchestra  ... 
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  • 24.
    The Eroica Trio Plays Gershwin, Ravel, Godard & Schoenfield
    The Eroica Trio Plays Gershwin, Ravel, Godard & Schoenfield
    Label: Emi Classics   Catalog: 94427 Release Date: 04/05/2011   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  George Gershwin,  Maurice Ravel,  Paul Schoenfield,  Benjamin Godard
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Eroica Trio
    CD: $12.99
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  • 25.
    Kaleidoscope / Amy Schwartz Moretti
    Kaleidoscope / Amy Schwartz Moretti
    Label: Sono Luminus   Catalog: 92126 Release Date: 03/29/2011   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  George Gershwin,  Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky,  Ottokar Novácek,  Jean Martinon  ... 
    Performer:  Amy Schwartz Moretti,  Elizabeth Pridgen,  Robert McDuffie
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