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:

Findlay in Blue - Piano Music of Gershwin, Gottschalk & Gould / Findlay Cockrell
Findlay in Blue - Piano Music of Gershwin, Gottschalk & Gould / Findlay Cockrell
Release Date: 05/14/2013   Label: Albany Records  
Catalog: 1414   Number of Discs: 1
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American Piano Concertos - Gershwin, Et Al / Paul Barnes
American Piano Concertos - Gershwin, Et Al / Paul Barnes
Release Date: 10/24/2006   Label: Albany Records  
Catalog: 878   Number of Discs: 1
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Ravel, Gershwin, Bernstein, Glazunov / Nakarjakov, Markovich
Ravel, Gershwin, Bernstein, Glazunov / Nakarjakov, Markovich
Release Date: 09/07/1993   Label: Teldec  
Catalog: 77705   Number of Discs: 1
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Gershwin Among Friends / Keller, Ridenour, Ordman, Et Al
Gershwin Among Friends / Keller, Ridenour, Ordman, Et Al
Release Date: 02/03/1998   Label: Albany Records  
Catalog: 274   Number of Discs: 1
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Gershwin, Ravel: Piano Concertos / Grimaud, Zinman
Gershwin, Ravel: Piano Concertos / Grimaud, Zinman
Release Date: 11/25/1997   Label: Erato  
Catalog: 19571   Number of Discs: 1
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Work: Preludes (3) for Piano

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  • 51.
    Paris-new York, 1930 - Music For Saxophone / Gensig, Ilario
    Paris-new York, 1930 - Music For Saxophone / Gensig, Ilario
    Label: Preiser Records   Catalog: 90711 Release Date: 01/02/2007   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Reinhard C. Seifert,  Darius Milhaud,  Claude Debussy,  Maurice Ravel  ... 
    Performer:  Klaus Gesing,  Sylvaine Ilario
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  • 52.
    Gershwin: Songbook / Duo Campion-Vachon
    Gershwin: Songbook / Duo Campion-Vachon
    Label: Analekta   Catalog: 23074 Release Date: 11/22/2006   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  George Gershwin
    Performer:  Mario Vachon,  Guy Campion
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Campion-Vachon Duo
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  • 53.
    Heifetz - It Ain't Necessarily So - Legendary Classic And Jazz Studio Takes
    Heifetz - It Ain't Necessarily So - Legendary Classic And Jazz Studio Takes
    Label: Deutsche Grammophon   Catalog: 000719002 Release Date: 10/10/2006   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Jascha Heifetz,  Hermann Lohr,  Benjamin Godard,  Cecil Burleigh  ... 
    Performer:  Jascha Heifetz,  Bing Crosby,  Emanuel Bay,  Milton Kaye
    Conductor:  Victor Young,  Salvador Camarata
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Orchestra
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  • 54.
    Gershwin: A Piano Solo Album / Dorothy Lewis-griffith
    Gershwin: A Piano Solo Album / Dorothy Lewis-griffith
    Label: Etcetera Records   Catalog: 1176 Release Date: 10/01/2006   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  George Gershwin
    Performer:  Dorothy Lewis-Griffith
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  • 55.
    American Piano Music / Michel Legrand
    American Piano Music / Michel Legrand
    Label: Apex   Catalog: 49576 Release Date: 03/21/2006   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Amy Marcy Beach,  John Cage,  Louis Moreau Gottschalk,  Samuel Barber  ... 
    Performer:  Michel Legrand
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  • 56.
    Gemini - Violin Encores / Itzhak Perlman
    Gemini - Violin Encores / Itzhak Perlman
    Label: Emi Classics   Catalog: 76957 Release Date: 02/21/2006   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Jean-Philippe Rameau,  Maurice Ravel,  Pablo de Sarasate,  Ernesto Halffter  ... 
    Performer:  Samuel Sanders,  Itzhak Perlman
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  • 57.
    Light Classics - Summertime - Music For Clarinet Quartet
    Light Classics - Summertime - Music For Clarinet Quartet
    Label: Naxos   Catalog: 8557407 Release Date: 02/21/2006   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  George Gershwin,  Richard Rodgers,  Leonard Bernstein,  George Botsford  ... 
    Performer:  Jean Paul van Spaendonk,  Massimo Ricci,  Guy Gérard,  Jean-Michel Charlier
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Belgian National Orchestra Clarinet Quartet
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  • 58.
    Bassoonatics / Caliban Quartet
    Bassoonatics / Caliban Quartet
    Label: Bis   Catalog: 5011 Release Date: 02/07/2006   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Astor Piazzolla,  Kurt Weill,  Michael Welsh,  Igor Stravinsky  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Caliban Quartet
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  • 59.
    The Joshua Bell Collection
    The Joshua Bell Collection
    Label: Sony   Catalog: 77136 Release Date: 01/24/2006   Number of Discs: 3
    Composer:  Leonard Bernstein,  George Gershwin,  Alexander Courage,  John Corigliano
    Performer:  Joshua Bell,  George Gershwin,  John T. Williams,  Eddie Hession  ... 
    Conductor:  David Zinman,  John T. Williams,  Esa-Pekka Salonen
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Philharmonia Orchestra,  London Symphony Orchestra,  Shanghai Film Studio Children's Chorus
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  • 60.
    Ginzburg Live Recordings Vol 3 (Cd 2) - Prokofiev, Et Al
    Ginzburg Live Recordings Vol 3 (Cd 2) - Prokofiev, Et Al
    Label: Vox Aeterna   Catalog: 106 Release Date: 10/25/2005   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Sergei Prokofiev,  Alexander Scriabin,  George Gershwin,  Franz Liszt  ... 
    Performer:  Grigory Ginzburg
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  • 61.
    Gershwin - New York Connections / Hayes
    Gershwin - New York Connections / Hayes
    Label: Quartz Records   Catalog: 2005 Release Date: 10/11/2005   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  George Gershwin,  Samuel Barber,  Leonard Bernstein,  Aaron Copland  ... 
    Performer:  Elizabeth Hayes
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  • 62.
    Bernstein: Symphonic Dances From West Side Story / Guher & Suher Pekinel
    Bernstein: Symphonic Dances From West Side Story / Guher & Suher Pekinel
    Label: Apex   Catalog: 4621182 Release Date: 10/10/2005   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Leonard Bernstein,  George Gershwin,  Béla Bartók
    Performer:  Güher Pekinel,  Süher Pekinel
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  • 63.
    Gershwin, Grainger / Anna And Ines Walachowski
    Gershwin, Grainger / Anna And Ines Walachowski
    Label: Berlin Classics   Catalog: 1248 Release Date: 06/28/2005   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  George Gershwin,  Percy Aldridge Grainger
    Performer:  Anna Walachowski,  Ines Walachowski
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  • 64.
    Dunkelrote Rose - Encore 2 / Friedrich Lips
    Dunkelrote Rose - Encore 2 / Friedrich Lips
    Label: Classical Accordion Cd   Catalog: 15679 Release Date: 06/14/2005   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  A. Shalayev,  V. Chernikov,  Alexander Rosenblatt,  Tatyana Sergeyeva  ... 
    Performer:  Friedrich Lips,  Dmitry Lokshin,  Kirill Rodin
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  • 65.
    Julie Cheek In Concert
    Julie Cheek In Concert
    Label: Lml Music   Catalog: 182 Release Date: 09/07/2004   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Sergei Rachmaninov,  Béla Bartók,  Franz Liszt,  George Gershwin  ... 
    Performer:  Julie Cheek
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  • 66.
    The Fascinating George Gershwin / Angelov, Eschkenazy
    The Fascinating George Gershwin / Angelov, Eschkenazy
    Label: Pentatone   Catalog: 5186021 Release Date: 07/20/2004   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  George Gershwin
    Performer:  Vesko Eschkenazy,  Ludmil Angelov,  George Pieterson,  Gregor Horsch  ... 
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  • 67.
    Gershwin - Super Hits
    Gershwin - Super Hits
    Label: Sony   Catalog: 92388 Release Date: 05/04/2004   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  George Gershwin
    Performer:  Joshua Bell,  John Williams,  Michael Tilson Thomas,  Philippe Entremont  ... 
    Conductor:  Andre Kostelanetz,  Michael Tilson Thomas,  Eugene Ormandy,  Leonard Bernstein
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Andre Kostelanetz Orchestra,  Chestnut Brass Company,  London Symphony Orchestra  ... 
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  • 68.
    Twentieth-century American Music / Barbara Meister
    Twentieth-century American Music / Barbara Meister
    Label: Centaur Records   Catalog: 2622 Release Date: 02/24/2004   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Aaron Copland,  Paul Creston,  David Amram,  George Gershwin
    Performer:  Barbara Meister
    CD: $17.99
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  • 69.
    Gershwin - Wild Fantasy / Graham Scott
    Gershwin - Wild Fantasy / Graham Scott
    Label: Deux-elles   Catalog: 1072 Release Date: 10/28/2003   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Earl Wild,  George Gershwin
    Performer:  Graham Scott
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  • 70.
    Wizards
    Label: Crs Artists (Contemporary Record Society   Catalog: 9460 Release Date: 10/25/2003   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  George Gershwin,  Scott Miller,  Louis Antoine Dornel,  John Russo  ... 
    Performer:  S. Blake Dunean,  Greg Morton,  Andrea Gullickson,  Mark Weiger
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  • 71.
    Dancing Through Time - Bach To Gershwin / Andreas Klein
    Dancing Through Time - Bach To Gershwin / Andreas Klein
    Label: Eroica Classical Recordings   Catalog: 3138 Release Date: 10/07/2003   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach,  Robert Schumann,  Frédéric Chopin,  Franz Liszt  ... 
    Performer:  Andreas Klein
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  • 72.
    The Very Best Of Gershwin
    Label: Universal (Poland)   Catalog: 9809662 Release Date: 07/28/2003   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  George Gershwin
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  • 73.
    Flying Solo / Jens Lindemann
    Flying Solo / Jens Lindemann
    Label: Marquis   Catalog: 81295 Release Date: 06/24/2003   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Fernando J. Obradors,  Fats Waller,  Robert Parissi,  Frédéric Chopin  ... 
    Performer:  Jens Lindemann,  Jennifer Snow,  Bradford Ellis
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  • 74.
    Bassoonatics / The Caliban Quartet
    Bassoonatics / The Caliban Quartet
    Label: Cbc Musica Viva   Catalog: 5637239573 Release Date: 06/05/2003   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Jean Sibelius,  Johannes Brahms,  George Gershwin
    Performer:  Michael Sweeney,  Kathy McLean,  Nadina Mackie Jackson,  Mark Duggan  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Caliban Quartet
    CD: $22.99
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  • 75.
    Essential Gershwin - 20 Of His Greatest Masterpieces
    Essential Gershwin - 20 Of His Greatest Masterpieces
    Label: Decca   Catalog: 472780 Release Date: 02/11/2003   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  George Gershwin
    Performer:  Barbara Hendricks,  Marielle Labèque,  Katia Labèque,  Patti Austin  ... 
    Conductor:  John Mauceri,  Arthur Fiedler,  Bernard Herrmann,  Riccardo Chailly  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra,  Boston Pops,  London Festival Orchestra Ensemble  ... 
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