George Gershwin

(1898-1937)
*he was born in New York to Russian Jewish immigrants.His older
brother Ira was his artistic collaborator who wrote the lyrics of his
songs.
*1916-his first song was written.
*1919-his first Broadway musical,La La Lucille.
From that time on,Gershwin’s name became a fixture on
Broadway.He also composed Rhapsody in Blue (1924) and An
American in Paris (1928),which incorporated jazz rhythms with
classical forms.His opera Porgy and Bess (1934) remains to this day
the only American opera to be included in the established
repertory of this genre.
In spite of his commercial
success,Gershwin was more
fascinated with classical music.He
was influenced by
Ravel,Stravinsky,Berg,and
Schoenberg,as well as the group of
contemporary French composers
known as “Les Six” that would shape
the character of his major works-
half jazz and half classical.
Gershwin’s melodic gift was considered
phenomenal,as evidenced by his
numerous songs of wide appeal.He is a
true “crossover artist,” in the sense that
his serious compositions remain highly
popular in the classical repertoire,as his
stage and film songs continue to be jazz
and vocal standards.
Considered the “Father of American Jazz”, his
“mixture of the primitive and the sophisticated”gave
his music an appeal that has lasted long after his
death.
*his musical compositions total around 369 which
include orchestral music,chamber music,musical
theater,film musicals,operas,and songs.
*He died in Hollywood,California,USA on July
11,1937.
Avant-garde Music
The avant-garde style was associated with electronic music
and dealt with the parameters or dimensions of sound in
space.It made use of variations of self-contained note groups
to change musical continuity and improvisation,with an
absence of traditional rules on harmony,melody,and rhythm.
*the absence of traditional rules governing
harmony,melody,and rhythm,make the whole concept of
avant-garde music quite strange to ears accustomed to
traditional compositions.Other composers who used this style
include Olivier Messiaen and Pierre Boulez.
From the United States,there were avant-garde
composers such as George Gershwin and John Cage
with their truly unconventional compositions
techniques;Leonard Bernstein with his famed stage
musicals and his music lectures for young people,and
Philip Glass with his minimalist compositions.Through
their works,these composers truly extended the
boundaries of what music was thought to be in earlier
periods.