Question

Who is your composer? Give a brief bio on the composer you select. I choose George Gerswhin

What Musical type and time period did they write for?
What impact did this person have on musical theatre?
Who and What were their influences and how did these factors influence their work?
What is their background? Do they have a background in music? What significant events took place in their life that may have influenced their work?

Answer 1

• George Gershwin was an American composer and pianist who lived from 1898 to 1937.
• He primarily wrote music in the Jazz Age and Tin Pan Alley eras, which were characterized by the popularity of jazz and the use of catchy melodies and harmonies.
• Gershwin had a major impact on musical theatre by incorporating jazz and other popular music genres into his Broadway shows, such as "Lady Be Good!" and "Oh, Kay!"Among his best-known works are the orchestral compositions Rhapsody in Blue (1924) and An American in Paris (1928), the songs "Swanee" (1919) and "Fascinating Rhythm" (1924), the jazz standards "Embraceable You" (1928) and "I Got Rhythm" (1930), and the opera Porgy and Bess (1935), which included the hit "Summertime".
• His influences included classical composers such as Ravel and Stravinsky, as well as jazz musicians like Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington, which influenced his incorporation of jazz elements into his compositions.
• Gershwin did not have a formal music education, but began playing piano at a young age and became a successful Tin Pan Alley songwriter before transitioning to composing for musical theatre; significant events in his life included his collaboration with his brother Ira on numerous successful Broadway shows, as well as his untimely death from a brain tumor at the age of 38.