One Amazing Composer
Hello. This is Miss Penguin coming to you live from New York City and the scoop today is George Gershwin. One of his compositions, Rhapsody in Blue, has become one of the most popular works in the country. George Gershwin’s life might seem boring and unimportant at first sight, but when you take a look inside, you wouldn’t believe that his life was so interesting.
When George Gershwin was born, he was named Jacob Gershowitz. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, and he was the second of four children. At age ten, George went to his friend’s violin recital. He was astonished by the way his friend played his violin and George wanted to find out more about music. His older brother Ira had a piano and George learned to play it. His parents tried to get him a piano teacher for two years, but when it didn’t work out, George ended up being taught by composers.
He got his first musical training at age thirteen. At age fifteen, George left school to study music. He got his first job as a performer at Tin Pan Alley and this job got George fifteen dollars a week. Within three years, he had seen his first song published, “When You Want ‘Em, You Can’t Get ‘Em, And When You’ve Got ‘Em, You Don’t Want ‘Em.” This song was published when George was seventeen years old and earned him five dollars.
In 1924, George composed his first major classical work and it was called Rhapsody in Blue. It proved to be his most popular work. When George was finally a famous composer, he changed his family name from Gershowitz to Gershwin. George’s most ambitious composition was Porgy and Bess and yet another composition called Swanee brought George his real fame. When George was twenty-five years old, Rhapsody in Blue premiered in New York’s Aeoliah Hall at the concert “Experiment in Music”, along with the songs An American in Paris and Piano Concerto in F. When George was 38, he was complaining of terrible headaches and also thought that he smelled burned rubber. George died of a brain tumor and is now buried at Westchester Hills Cemetery, New York.
Thank you for joining us today to listen to Gershwin’s life story, life events, and about the compositions that he wrote. Next week, George Gershwin will share some of his most popular operas, songs, and compositions outside of the Aeoliah Hall.
Hello. This is Miss Penguin coming to you live from New York City and the scoop today is George Gershwin. One of his compositions, Rhapsody in Blue, has become one of the most popular works in the country. George Gershwin’s life might seem boring and unimportant at first sight, but when you take a look inside, you wouldn’t believe that his life was so interesting.
When George Gershwin was born, he was named Jacob Gershowitz. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, and he was the second of four children. At age ten, George went to his friend’s violin recital. He was astonished by the way his friend played his violin and George wanted to find out more about music. His older brother Ira had a piano and George learned to play it. His parents tried to get him a piano teacher for two years, but when it didn’t work out, George ended up being taught by composers.
He got his first musical training at age thirteen. At age fifteen, George left school to study music. He got his first job as a performer at Tin Pan Alley and this job got George fifteen dollars a week. Within three years, he had seen his first song published, “When You Want ‘Em, You Can’t Get ‘Em, And When You’ve Got ‘Em, You Don’t Want ‘Em.” This song was published when George was seventeen years old and earned him five dollars.
In 1924, George composed his first major classical work and it was called Rhapsody in Blue. It proved to be his most popular work. When George was finally a famous composer, he changed his family name from Gershowitz to Gershwin. George’s most ambitious composition was Porgy and Bess and yet another composition called Swanee brought George his real fame. When George was twenty-five years old, Rhapsody in Blue premiered in New York’s Aeoliah Hall at the concert “Experiment in Music”, along with the songs An American in Paris and Piano Concerto in F. When George was 38, he was complaining of terrible headaches and also thought that he smelled burned rubber. George died of a brain tumor and is now buried at Westchester Hills Cemetery, New York.
Thank you for joining us today to listen to Gershwin’s life story, life events, and about the compositions that he wrote. Next week, George Gershwin will share some of his most popular operas, songs, and compositions outside of the Aeoliah Hall.
1 comment:
I totally enjoyed reading your blog and am so happy you are learning so many wonderful lessons about great people, music, composition, etc. I am thrilled to read each of you blog posts. Keep them coming!
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