George Gershwin
A colourful biography of George Gershwin, arguably the 20th-century's greatest songwriter.
Rodney Greenberg
Editions:
Price: USD$14.95
- A colourful biography of George Gershwin (1898–1937), arguably the twentieth century's greatest songwriter
- Places Gershwin's compositions within the context of the musical developments of his time
- Shows how a teenage song-plugger became internationally renowned in a career that spanned only two decades
- Paperback
- English
- 220 x 156 mm, 8 5/8 x 6 1/8 in
- 240 pp
- 80 black and white illustrations
- ISBN-13: 9780714847726
- ISBN-10: 0714847720
'An excellent critical account of Gershwin's musical development in the social and musical context of the first three decades of the century.' (BBC Music Magazine)
'Sharply observed...' (Billboard)
'...an insightful, well written book...' (Jewish Chronicle)
'a handsome, illustrated Gershwin biography.' (Daily Telegraph)
'...my best tip for Xmas stockings would be Rodney Greenberg’s concise and well organised study of the life and music of everybody’s centennial hero, George Gershwin.' (BBC Music Magazine)
'As a series, Phaidon's 20th Century Composers has brought remarkable variety and a welter of information, both necessary and delightfully trivial. Intended both for the general reader and for the more enthusiatically musical...' (The Scotsman)
George Gershwin (1898–1937), one of the twentieth century's greatest songwriters, was among the first composers to realize the exciting potential of combining elements of jazz and popular song with the forms and instrumentation of symphonic music. Ever defensive about his lack of formal training, by his thirties Gershwin was the dominant voice of the Broadway musical and, following the success of Rhapsody in Blue, enjoyed praise by such 'classical' luminaries as Arnold Schoenberg.
This expert biography places Gershwin's music within the context of his frenetic lifestyle to show how a teenage song-plugger became internationally renowned in a career that spanned a mere two decades. It also brings home the realization that Gershwin's tragic death aged only 38 robbed us of untold musical treasures.
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