Driving into work in the dark, amidst the jockeying of cars, what a bright spot to hear, on Public Radio's "The Writers Almanac", that today is GEORGE GERSHWIN's birthday! Born in 1898....Brooklyn, NY.....the story of "Rhapsody in Blue" (1924).
Quoting liberally from The Writers' Almanac:
Gershwin was "forced to write (The Rhapsody) on short order because his friend Paul Whiteman wanted to put on a jazz concert and decided to advertise that the concert would include a new piece by the young George Gershwin. Gershwin only learned about the concert when he saw the newspaper advertisement, and he suddenly had only six weeks to produce something. He came up with the main theme while playing piano for friends at a party."
"The concert began at 2:30 p.m. on February 12, 1924, and it consisted of 23 pieces of music. Gershwin had finished all the orchestra parts, but he'd left the piano part blank, so that he could improvise on stage. In the middle of the concert, the ventilation system broke down, and people were getting restless. Several people had gotten up to leave when "Rhapsody in Blue" was announced, and Gershwin came out on stage to play the piano with the orchestra. When the opening clarinet part was played, the people who had been getting ready to leave went back to their seats. Rhapsody in Blue soon became one of the most famous and popular pieces of serious music ever composed by an American."
"Gershwin died of brain cancer in 1937. He was just 38."
And another genius, recipient of a MacArthur Foundation Genius Grant, becoming a MacArthur Fellow: Dawn Upshaw, soprano par excellence....click HERE to read more! (scroll to end of page)
A few resources below to see you through your week - and catch you next week! SR
Music Ed. Major turned opera star to be
Young Arts
Music and Faith
