GEORGE GERSHWIN IS America’s composer. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, on September 26, 1898 to Russian-Jewish immigrant parents. He died suddenly in Hollywood on July 11, 1937, of an undiagnosed tumor in the brain. In his short life, he composed musical and theatrical works that include A Rhapsody in Blue (1924), The Concerto in F (1925), An American in Paris (1928), Porgy and Bess (1935) and over one thousand songs for the theatre and motion pictures as part of his more than forty musical comedy scores. Many of George’s song hits have lyrics by his brother Ira and include "The Man I Love," "Someone To Watch Over Me," "Embraceable You," "Fascinating Rhythm," "I Got Rhythm," "S’Wonderful," "They Can’t Take That Away From Me"… and the list goes on.

George Gershwin was the first popular composer to use jazz as the foremost musical element in the serious concert hall. He absorbed the musical styles, rhythms and sophistication of “America’s national pep, it’s metropolitan madness…it’s “blues,” and with it, fashioned a musical language, that almost three-quarters of a century later after his death feels as fresh as the day it was composed. During his lifetime, he was famous world-wide for his work, though the respect of serious composers and music critics of his day eluded him. Sadly, George Gershwin didn’t live to see his legacy. Musicians, musical pedagogues and the like still argue the seriousness of George’s work. However, it is George’s brother Ira, who summed it up best, when just after George died, Ira set these lyrics to George’s last melody…