George Gershwin and Rhapsody in Blue A Music Masters lesson McFerran’s Monkeys June 6, 2014

New York City, early1900s

Who is George Gershwin? Born Jacob Gershwine1898 New York City Died 1937 Los Angeles, CA Russian immigrant family Childhood 1 st job as a song plugger for a song publisher; Gifted pianist & composer Collaborated with brother Ira

“Rhapsody in Blue” Debuted in 1924 Like a concerto? First Jazz work performed in traditional concert hall Instance success!

What makes an orchestra?

Orchestration of Rhapsody in Blue  A full symphony orchestra is scored for solo piano  Woodwinds: 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 B-flat clarinets, 2 bass clarinets, 2 basoons, 2 alto saxophones (E-flat) and 2 tenor saxiophones (B-flat)  Brass: 3 French horns in F, 3 trumpets in B-flat, 3 trombones, tuba;  Percussion: timpani, crash cymbal, snare drum, bass drum, gong, triangle, Glockenspiel, and cymbals;  Strings: bango, violins, violas, cellos, double basses

Opening solo passage glissando What is the instrument?

Gershwin, on the composition: “It was on the train, with its steely rhythms, its rattle- ty bang, that is so often so stimulating to a composer – I frequently hear music in the very heart of the noise.... And there I suddenly heard, and even saw on paper – the complete construction of the Rhapsody, from beginning to end. No new themes came to me, but I worked on the thematic material already in my mind and tried to conceive the composition as a whole. I heard it as a sort of musical kaleidoscope of America, of our vast melting pot, of our unduplicated national pep, of our metropolitan madness. By the time I reached Boston I had a definite plot of the piece, as distinguished from its actual substance.” -1931, to his biographer

Listening for themes  5 major themes plus a sixth “tag”  Train theme?  Virsuosic piano passages  Improvision  All of the themes rely on the blues scale  How would you describe the music? 