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George Gershwin: Ira Gershwin
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George Gershwin was the second of four children. He first displayed interest in music at the age of ten, when he was intrigued by what he heard at a friend, Max Rosen's, violin recital. The sound and the way his friend played captured him. His parents had bought a piano for his older brother Ira Gershwin, but to his parents' surprise and Ira's relief, it was George who played it. Although his younger sister Frances Gershwin was the first in the family to make money from her musical talents, she married young and became a housewife and mother, giving up her own singing and dance career—settling into painting, a hobby of George Gershwin's.
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George Gershwin was a gifted American composer. Most of his works were written with his older brother, Ira, who was a lyricist. George composed music for Broadway as well as the classical concert hall. Some of the greatest singers and musicians have recorded Gershwin songs, including Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, John Coltrane, and Judy Garland, along with numerous others.
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While George Gershwin's time on North Roxbury Drive was so brief, it was what transpired in that 11-month period (1936-1937) that linked him so closely to the house. After the failure of "Porgy & Bess", the Gershwins left New York and set their sights on Los Angeles to write songs for the Astaire-Rogers movies which were so popular at the time. In August, 1936, George, Ira and Lee (Ira's wife) moved into the spacious home on North Roxbury Drive with the tennis court and swimming pool. It quickly became the gathering place for their New York expatriate friends - Lillian Hellman, Oscar Levant, Harold Arlen, to name a few - all enjoying the California lifestyle. The lush backyard on a given day might find Moss Hart, Harpo Marx, Paulette Goddard poolside, composer Arnold Schoenberg playing tennis, Fanny Brice planting night-blooming Jasmine. There were dinners and poker games in the evenings and amidst the social festivities, there was plenty of work.
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George Gershwin "grew up in New York City and his precocious talent for music started early on a piano bought for his older brother Ira. . . . At the age of 16 he worked as a song plugger for a Tin Pan Alley publisher . . . ." Don't miss the menu items listed on the left (Biography, Discography, and Audio Clips) or Ira's page which is listed under Related Songwriters on the right-hand side. Also noteworthy is the Tin Pan Alley section (look in the middle of the horizontal menu near the top of the page) which explains its history and impact on the American music scene.
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George made most of his works with his brother Ira Gershwin, a lyricist. In 1910, the Gershwins had acquired a piano for Ira's music lessons, but George took over, successfully playing by ear. He tried out various piano teachers for 2 years, then was introduced to Charles Hambitzer - who became his mentor (and would remain so until Hambitzer's death in 1918). Hambitzer taught George conventional piano technique, introduced him to the European masters, and encouraged him to attend orchestral concerts (at home following such concerts, young George would attempt to reproduce at the keyboard the music he had heard). His 1916 novelty rag "Rialto Ripples" was a commercial success, and in 1918 he scored his first big national hit with his song "Swanee".
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George Gershwin (September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer. He wrote most of his vocal and theatrical works in collaboration with his elder brother, lyricist Ira Gershwin. George Gershwin composed songs both for Broadway and for the classical concert hall. He ... wrote popular songs with success.
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