LYCOS RETRIEVER 
George Gershwin: Songs
built 276 days ago
In 1937, George Gershwin was at the height of his career. His symphonic works and three Preludes For Piano were becoming part of the standard repertory for concerts and recitals, and his lighter songs had brought him ever increasing fame and fortune. It was in Hollywood, while he was working on the score of The Goldwyn Follies that George Gershwin collapsed and, on July 11, 1937, died of a brain tumour. He was not quite 39 years old.
Source:
George Gershwin's first published song was "When You Want 'Em You Can't Get 'Em, When You've Got 'Em, You Don't Want 'Em." It was published in 1916 when Gershwin was only 17 years old and earned him a sum total of $5, although he was promised much more.
Source:
George Gershwin stands, with Irving Berlin, at the pinnacle of American popular music. What, then, does his legacy say to those rock-and-roll songwriters who emerged in the 60's and 70's and who are now in their mature middle years?
Source:
The details of Gershwin's life are well conveyed in Edward Jablonski's Gershwin (Doubleday, 1987). He was born Jacob Gershvitz to Russian immigrant parents in 1898 in Brooklyn, where he was immersed in a variety of musics. After becoming enthralled with music, he left high school for Tin Pan Alley and worked 3 years as a pianist demonstrating sheet music for Remick's music publishers, quickly absorbing both the songwriting and performance styles of the time. Gershwin began to dabble in composition and moonlighted as a vocal accompanist. He skyrocketed to success as the 20-year old composer of "Swanee," a mega-hit for Al Jolson, Within the next few years the flow of songs continued and he wrote several Broadway musicals. Among his many professional contacts was Paul Whiteman, whose dance band was among the most popular in America.
Source:
Two years after he started work for Jerome Remick, George had his first song published. "When You Want 'Em You Can't Get 'Em" was not an instant hit for George, but it did begin to attract the attention of some of the Broadway composers of the day. During this time of professional growth, George kept his job as a rehearsal pianist and studied piano, theory and orchestration with masters.
Source:
Gershwin had his first big hit in 1919, when he was twenty-one years old. It was a song called "Swanee." A popular entertainer, Al Jolson, sang the song. "Swanee" was made into one of the first musical recordings. Gershwin was suddenly famous.
Source:
MORE ABOUT
Songs