#OTDJH: September 26, 1898
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#onthisday, 1898, George Gershwin was born. Gershwin was raised in a Jewish household in the Lower East Side of Manhattan.
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From working as a song plugger in “Tin Pan Alley” to writing piano rolls for sheet music companies in New Jersey and New York, Gershwin rose the ranks of American musicianship.
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As Irving Berlin put it, Gershwin was the only song writer who became a composer. Gershwin produced works that reflected the times and took their place in each of the periods three main genres, jazz, classical, and American popular song. His “Swanee” ushered in the twenties, “I Got Rhythm” ushered in the thirties and his masterful concert works revolutionized modern music.
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His Rhapsody in Blue, not only shocked the world but gave birth to Modern American classical music. Concerto in F changed the course of concert music, bridging the gap between Broadway and the concert hall by infusing aspects of the former into the latter.
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Gershwin transcended his own time, writing serious music and show tunes simultaneously, becoming more American and prolific with each new piece that he published.
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George Gershwin was more than a musician. He was a man of conviction, a complicated soul who was dedicated not only to his craft but to his family, friends and fans.
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He had an infectious energy and bounds of ambition all wrapped into a playfully professional child like demeanor. Whether it be as a song plugger at Remick, on Broadway, or a classical composer, his genius broke barriers and crossed genres.
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Not bad for a descendant of the Eastern European Jewish shtetl who came to represent the height of the New York elite.
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Text Source:
https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/george-gershwin
Image Source:
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0006097/
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