George
Gershwin -- His Life & Music
by Ean Wood
(Paperback)
The
Complete Gershwin Keyboard Works
by George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin
(Paperback - July 2000)
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George
Gershwin (20th-Century Composers)
by Rodney Greenberg
As part of its 20th Century Composers series, Phaidon commissioned
noted producer and director of television music programs Rodney Greenberg
to write a biography of one of the century's most popular composers--George
Gershwin, a man who in a regrettably short life (he died in 1937 at the
age of 38) sought to straddle the worlds of popular and symphonic music.
"Music," Gershwin once said, "must reflect the thoughts and aspirations
of the people and the time. My people are American. My time is today."
Gershwin's life, from his days as a "songplugger" in New York's Tin Pan
Alley to fame and fortune with Broadway shows and symphonic composition,
followed the evolution of American popular music. But he was as much an
influence on his time as he was influenced by it. Charismatic, brilliant,
and vastly egotistical, his struggle to be recognized as a serious composer
was always at odds with the fame and money such songs as "Fascinating Rhythm"
and "Lady Be Good" brought him. While Greenberg's biography is serviceable
as an introduction to the composer's life, his analysis of the music is
what raises this elegantly short book to the realm of the exceptional.
Gershwin's body of work is surprisingly small, considering its lasting
influence, and this gives the author the opportunity to discuss at length
not only such landmark works as Rhapsody in Blue and Porgy and Bess, but
also minor pieces like "Lullaby" and "Someone to Watch Over Me." Indeed,
Greenberg argues that Gershwin's gifts, like those of Cole Porter but also
Chopin and Grieg, were best expressed through his shorter compositions,
and while he never stopped working to achieve a significant work of length,
it was his instinct for 32-bar and shorter pieces that ensured his place
in musical history. --John Longenbaugh Amazon.com
Paperback: 240 pages
Phaidon Press Inc.; ISBN: 0714835048; (May 1998)
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The
Gershwin Collection
by George Gershwin
Paperback: 192 pages
Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation; ISBN: 0793513375;
(September 1992)
Gershwin
Remembered
by Edward Jablonski
(Hardcover - September 1992)
Fascinating
Rhythm : The Collaboration of George and Ira Gershwin
by Deena Rosenberg
Paperback: 544 pages
University of Michigan Press; ISBN: 0472084690; Reprint
edition (December 1997)
Rhapsody
in Blue (Original)
by George Gershwin
(Mass Market Paperback)
Gershwin:
Rhapsody in Blue (Cambridge Music
Handbooks)
by David Schiff
(Paperback - October 1997)
The
Great Songs of Gershwin
by George Gershwin
(Paperback - June 1985)
Special Order
George
Gershwin: American Composer (Masters of Music (Greensboro, N.C.).)
by Catherine Reef
(Library Binding)
Gershwin:
His Life and Music
by Charles Schwartz
(Paperback - April 1988)
The
Annotated Rhapsody in Blue
by George Gershwin
(Mass Market Paperback)
Special Order
The
Genius of George and Ira Gershwin
by George Gerswhin
(Paperback - July 1999)
Special Order
The
Memory of All That: The Life of George Gershwin
by Joan Peyser
(Paperback - May 1998)
The
Music of George Gershwin : Clarinet
(Paperback - October 2000)
The
Music of George Gershwin : Trumpet
(Paperback - March 2000)
Special Order
Summertime
: From Porgy and Bess
by George Gershwin, et al
(School & Library Binding - July 1999)
The
Music of George Gershwin : Alto Sax
(Paperback - March 2000)
Special Order
Vocal
Selections from My One and Only : Twiggy and Tommy Tune
by George Gershwin
(Paperback - July 1999)
Special Order
The Gershwins
by Robert. Kimball
(Hardcover - June 1973)
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