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Berkeley, CA : University of California Press, c2007.

0520248643 (cloth : alk. paper)

9780520248649 (cloth : alk. paper)

xvii, 884 p., [32] p. of plates : ill., music.

I. Life : Gershwin and his family -- Gershwin's musical education to the Rhapsody in blue (1924) -- Gershwin and the new popular music -- The popular pianist -- Toward a career in the theater -- Gershwin among his friends -- Later studies -- Gershwin and the great tradition -- Gershwin and popular music and jazz after 1920 -- Working methods -- Gershwin the man --

II. Work : From "Ragging the Traumerei" (ca.1913) to The capitol revue (1919) -- From Morris Gest's Midnight whirl (1919) to The perfect fool (1921) -- From The French doll to Our Nell (1922) -- From The sunshine trail to Sweet little devil (1923) -- The Rhapsody in blue (1924) -- The scandals of 1924, Primrose, and Lady, be good! (1924) -- Short story, Tell me more, and the Concerto in F (1925) -- Tip-toes and Song of the flame (1925) -- Oh, Kay! and other works (1926) -- Strike up the band and Funny face (1927) -- Rosalie and Treasure girl (1928) --An American in Paris (1928) and East is West (1929) -- Show girl and The dybbuk (1929) -- Girl crazy (1930) -- Delicious and The second rhapsody (1931) -- Of thee I sing (1931) -- George Gershwin's song book (1932) -- The Cuban overture (1932) and Pardon my English (1933) -- Let 'em eat cake (1933) and variations on "I got rhythm" (1934) -- Porgy and Bess (1935) -- Porgy and Bess on disc, film, and the concert stage -- From Swing is king (1936) to Kiss me, stupid (1964) -- Conclusion -- Notes -- Selected bibliography -- Index.

This comprehensive biography of George Gershwin (1898-1937) unravels the myths surrounding one of America's most celebrated composers and establishes the enduring value of his music. Gershwin created some of the most beloved music of the twentieth century and, along with Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin, and Cole Porter, helped make the golden age of Broadway golden. Howard Pollack draws from a wealth of sketches, manuscripts, letters, interviews, books, articles, recordings, films, and other materials - including a large cache of Gershwin scores discovered in a Warner Brothers warehouse in 1982 - to create an expansive chronicle of Gershwin's classic rags to riches story. He also traces Gershwin's powerful presence that, even today, extends from Broadway, jazz clubs, and film scores to symphony halls and opera houses.

Pollack's lively narrative describes Gershwin's family, childhood, and education; his early career as a pianist; his friendships and romantic life; his relation to various musical trends; his writings on music; his working methods; and his tragic death at the age of 38. Unlike Kern, Berlin, and Porter, who mostly worked within the confines of Broadway and Hollywood, Gershwin actively sought to cross the boundaries between high and low, and wrote works that crossed over into a realm where art music, jazz, and Broadway met and merged. The author surveys Gershwin's entire oeuvre, from his first surviving compositions to the melodies that his brother and principal collaborator, Ira Gershwin, lyricized after his death. Pollack concludes with a perceptive consideration of the important role Gershwin's music plays in our own time, both at home and abroad. (Publisher)

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