Life and Music of George Gershwin

Student’s Name
Professor’s Name
Course
Date
Music 129-3
GEORGE GERSHWIN
George Gershwin was one of the contributors to American music history. Being of Russian origin, Gershwin was a pianist and composer who did not receive any formal education in music. He started piano lessons when he was 14 years from Hambitzer, a music teacher. He later started learning harmony and composition. Gershwin became a name to reckon with in the music industry, with "Ladies, please," "Crazy," and "Funny Face" being some of his famous works. Gershwin's fame was due to "Rhapsody in blue," which he composed for a piano and Orchestra; the work was performed in 1924 by Gershwin with the Orchestra where P. Whiteman was the conductor. This paper explores the life of George Gershwin and his music career.
Gershwin was born on September 26, 1898, in Brooklyn, New York, and was named Jacob Gershowitz. His parents had emigrated from Russia and were teachers (Biography.com). Gershwin's family was of music because his father was a local jazz band leader. Music lovers say that Gershwin first heard jazz music when he was six years old and loved jazz concerts. At 12, Gershwin began learning the piano by himself, and the famous music teacher began to offer him lessons when he was 14. From that time, Gershwin continued learning to improve his technique. Through teacher Hambitzer's guidance, Gershwin learned about famous composers, including Henry Cowell and Joseph Schillinger, a Russian professor who approached music from a mathematical perspective.
Gershwin started professional music in 1914 as an accompanist for Jerome Remick. In 1916, he presented his first work to the audience. Although the work did not receive much success, famous producers and directors noticed his talent. This recognition saw the inclusion of his work by Sigmund Romberg in "The Passing Show of 1916". During that time, Gershwin earned his living by playing piano in different hotels and continued to master harmony. In the following years, 1918-1919, Gershwin gained fame and success, especially in the performance of Al Jonson and "La, La, Lucille," based on his works. Between 1920 and 1924, Gershwin created various works for "George White's Scandals," including "Blue Monday," which was a real opera; people also referred to it as "135th Street". Through this work, Whiteman invited him to his band as a composer, where he created one of his famous works, "Rhapsody in Blue," in 1924 (VOA). In the same year, he wrote "Lady, Be Good!" which brought him more fame and success on Broadway. Gershwin's brother, Ira Gershwin, wrote the lyrics for the work and performed it with him (Biography.com). For the next decade, the Gershwin brothers' union became productive and famous, with "Of Thee, I Sing" of 1931 being the most successful one. The show gave them a Pulitzer Prize.
Gershwin was among the most talented and famous American composers of the 19th century. He combined various phenomena, including pop and European romantic music. His talent was unique, and no one could come close to his mark. His approach to music proved to be successive and led to a new phenomenon in American music. Gershwin's melodic, harmonic and rhythmic works distinguished his works from others.
WILLIAM GRANT STILL
William Grant Still was born to teacher parents on May 11, 1895, in Woodville, Mississippi. He was still the first African-American artist to have more than 150 works accredited. In addition, he was the first person of African origin to conduct a major American Symphony, have his first work performed by a reputable orchestra, have an opera performed by a leading company, and have an opera televised on a national television network. The objective of this paper is to explore the life and work of William Grant Still.
Still was born to a family of teachers, William Grant Still and Carrie Lena Fambro Still. His father was a leader of a local band and a partner in a grocery store in their town but died when William was three months old (Morrison). His mother moved to Little Rock, Arkansas, where she met and married Charles B. Shepperson, who became Still's mentor in music by buying him classical music recordings and taking him to operettas. They also attended various performances together. At 15 years old, Still began violin lessons but taught himself to play various musical instruments, including the saxophone, with a great interest in music.
William still graduated from M. W. Gibbs High School in Little Rock at the age of 16. Because his mother wanted him to attend a medical school, Still joined Wilberforce University, a black college in Ohio, where he pursued a Bachelor of Science. While at the university, Still joined the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity, conducted the university's band, learned how to play various musical instruments, and started to do compositions and orchestrations (SunSigns.org). He received a scholarship to attend the Oberlin Conservatory of Music with George Whitefield Chadwick and Edgard Varese.
William joined the U.S. Navy in 1918 to serve in WWI. In 1919-1921, Still was the arranger of W. C. Handy's band and later joined the Orchestra, where he played for Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake's work "Shuffle Along". In the 1920s and 1930s, Still served as an arranger for various musicals and films, with one of his famous works, "Deep River Hour," which the composer wrote for Willard Robinson, and "Old Gold Show" for Paul Whiteman (SunSigns.org). Later, he moved to Los Angeles, where he continued to arrange music for films, including "Pennies from Heaven" in 1936 and "Lost Horizon" in 1937 (Morrison).
William is famous for his Symphony No. 1, "Afro-American," which made him the first African-American to create a symphony that Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, a leading performing orchestra, performed. William created various operas, but none gained the fame and success that his first symphony received. He was among the people who composed the "Troubled Island" opera together with his wife, Verna Arvey, and Langston Hughes (SunSigns.org). "A Bayou Legend" is William's most famous opera, which the national television televised. The opera rekindled Still's interest in music. His wife, Verna Arvey, also his longtime collaborator, wrote the libretto for the opera.
William Grant Still is a legend in American music history because he was the first African-American to write a symphony, encourage a leading group to perform it, and make sure a national television network televised his opera. His works held and showcased the struggles of African-American but managed to appeal to a broader audience. Still is considered the pioneer of Modern era music because he created it and interested a wider public.
LEONARD BERNSTEIN
Leonard Bernstein was a talented individual who was among the people who contributed much to American music history. Bernstein was an inspiration to many and accomplished many works during his lifetime. His accomplishments in conducting, composing, and teaching significantly mentored American artists into a field that Europeans dominated. Bernstein created many compositions throughout his life...