George Gershwin

Corte Swearingen
Apr 29
5 min read

When George Gershwin sat at the piano, America listened. Born Jacob Gershowitz on September 26, 1898, in Brooklyn, New York, Gershwin grew up in the chaotic symphony of immigrant life—Yiddish theater, ragtime rhythms, and the ever-hustling sounds of the city streets. It was the perfect soundtrack for a boy who would one day teach the world how to blend classical tradition with jazz-age exuberance.

Gershwin wasn't a prodigy in the Mozart sense—he was, if anything, a late bloomer. His first love was not the piano but street games and mischief. That changed around age eleven, when he heard a classmate perform Rubinstein’s Melody in F at a school recital. The magic of music hit him like a lightning bolt. His parents bought an upright piano (intended for George's older brother Ira), but George quickly claimed it as his own.

His early musical education was eclectic. He studied classical technique with teachers like Charles Hambitzer, who introduced him to Chopin, Liszt, and Debussy, while soaking up the ragtime and popular styles of Tin Pan Alley, where he eventually worked as a "song plugger"—demonstrating new sheet music for potential buyers.

Though Gershwin became world-famous for songs like "Summertime" and musicals like "Porgy and Bess", the piano was always his personal voice. His solo works for the instrument paint a vivid picture of his restless imagination.

In 1924, the same year he completed his now-iconic Rhapsody in Blue (technically a concerto with orchestra and piano), Gershwin also created dazzling solo piano versions. His own piano rolls and live performances of Rhapsody were breathtakingly improvisatory—he often veered off script, adding flourishes and re-harmonizations, reminding everyone that for him, sheet music was only a starting point.

Three Preludes (1926), originally planned as a set of 24 (one in each key, à la Chopin and Bach), are the distilled essence of Gershwin at the piano. The first prelude, in B-flat major, is a percussive, blues-drenched workout; the second, in C-sharp minor, a languid, sultry sigh; the third, in E-flat minor, a whirlwind of syncopation and jazzy energy. They’re brief but brimming with invention—each one a tiny universe.

Gershwin also wrote longer, lesser-known piano works, like the Second Rhapsody (1931), subtitled "Rhapsody in Rivets," inspired by the clang and hustle of a building construction site. Though often performed with orchestra, its original piano version shows off Gershwin’s dense, rhythmic imagination in full color.

Perhaps his most towering (and personal) contribution to the piano repertoire is the solo Gershwin Songbook (1932), a set of 18 of his own hits transcribed for the concert hall. But these aren’t straightforward arrangements—they are brilliant re-compositions. In the Songbook, a familiar tune like "The Man I Love" is decked out with glittering arpeggios, sly inner voices, and tricky rhythmic shifts. Gershwin loved pushing the pianist (often himself) to the limits of technique and swagger.

It’s important to remember: Gershwin was not simply a "popular" composer slumming in classical music, nor a classical composer dabbling in pop. At the piano, he blurred that line completely. In his hands, the keyboard became a jazz band, an orchestra, a smoky Harlem nightclub, and a glittering Broadway stage—all at once.

Tragically, George Gershwin’s meteoric life ended too soon. He died of a brain tumor on July 11, 1937, at just 38 years old. But his piano works remain thrilling monuments to his vision: the dream that American music could be both sophisticated and streetwise, heartfelt and virtuosic, instantly accessible yet endlessly rich.

In the end, Gershwin didn’t just compose music; he composed a new idea of what American music could be. And at the center of that revolution, always, was a piano—and a boy from Brooklyn who couldn’t sit still.

Selected Performances

Prelude #2 - If ever a piano piece could smolder, sway, and smirk all at once, it’s George Gershwin’s Prelude No. 2. Composed in 1926 and published in 1927 as part of his Three Preludes, this sultry miniature is often called the “blues lullaby”—a nickname it earns within the first few bars.

Written in the key of C-sharp minor, the Prelude opens with a lazy, bending blues motif that instantly evokes the humid air of a Harlem night. It’s not just classical music trying on a blues costume—this is the real deal, infused with the syncopated rhythms and jazz harmonies Gershwin soaked up from Tin Pan Alley, Harlem clubs, and his own rich imagination. The melody leans back on the beat like it’s got nowhere to be, while the left hand keeps things grounded with a slow, steady stride.

Structurally, Gershwin keeps it simple but elegant: A-B-A form, with the middle section offering a brief but passionate contrast. There’s a wistful quality throughout, like a bittersweet memory of a song half-heard through an open window.

Originally intended as part of a longer set of 24 preludes (yes, Gershwin had Chopin and Debussy in mind), only three were completed and published. Of those, Prelude No. 2 stands out as the heart—sensual, expressive, and unmistakably American. Playful yet poignant, this little piece says a lot in just under 4 minutes. It’s jazz in a tuxedo, or classical music in a smoky club. Either way, it’s pure Gershwin.

Rhapsody In Blue - George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, arranged for solo piano, bursts with vibrant energy and sweeping lyricism, capturing the restless spirit of early 20th-century America. Without the rich tapestry of the original orchestra, the solo version demands the pianist to conjure the full range of colors and textures from the keyboard alone, moving seamlessly between jazzy syncopations, lush romantic melodies, and dazzling virtuoso passages. The iconic opening glissando is reimagined with a thrilling upward rush of notes, setting the tone for a journey that is by turns playful, tender, and grandly exuberant. In this setting, Gershwin’s genius for blending classical form with jazz idioms shines even more intimately, offering listeners a direct, almost conversational experience with one of the most beloved pieces in American music.

Prelude #1 - George Gershwin’s Prelude No. 1 crackles with rhythmic vitality, immediately grabbing the listener with its driving syncopations and bold, percussive energy. From the opening measures, a pulsating ostinato underpins the piece, creating an insistent momentum that propels it forward with unstoppable force. Gershwin layers sharp, jazz-inflected chords atop this rhythmic foundation, crafting a dynamic tension between the steady beat and unpredictable accents. The interplay of swing rhythms and bluesy phrasing infuses the music with a sense of improvisational flair, while the underlying structure remains tightly controlled. The result is a thrilling blend of classical precision and jazz exuberance, where every rhythmic gesture feels both spontaneous and inevitable.