When was george gershwin popular

His first public step in this direction came when Paul Whiteman commissioned a piece from him for a special concert at New York's Aeolian Hall and the result was "Rhapsody in Blue" It was not originallv a success, but with the passage of years many have come to consider it the greatest American opera written to date. Gershwin was an intensely social person, and his crowd included such personalities as Moss Hart, Lillian Hellman, Edward G.

He also served as a mentor to many younger musicians, including Morton Gould and Burton Lane. Early on, Gershwin had absorbed jazz into his musical idiom, which, together with the influence of African-American music, was to enrich his stage and concert works. His first piece purely for the concert hall, Rhapsody in Blue. In the s, he and his brother and closest artistic collaborator, Ira, spent time in Hollywood, writing for film musicals, and Gershwin also invested considerable energy into studying with a succession of teachers including the highly respected American composer Henry Cowell.

Gershwin was a friend of the composer Arnold Schoenberg they were Hollywood neighbours , who spoke highly of his gifts, and the two often played tennis together. A natural talent, it was Gershwin who took it up and eventually sought out mentors who could enhance his abilities. The boy is a genius. Throughout his year career, Gershwin would continually seek to expand the breadth of his influences, studying under an incredibly disparate array of teachers, including Henry Cowell, Wallingford Riegger, Edward Kilenyi and Joseph Schillinger.

After three years of pounding out tunes on the piano for demanding customers, he had transformed into a highly skilled and dexterous composer. To earn extra cash, he also worked as a rehearsal pianist for Broadway singers. From to , Gershwin composed for an annual production put on by George White. In the s, Gershwin spent time in Paris, which inspired his jazz-influenced orchestral composition An American in Paris. A Broadway musical based on the film opened in He asked Schoenberg - who he also painted - for composition lessons.

Of the modern European masters, Berg fascinated Gershwin most. Gershwin even hung an autographed photo of Berg in his apartment, alongside a picture of the boxer Jack Dempsey and a punch bag. Gershwin enjoyed playing tennis with Schoenberg once a week. Despite George's success with concert works, the Gershwins continued to write hit musicals — Oh, Kay! The action takes place in the fictional neighbourhood of Catfish Row, South Carolina. When it was first performed in , it was a box office flop.

It is now widely regarded as one of the most important American operas of the 20th century. After the disappointing reception for Porgy and Bess, Gershwin moved to Hollywood and worked on many film scores.

His music for Shall We Dance, starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, married ballet with jazz in a new way, and ran for more than an hour in length.

It took Gershwin several months to write and orchestrate it. Early in , Gershwin began to complain of blinding headaches and there were signs he was suffering coordination problems. He was diagnosed with a brain tumour.