George Gershwin

NAME George Gershwin

WHAT FAMOUS FOR George Gershwin was one of America's most celebrated composers, known for bridging classical music with jazz and popular song. His best-known works include Rhapsody in Blue, An American in Paris, and the opera Porgy and Bess.

BIRTH George Gershwin was born on September 26, 1898, in Brooklyn, New York. He was the second of four children born to Russian Jewish immigrant parents. 

FAMILY BACKGROUND Gershwin's parents were Russian Jewish immigrants who had fled the constraints of life in the Russian Empire. His father, Morris Gershwin (originally Moishe Gershovitz), migrated from St. Petersburg, Russia to New York City in 1890, possibly to avoid military service.

His paternal grandfather, Jakov Gershowitz, was born in Odessa and had served for 25 years as a mechanic for the Imperial Russian Army to earn the right of free travel and residence as a Jew. 

George's mother, Rose (Rosa Bruskin), also from St. Petersburg, came to New York with her family in 1892. The couple married in 1895 and had four children by 1906: Israel (Ira), Yakov (George), Arthur, and Frances. 

The family was described as assimilated, speaking Russian, Yiddish, and English in the home while not adhering rigidly to their Jewish faith. (1)

CHILDHOOD George's childhood was marked by restlessness and mischief rather than any early signs of musical inclination. He was described as "a hyperactive boy, light, wiry, competitive and good in street games and, on occasion, fights". George remembered, "There is nothing I can really tell of my childhood... except that music never interested me, and that I spent most of my time with the boys in the street, skating and, in general, making a nuisance of myself". (2)

He was frequently in trouble at school, with his teacher Miss Smith constantly having to address his "disciplinary problems". 

The family was highly mobile, occupying as many as 28 different New York City locations in the first 21 years of their marriage, including Brooklyn, Harlem, and the culturally diverse Lower East Side.

EDUCATION Gershwin's formal musical education began at age 11 when his family purchased a second-hand piano, ostensibly for his older brother Ira. However, it was George who surprised everyone with his fluid playing of popular songs, which he had taught himself by following the keys on a neighbor's player piano. 

His parents decided George would be the family member to receive lessons. He began with Miss Green, a local teacher, before studying with the noted instructor Charles Hambitzer, who introduced him to the works of great classical composers. Hambitzer was so impressed with Gershwin's potential that he refused payment for lessons, writing to his sister, "I have a new pupil who will make his mark if anybody will. The boy is a genius". 

Gershwin later studied with disparate mentors including Henry Cowell, Wallingford Riegger, Edward Kilenyi, and Joseph Schillinger. He dropped out of school at age 15 to pursue his musical career. (3)

CAREER RECORD 1914: Dropped out of high school at 15 to become a "song plugger" in Tin Pan Alley for Jerome H. Remick and Co., demonstrating sheet music for customers.

1916: Published his first song, "When You Want 'Em, You Can't Get 'Em, When You've Got 'Em, You Don't Want 'Em."

1919: Achieved his first major hit with "Swanee," recorded by Al Jolson. This marked the beginning of his prolific songwriting partnership with his brother Ira.

1920s: Composed numerous successful Broadway scores, including Lady, Be Good!  (1924), Oh, Kay! (1926), Funny Face (1927), and Strike Up the Band (1927).

1924: Premiered Rhapsody in Blue, commissioned by Paul Whiteman, at Aeolian Hall, New York. This landmark work established him as a serious composer of "symphonic jazz."

1925: Composed the Piano Concerto in F.

1928: Composed An American in Paris, a tone poem inspired by his travels abroad.

1931: Wrote the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical Of Thee I Sing, a political satire, with Ira Gershwin and George S. Kaufman.

1935: Premiered Porgy and Bess, his folk opera set in the African-American community of Charleston, South Carolina.

Late 1930s: Moved to Hollywood to work on film scores, including Shall We Dance (1937) and Damsel in Distress (1937).

APPEARANCE George Gershwin was tall, standing 5'11", with a lanky physique. He had a slight olive complexion and dark brown hair. Contemporary accounts describe him as elegant and athletic.

Isaac Goldberg noted his lack of affectation, writing that "there was nothing about him that was forbidding" and that he wore his celebrity "as lightly as if it were a cane". 

His heavy beard required frequent shaving, and "very early in the day threatened to take on the hue of Jed Harris's blue patch".  (4)

George Gershwin, c. 1935

FASHION Gershwin was particular about his clothing and was described as not being "a patriot" in matters of dress, preferring foreign-made clothing. He typically dressed in blue or grey suits, with one suit featuring a white pencil stripe becoming famous in photographs. His fashion sense was considered stylish and sophisticated, reflecting his success and celebrity status. (4)

 He was mentioned alongside other style icons like Cary Grant and Fred Astaire as someone who possessed genuine style rather than merely following fashion trends.

CHARACTER Gershwin’s personality was a fascinating mix of humility and self-regard. Biographer Isaac Goldberg called him “simple, unaffected, modest, and charming,” noting his lack of pretension and a kind of endearing naiveté. At the same time, Gershwin had a sizable ego—though it was softened by what others described as a naturally magnetic charm. He possessed what Goldberg called “the saving grace of self-knowledge,” able to speak about his greatest works with a surprising lack of personal attachment. 

Known for being “intellectually nervous, keyed ever to concert pitch,” he seemed propelled by an inner urgency to create. His close friend Oscar Levant once quipped, “Tell me, George, if you had to do it all over, would you fall in love with yourself again?”—a sharp but affectionate jab at his vanity. Yet for all his confidence, Gershwin was generous and gracious, often giving interviews to high school students and gladly handing out autographs to admirers. (4) 

SPEAKING VOICE  Gershwin's speaking voice was pleasant and engaging with a trace of a Brooklyn accent, though not particularly distinctive. He was articulate and could express his musical ideas clearly. 

SENSE OF HUMOUR Gershwin had a good sense of humor and enjoyed lighthearted banter. He appreciated wit and often incorporated playful elements into his music. He was part of a circle of New York intellectuals and artists known for their sharp wit and conversational skills.

The most famous example of Gershwin's humor comes from his exchanges with pianist and composer Oscar Levant, his close friend and frequent sparring partner. When Levant once asked him at a Manhattan party in the 1930s, "George, if you had to do it all over, would you fall in love with yourself again?" - a playful jab at Gershwin's well-known vanity - George cleverly deflected with his own witty comeback: "Oscar, why don't you play us a medley of your hit?" This perfectly captured both men's humor styles: Levant's sharp psychological insight and Gershwin's ability to turn the tables with equal wit.

RELATIONSHIPS Gershwin never married, though he had numerous romantic relationships throughout his life. His most significant long-term relationship was with composer Kay Swift, which lasted from 1927 to 1937. Other notable relationships included those with Paulette Goddard (1937), Kitty Carlisle (1936), Aileen Pringle (1930-1931), Mary Ellis (1924), and various other prominent women of the era. 

In 1936, when he moved to Hollywood, he began expressing a desire to get married for the first time, writing letters to former flames inviting them to visit him in California. His infatuation with Paulette Goddard, who was married to Charlie Chaplin, deeply affected him when she refused to leave her husband. This rejection contributed to his emotional distress in his final years.

His deepest and most enduring relationship was arguably with his brother Ira, with whom he shared a close bond and a highly successful professional partnership. He also had a very close relationship with his mother, Rose.

MONEY AND FAME Gershwin achieved significant financial success and widespread fame during his lifetime. From his early hits like "Swanee" through his Broadway musicals and classical compositions, he earned considerable sums. He managed his finances well and invested wisely. His fame grew steadily, and by the 1920s and 30s, he was one of America's most celebrated composers, admired by both popular and classical audiences. He enjoyed the perks of his success, living comfortably and socializing in elite circles.

FOOD AND DRINK Though not a known gourmand, Gershwin enjoyed the social aspect of dining and often hosted dinner parties for friends and collaborators.

Gershwin suffered from ongoing gastrointestinal issues that were often dismissed as psychosomatic. From 1923, he began experiencing "occasional attacks of nausea and vague gastric dysfunctions". He kept a detailed journal of his diet, documenting every regimen he tried in an attempt to find relief from his symptoms. Various diagnoses were suggested, including "spastic colitis, chronic neurosis, and composer's stomach". Despite consulting multiple doctors, no effective treatment was found for these persistent digestive problems. (5)

COMPOSING CAREER George Gershwin's composing career lasted, give or take, a mere 24 years. That’s barely enough time to master sourdough starter or finish a decent novel, yet in that brief span he managed to upend and then entirely reinvent American music. Before Gershwin, composers wrote either serious music or popular songs, and never the twain met. Gershwin strolled in, wearing a natty suit and a cocky grin, and said: “Why not both?”

Gershwin got his start as a “song plugger”—a charmingly antiquated profession that involved banging out new tunes in music stores to persuade customers to buy the sheet music. He was 15, working on Tin Pan Alley, and earning fifteen dollars a week to be a human jukebox. It was the best musical education money didn’t buy.

By 17, he had written his first published song—When You Want 'Em, You Can't Get 'Em, When You've Got 'Em, You Don't Want 'Em—a title that suggests he was already fluent in both melody and exasperation. In 1919, Al Jolson heard young George perform "Swanee" at a party, decided he liked it, and turned it into a hit so big it practically paid for Gershwin’s future house in Beverly Hills.

Soon enough, Gershwin had elbowed his way onto Broadway and set up permanent shop there, especially after forming a songwriting tag team with his older brother Ira, whose lyrics had all the wit George’s music implied.

Together they dashed off shows like Lady, Be Good!, Oh, Kay!, Funny Face, and Strike Up the Band, creating songs that were clever, catchy, and practically designed to be hummed in elevators. They produced such earworms as "Fascinating Rhythm," "I Got Rhythm," and "Embraceable You," which have the uncanny ability to lodge themselves in your brain like popcorn kernels.

They even won a Pulitzer Prize for Of Thee I Sing, a satirical political musical that, charmingly, made fun of politics back when that was still considered good-natured fun.

In 1924, Gershwin got a call from bandleader Paul Whiteman, who asked him to compose something for a “jazz concert” at Aeolian Hall. Gershwin banged out Rhapsody in Blue in a panic, borrowed a bit from the rhythm of a passing train, and somehow created one of the most iconic pieces of American music ever written.

He followed it with his Concerto in F—a full-scale classical concerto that also swung—and An American in Paris, a bright, bluesy musical postcard from France, complete with taxi horns and croissant-flavored chords.

At the height of his fame, Gershwin did what any talented overachiever does: he went looking for approval from European masters. But both Ravel and Nadia Boulanger, legends in their own right, politely told him to stay exactly the way he was.

So he did—and ended up composing Porgy and Bess, a so-called “American folk opera” about life in a fictional Black community in Charleston. It combined classical structures with jazz, blues, and spirituals, baffled some critics, flopped financially, and then slowly grew into one of the most important operas ever produced on U.S. soil.

He also wrote a handful of shorter but dazzling works—like his Three Preludes for Piano—because even his side projects turned out to be minor miracles.

In the 1930s, Gershwin moved to Hollywood, where he was paid handsomely to compose music for films, charm everyone at parties, and enjoy a life of sunshine and celebrity. He built a mansion with its own cinema and fell hopelessly in love with actress Paulette Goddard, who, inconveniently, was married to Charlie Chaplin.

Then, tragically, just as he was preparing to do even greater things, he began suffering headaches and dizzy spells. Doctors chalked it up to stress. It was not stress. It was a brain tumor. He died in July 1937, at the age of just 38—leaving behind half-finished scores, a grieving nation, and a profound silence where his music might have gone next.

George Gershwin did something almost no one else has managed: he made popular music sound sophisticated, and serious music sound fun. His works blurred the lines between Broadway and Brahms, between Harlem jazz clubs and Carnegie Hall.

By the time he was gone, he had composed over two dozen Broadway shows, a shelf’s worth of jazz standards, at least three orchestral masterpieces, and one of the great operas of the 20th century. His music was bold, beautiful, and unmistakably American—proof that genius really can come from a second-floor apartment in Brooklyn and still make it all the way to immortality.

MUSIC AND ARTS Music was the core of Gershwin's existence. Beyond composing, he was a skilled pianist, famous for his improvisational abilities. 

He was deeply interested in all forms of art. He was an avid art collector, accumulating a significant collection of modern art, including works by Picasso and Modigliani, long before they became widely appreciated. Gershwin also dabbled in painting himself, producing a number of portraits and landscapes, demonstrating an innate artistic sensibility beyond music. 

LITERATURE Gershwin was well-read and appreciated literature, particularly plays and novels that explored American themes. His collaboration with Ira, a highly literate lyricist, involved a strong understanding of dramatic structure and narrative. His musical Porgy and Bess was based on the novel by DuBose Heyward, showing his interest in powerful literary sources.

NATURE While he lived predominantly in urban environments, Gershwin appreciated natural beauty. He enjoyed traveling and experiencing new places, which often included scenic landscapes. However, his primary creative inspiration came from the vibrancy of city life, particularly New York.

HOBBIES AND SPORTS Gershwin enjoyed various recreational activities including golf, tennis, ping pong, and backgammon. He was particularly fond of outdoor activities, which could "seduce him from the more sober tasks of composition". (4)

Gershwin was athletic and maintained his physical fitness through exercise in a home gymnasium. He was competitive and good in street games during his youth.

SCIENCE AND MATHS Gershwin studied composition with Joseph Schillinger, "a musical theorist known for his mathematically grounded approach to composition". This exposure to mathematical principles in music composition may have influenced his sophisticated harmonic and rhythmic innovations. (3)

PHILOSOPHY & THEOLOGY Born into a Russian Jewish immigrant family, Gershwin grew up in an assimilated household that "did not adhere rigidly to their Jewish faith, but picked and chose their obligations". The family's relative secularism may have reflected their St. Petersburg origins as opposed to the more traditional shtetl communities. How seriously Gershwin took his Jewish heritage in later years remains difficult to ascertain. (1)

Gershwin's music, particularly Porgy and Bess, explores themes of struggle, community, faith, and human endurance, suggesting a sensitivity to the human condition

POLITICS  Gershwin was generally apolitical in his public life, though his work Of Thee I Sing was a groundbreaking political satire. This musical, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, poked fun at the American political system, demonstrating a keen, albeit humorous, awareness of contemporary politics. He largely focused on his art rather than direct political engagement.

SCANDAL  Gershwin's life, while marked by numerous relationships, was largely free of major public scandals. He was known for his charm and popularity, and while his romantic life was active, it did not typically involve public controversy.

MILITARY RECORD George Gershwin focused his efforts on music during and after World War I. and died before the outbreak of World War II.

HEALTH AND PHYSICAL FITNESS Gershwin kept himself in good shape with regular workouts in his home gym, and was noted for his “unusual physical stamina from exercising.” But beneath the healthy exterior, trouble was brewing. From 1923 onward, he suffered from chronic digestive issues that never fully resolved. Then, in 1936, more troubling symptoms appeared—mood swings, bouts of depression, and increasingly severe headaches.

On February 11, 1937, while performing his Concerto in F with the Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra, Gershwin suddenly experienced a disturbing lapse: his mind went blank mid-performance, and he missed several bars. Not long after, he began smelling phantom odors—specifically burning rubber—classic signs of olfactory hallucinations.

Despite seeking medical advice, many doctors dismissed his symptoms as nervous exhaustion or stress. It wasn’t until July 1937, after a dramatic decline, that the true cause—a brain tumor—was finally diagnosed. By then, it was too late.

HOMES Gershwin lived primarily in New York City throughout his life. As his success grew, he moved to more affluent areas. In the 1920s, he lived in a townhouse on East 68th Street. In his later years, he also spent time in Hollywood, renting a house in Beverly Hills while working on film scores.

TRAVEL Gershwin traveled to Paris, intending to study with Nadia Boulanger, though she refused him, fearing that rigorous classical study would ruin his jazz-influenced style. Maurice Ravel voiced similar objections when Gershwin inquired about studying with him. He subsequently composed An American in Paris based on his experiences there. 

In 1934, he spent a summer on Folly Beach, a small island near Charleston, South Carolina, to immerse himself in the lifestyle and rhythms of the South while working on Porgy and Bess. His final move was to Hollywood, where he worked on film scores until his death.

DEATH George Gershwin died on July 11, 1937, at the age of 38, following unsuccessful brain surgery to remove a malignant brain tumor. The tumor, identified as a "spongioblastoma multiforme" (now classified as a malignant glioma), was operated on by Dr. Howard Nafziger in Los Angeles. Despite the surgical intervention, Gershwin never regained consciousness and died the morning after the operation. His symptoms had been tragically dismissed as psychological for months before the correct diagnosis was made. 

He was interred at Westchester Hills Cemetery in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York.

Gershwin’s untimely death deeply shocked the music world and his friends. A memorial concert was held at the Hollywood Bowl in September 1937, honoring his legacy

APPEARANCES IN MEDIA Gershwin appeared on various radio programs during the 1930s, including interviews and performances. After his death, his life was dramatized in the 1945 film Rhapsody in Blue, in which his friend Oscar Levant played himself. His compositions have been featured in numerous films and continue to be used in modern movies and media.

ACHIEVEMENTS Gershwin's achievements include 

Winning the Pulitzer Prize for Drama with Of Thee I Sing in 1931, the first musical to receive this honor. 

His major works include Rhapsody in Blue (1924), Concerto in F (1925), An American in Paris (1928), and Porgy and Bess (1935). 

He created over 1,000 songs, most of which became standards in American popular music. 

His successful collaboration with brother Ira Gershwin produced 22 musical comedies. 

Gershwin fundamentally changed American music by successfully bridging popular and classical genres and bringing respectability to jazz music.

Sources (1) Mesa Arts Center (2) Interlude (3) Encyclopedia Britannica (4) Wedgehill Music (5) National Library of Medicine