Biography
George Gershwin ( 1898 — 1937) was one of the most important American musicians, pianists and composers. He was born on September 26, 1898 in New York to Russian parents who had recently emigrated from St. Petersburg. George was not a good student and until 12 he had nothing to do with music. When his parents bought a used piano for his brother, he started to play it. After two years of practice, the famous pianist and piano teacher Charles Habitzer took him on for free, having recognized his talent. He acquired knowledge of classical music and began to accompany his teacher in concerts. He was soon recognized as one of New York's most talented pianists.
In 1924 he presented the musical composition Rhapsody in Blue which combines elements of classical music with influences from jazz and is his most recognizable piece. In the same year, he scored his first big hit on Broadway with the musical 'Lady Be Good'. In this work he collaborated for the first time with his brother Ira Gershwin (1896-1983), who wrote the libretto.
Over the next decade the two brothers would become one of the leading synthetic twins in Broadway history. Together they created the musicals 'Tip-Toes' (1925), 'Oh, Kay!' (1926), 'Strike Up the Band' (1927), 'Funny Face' (1927), 'Girl Crazy (1930), 'Of Thee I Sing' (1931).
In 1935 he completed the three-act opera "Porgy and Bess" which was presented in October at the Broadway theater; it received severe criticism. The theme of the opera was the life of the blacks in America, songs such as Summertime which has remained a classic, did not save the work.
The show did not cover its costs, causing Gershwin financial problems. But that wasn't his problem.
By early 1937, Gershwin was suffering from severe headaches and experiencing temporary memory loss, he soon lost a lot of weight and was unable to walk. On July 9, 1937, he fell into a coma. Doctors diagnosed a brain tumor. He died 2 days later on July 11th after a failed operation to remove the tumor.