Although the composer George Gershwin lived rather shortly (only 38 years), he managed to become a classic of the 20th century and left to descendants the magnificent music, which is still performed at various venues around the globe.
The beginning of a musician career and first successes
The family in which Jacob was born in 1898 (later changed his name to George) Gershwin was not considered rich. And his parents had no professional relationship to music - for example, Yakov's father was a shoemaker. It is also known that little Gershwin studied at school very badly.
The boy's musical abilities were revealed quite early. And then the young talent had a wonderful mentor - Charles Hambitzer. This man not only gave a lot to Gershwin himself, but also advised him to sign up for useful orchestration and harmony lessons. But George Gershwin never received an official musical education.
Then the game of the fifteen-year-old musician Gershwin was heard by the manager of the music publishing house "Remik and K", which was engaged in the production of gramophone records. And the manager took the young man as a popularizing pianist. For this job, Gershwin was paid fifteen dollars a week.
In addition, Gershwin began to compose his own works and music for songs. Once one of his songs (it was called "Whenever you want") was included in her repertoire by the rather popular singer Sophie Tucker. Gradually, the young composer Gershwin became his own on Broadway, his name flashed in the press. Since 1918, Gershwin was already earning enough to fully immerse himself in writing musicals. He could no longer waste himself on private lessons and performances in restaurants.
Major achievements - "Rhapsody in Blues" and "Porgy and Bess"
In early 1924, Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blues was presented to the discerning public. There is evidence that the premiere was attended by recognized masters of classical music - Rachmaninov and Stravinsky. At the very beginning, Gershwin personally performed a glissando on the clarinet, which greatly intrigued the audience. And when the last notes of "Rhapsody" were heard, a prolonged ovation was heard in the hall. The melodic combination of classical and jazz tunes impressed almost everyone.
But the pinnacle of Gershwin's career as a musician is the opera Porgy and Bess, based on the novel by Dubose Hayward. George, delighted with the novel, wrote to the author back in 1928 that he wanted to turn it into a large-scale musical and theatrical work. The author gave his consent to this, but, in fact, work on the production began only in 1932. It took more than a year and a half to create the opera, and Gershwin was firmly convinced that it would be a tremendous success (in this opera, by the way, the aria "Summertime" sounds). Porgy and Bess was first performed at the Boston Colonial Theater in 1935. The audience received this production very warmly. And then in the "Alvin Theater" for 18 months this opera was shown to the audience more than 120 times.
Personal life
For George Gershwin, from the moment of his first serious successes, the glory of a real womanizer was entrenched - he had a lot of novels, including with the recognized beauties of America. And Gershwin's first serious love was Alexandra Blednykh - his most capable student. But the girl did not become the composer's wife. Gershwin also had a ten-year, not officially formalized affair with a composer-girl Kay Swift, with whom he periodically consulted on musical issues.
In a more mature age, Gershwin was madly in love with actress Paulette Goddard, wife of comedian Charlie Chaplin. However, this love was not mutual. He confessed his love to Paulette three times, and was refused three times. It turns out that George Gershwin was never married, and he had no children from anyone.
Circumstances of death
The exhausting work on "Porgy and Bess" and other works led to the fact that Gershwin began with health. From the beginning of 1937, Gershwin began to suffer from headaches. Then he began to forget the notes and whole fragments of the compositions he had just composed.
Friends and relatives of the musician advised him to see a doctor. After examination, a malignant tumor was found in the musician's brain. The disease progressed very quickly, and already in July 1937, immediately after a risky operation, George Gershwin was gone.
