Rhapsody in blue by George Gershwin
RHAPSODY IN BLUE
by George Gershwin
a CMP plan for 5th and 6th graders by Judy Meyer Hays
GENRE
This piece is, by definition, a concerto because it is written for solo piano and orchestra but its
structure is that of a rhapsody as it is one extended movement instead of three or four separate movements.
This “rhapsody” label is also supported because the piece has frequent extreme musical contrasts in texture,
timbre, tempo, and dynamics.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
In January 1924, as George Gershwin and his lyricist friend B.G. DeSylva
relaxed at a local pool hall in New York while his brother Ira was reading the New York Herald Tribune. The
heading “Whiteman Judges Named, Committee Will Decide ‘What Is American Music’” catches his eye where
near the end of the brief article Gershwin’s name appears. Whiteman has advertised that George is at work on a
jazz concerto.
Surprisingly, George is not! Consumed with the final details of Sweet Little Devil, George has
just a few weeks to compose “Rhapsody in Blue,” his first piece in a classical form. While on the train to his
musical’s Boston premiere, Gershwin, inspired by the rhythm of the train, decides he will use what he knows to
compose what today is considered one of the greatest American classical works.
“It was on the train, with its steely rhythms, its rattlety-bang that is so often stimulating to a composer,
that I suddenly heard—even saw on paper—the complete construction of the Rhapsody, from beginning
to end.
No new themes came to me, but I worked on the thematic material already in my mind and tried
to conceive of the composition as a whole. I heard it as sort of a musical kaleidoscope of America—or
our vast melting pot, of our incomparable national pep, our blues, our metropolitan madness.”
Originally titled “American Rhapsody,” George changed it at the suggestion of his
brother, Ira, who had recently attended an exhibition of artworks by James McNeil
Whistler.
Whistler’s focus on “art for art’s sake” affected his painting titles. For
instance, what we know as “Whistler’s Mother” was actually named “Arrangement
in Grey and Black.” “Nocturne in Black and Gold” was the painting title Ira shared
with his brother, and “Rhapsody in Blue” was born.
On February 12, 1924 a sold out audience including Sergei Rachmaninoff and John
Philip Sousa were ready for An Experiment in Modern Music. Promised
compositions by Irving Berlin and Victor Herbert preceded the much anticipated
first classical work by Gershwin who would be performing (actually improvising
because he hadn’t had the time to write it out) the solo piano part for his concerto
which would be followed by Edgar’s “Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1.”
Although favorably received by that evening’s audience, the critic’s reviews were
not as positive.
Self-portrait of George Gershwin
HEART STATEMENT
The heart of George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” is the journey, expressed in melody, from
uncertainty to achievement created by the intermingling of multiple themes as the orchestra and
solo piano parts interact.
