George Gershwin was an American composer born in Brooklyn, New York in 1898, who began his career on Tin Pan Alley and Broadway before moving to Hollywood later in life. His output fused jazz idioms with classical forms across orchestral works, Broadway musicals, piano concertos, and film scores, and includes Rhapsody in Blue, An American in Paris, and the opera Porgy and Bess. He died in Los Angeles in 1937, aged 38, following emergency surgery for a brain tumor.

Gershwin pioneered a distinctly American compositional voice by splicing jazz rhythms and popular song idioms with classical structures, profoundly shaping the course of American concert and popular music. His works remain central to the American repertoire, and his enduring stature is reflected in institutions such as the Library of Congress’s Gershwin Prize, awarded annually in his and his brother Ira’s honor.

Compare recordings piece by piece — 2 works of George Gershwin with more than one performance on the site →

Sources:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Gershwin