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George Gershwin: Vom Erfolg Zur Größe
A revised biography traces Gershwin's development from his childhood (on New York's East Side) to his present status in American music
Perfect Paperback
First published January 1, 1970
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 7, 2020
I picked up this biography as a sort of companion to an earlier read about Cole Porter. This one was much better and more engagingly written, and I learned a lot about George and his sibling sidekick Ira.
Although George is more flamboyant, his forte was the music; Ira had not only had the words in their collaboration, because he outlived his brother by decades he lent his reminiscences to author Ewen. This (written) biography is not unsurprisingly sprinkled with snatches of Ira lyrics throughout and maybe is 70-30 weighted in George's favor. It could have been titled "The Gershwins" and been truthful.
One of the features of the book is its even-handed treatment of the Gershwin flops as well as their successes. Heavily drawing on newspaper accounts and reviews of performances, Ewen so frequently reported that the music didn't go over well with critics or had short theatrical runs that one could be persuaded that the brothers were merely contemporaries of Porter, Irving Berlin, Moss Hart, Jerome Kern, etc. Then there would be the explosive, but not universally applauded, successes of Rhapsody in Blue, An American in Paris, Rhapsody Number 2, and the triumphant Porgy and Bess. Ewen did not only tout the successes that the Gershwins celebrated. Frequently, as their fame grew, famous friends and acquaintances from classical music, films, Tin pan Alley sat in the front row of the premieres. At the Boston premiere of Porgy and Bess, Boston Symphony Orchestra conductor Serge Koussevitzky was lured into attending by the unique opera from his home in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood -- why, that's where I lived when I was in college, and old friend Ann F. still lives there! OK, so you don't really care about that personal anecdote...
The Gershwins also composed for staged musicals or films, and their music was adapted for ballets or re-configured from the bigger productions into more intimate settings...one of the points that Ewen reiterated was the Gershwins were restlessly creative and not one-trick-ponies. George Gershwin's goals of creating serious music that was popular, and popular music that had classical constructions led the brothers to explore various musical outlets for their creativity. This restlessness was often on display at George's apartments, where he'd be the center of the musical attention for late-into-the-evening drop-in parties and get-togethers. He was indefatigable.
Until he wasn't. Alas, a brain tumor took George Gershwin when he was merely 38 years old. Like a firework, he soared and then expired. Ewen closed his book with a full chapter that recounted his illness and death, and then two chapters about George's legacy and a shorter chapter about Ira.
This was a satisfying read, and it led me to re-visit/sample from my Gershwin cd's when the music fit the chapter. And there's tons of online material that further supplements the book. I like it when a book makes me want to dig deeper.
Although George is more flamboyant, his forte was the music; Ira had not only had the words in their collaboration, because he outlived his brother by decades he lent his reminiscences to author Ewen. This (written) biography is not unsurprisingly sprinkled with snatches of Ira lyrics throughout and maybe is 70-30 weighted in George's favor. It could have been titled "The Gershwins" and been truthful.
One of the features of the book is its even-handed treatment of the Gershwin flops as well as their successes. Heavily drawing on newspaper accounts and reviews of performances, Ewen so frequently reported that the music didn't go over well with critics or had short theatrical runs that one could be persuaded that the brothers were merely contemporaries of Porter, Irving Berlin, Moss Hart, Jerome Kern, etc. Then there would be the explosive, but not universally applauded, successes of Rhapsody in Blue, An American in Paris, Rhapsody Number 2, and the triumphant Porgy and Bess. Ewen did not only tout the successes that the Gershwins celebrated. Frequently, as their fame grew, famous friends and acquaintances from classical music, films, Tin pan Alley sat in the front row of the premieres. At the Boston premiere of Porgy and Bess, Boston Symphony Orchestra conductor Serge Koussevitzky was lured into attending by the unique opera from his home in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood -- why, that's where I lived when I was in college, and old friend Ann F. still lives there! OK, so you don't really care about that personal anecdote...
The Gershwins also composed for staged musicals or films, and their music was adapted for ballets or re-configured from the bigger productions into more intimate settings...one of the points that Ewen reiterated was the Gershwins were restlessly creative and not one-trick-ponies. George Gershwin's goals of creating serious music that was popular, and popular music that had classical constructions led the brothers to explore various musical outlets for their creativity. This restlessness was often on display at George's apartments, where he'd be the center of the musical attention for late-into-the-evening drop-in parties and get-togethers. He was indefatigable.
Until he wasn't. Alas, a brain tumor took George Gershwin when he was merely 38 years old. Like a firework, he soared and then expired. Ewen closed his book with a full chapter that recounted his illness and death, and then two chapters about George's legacy and a shorter chapter about Ira.
This was a satisfying read, and it led me to re-visit/sample from my Gershwin cd's when the music fit the chapter. And there's tons of online material that further supplements the book. I like it when a book makes me want to dig deeper.
September 8, 2008
Good bio, written when many of the ancillary characters were still alive.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews