Nearly nine decades after his death at 38 years old, George Gershwin remains one of the most celebrated and influential American composers. Dr. Thomas Cimarusti, Professor of Music History at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers recently presented a lecture titled “And the Living is Easy: The Life and Music of George Gershwin” as part of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Florida Atlantic University. During our interview, Dr. Cimarusti shared how Gershwin’s music and legacy has stood the test of time.
“Gershwin’s legacy is primarily a result of his brilliance in assimilating and adapting the various musical traditions that surrounded him from jazz to Broadway to classical to blues and perhaps to some extent Jewish music. He created a range of works that sought to merge high-brow and low-brow music. I can’t think of anyone else in musical history that successfully conflated so many disparate traditions, one that not only became his unique voice, but one that became an American musical voice. Gershwin’s style was clearly influenced by jazz. New York, at the time, was a hotbed of black swinging virtuosos like James P. Johnson and Eubie Blake. That said, he was introduced to classical music in his early teens and attended Broadway shows weekly with his brother, Ira. Gershwin once claimed, however, that his greatest influence came from the French impressionist composers like Maurice Ravel and Claude Debussy. One of the most intriguing aspects regarding Gershwin’s music is that it truly represents a kaleidoscope of the American musical and cultural landscape at the turn of the century. His music was both sophisticated while simultaneously appealing to the populace. In that regard, Gershwin was eager to not only recognize the diversity of our nation, but also to celebrate it.”
Dr. Cimarusti described the relationship between George and his brother, Ira.
“George had a deep affection for his brother Ira who often deferred to George as the genius of the family. Consequently, Ira’s genius has been very much underplayed in musical scholarship. Ira did collaborate with George on numerous shows as well as many songs (e.g., ‘Embraceable You’), but is best remembered for the lyrics he provided for the folk opera Porgy and Bess.”
Dr. Cimarusti shared details regarding Gershwin’s upbringing.
“What fascinates me most about Gershwin’s upbringing was that he was a troubled child and dropped out of school. Perhaps one of the reasons for this was that his business-oriented father, Morris, moved the family some 28 times within 20 years. Gershwin struggled in school, was often rowdy and eventually dropped out of school to become a song plugger. Although Gershwin did not have a formal musical education, he did in fact study music with a number of private teachers. With that level of education Gershwin successfully achieved what composers at the time were so eagerly trying to create, an American sound. Gershwin once stated, ‘My facility in music did not come from tuition but rather by intensive listening. I listened with my heart, my nerves, my soul. I wanted to interpret the soul of the American people’. One of the most fascinating (and relatively unknown) details about George was that he was an excellent painter.”
Dr. Cimarusti expressed what he feels is Gershwin’s most ambitious composition.
“I believe ‘Porgy and Bess’ was his most ambitious work. We need to keep in mind that in 1935 the civil war was still fresh in the minds of the American consciousness. To put only blacks on stage was risky business. ‘Porgy and Bess’ was a serious work and one that allowed Gershwin to give the blacks a voice. Most people will agree that Gershwin’s most successful composition was ‘Rhapsody in Blue’. What’s most interesting about this is that Gershwin came close to never even writing it. Bandleader Paul Whiteman commissioned Gershwin to write the work yet the composer declined, claiming he had little time to work on such a project. Whiteman actually tricked him into doing it and the 1924 premiere was a major success.”
Dr. Cimarusti described his favorite Gershwin song.
“My all time favorite is ‘Swanee’. Gershwin composed the song in 1919 (age 21) and it became his 1st international hit. The song is fascinating in that it expresses multiple sentiments; the longing for love in the opening verse (‘I’ve been away from you a long time…’) set in a minor (sad) key followed by the chorus (‘Swanee, how I love you…’) which switches to a major (happy) key.”
