George Gershwin is an American musician and composer. He made a real revolution in music. George - lived a short but incredibly rich creative life. Arnold Schoenberg said about the work of the maestro:
“He was one of the rare musicians for whom music didn't come down to a question of greater or lesser ability. Music was for him the air ... ".
Childhood and youth
He was born in the Brooklyn area. George's parents had nothing to do with creativity. The head of the family and mother raised four children. From early childhood, George was distinguished by not the most accommodating character - he fought, constantly argued and was not distinguished by perseverance.
Once he was lucky to hear a piece of music by Antonin Dvorak - "Humoresque". He fell in love with classical music and dreamed of learning to play the piano and violin ever since. Max Rosen, who performed on stage with the work of Dvorak, agreed to study with George. Soon Gershwin played the melodies he liked on the piano.
George did not have a special musical education, but despite this, he earned a living by performing in restaurants and bars. From the age of 20, he lived exclusively on royalties and did not need additional income.
The creative path of George Gershwin
During his creative career, he created three hundred songs, 9 musicals, several operas and a number of compositions for piano. "Porgy and Bess" and "Rhapsody in the Blues Style" are still considered his hallmarks.
There is such a legend about the creation of the rhapsody: Paul Whiteman wanted to symphonize his favorite musical style. He asked George to create a serious piece of music for his orchestra. Gershwin, skeptical about the work, and even wanted to refuse cooperation. But there was no choice - Paul had already advertised the future masterpiece, and George had no choice but to start writing the work.
The musical "Rhapsody in the Blues Style" George wrote under the impression of a three-year European trip. This is the first work in which Gershwin's innovation was manifested. Innovation combined classical and song, jazz and folklore.
No less interesting is the story of Porgy and Bess. Note that this is the first performance in the history of America, which could be attended by spectators of different races. He composed this work under the impression of life in a small Negro village in the state of South Carolina. After the premiere of the performance, the audience gave the maestro a standing ovation.
"Clara's Lullaby" - sounded several times in the opera. Classical music fans know the piece as Summertime. The composition is called the most popular creation of the 20th century. The work has been repeatedly covered. Rumor has it that the composer was inspired to write Summertime by the Ukrainian lullaby “Oh, sleep around vikon”. George heard the work during the tour of the Little Russian vocal group in America.
Details of the composer's personal life
George was a versatile person. In his youth, he was fond of football, equestrian sports and boxing. At a more mature age, painting and literature were included in the list of his hobbies.
After himself, the composer left no heirs. He was not married, but this does not mean that his personal life was boring and monotonous. Alexandra Blednykh, who was originally listed as a student of a musician, settled in his heart for a long time. The girl broke up with George when she realized that she would not wait for a marriage proposal from him.
Then the maestro was seen in a relationship with Kay Swift. At the time of the meeting, the woman was married. She left her official spouse to start a relationship with George. The couple lived under the same roof for 10 years.
He never proposed to the girl, but this did not prevent the lovers from building a good relationship. When love passed, the young people talked, deciding to put an end to the love relationship.
In the 30s, he fell in love with actress Paulette Goddard. The composer confessed his love to the girl three times and was refused three times. Paulette was married to Charlie Chaplin, so she could not reciprocate the maestro.
Death of George Gershwin
Even as a child, George sometimes disconnected from the outside world. Until the end of the 30s, the originality of the maestro's brain activity did not prevent him from creating real masterpieces.
But, soon his fans found out about the little secret of the great genius. While performing on stage, the musician lost consciousness. He constantly complained of migraines and dizziness. Doctors attributed these symptoms to overwork and advised George to take a short break. The situation changed after he was diagnosed with a malignant neoplasm.
Doctors performed an emergency operation, but it only aggravated the position of the composer. He died at 38 from brain cancer.
