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  1. Home
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  3. The Cambridge Companion to Gershwin
  • Cited by 1
Publisher:
Cambridge University Press
Online publication date:
August 2019
Print publication year:
2019
Online ISBN:
9781108528757
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108528757
Subjects:
Twentieth-Century and Contemporary Music, Music, Music: General Interest, Music Criticism
Collection:
The Cambridge Companions to Music
Series:
Cambridge Companions to Music
Information

Book description

George Gershwin is often described as a quintessentially American composer. This Cambridge Companion explains why, engaging with the ways in which his music was shaped by American political, intellectual, cultural and business interests. As a composer and performer, Gershwin embraced technological advances and broke new ground in music business practices. In the decades preceding World War II, he captured the mechanistic pulse of modern life with his concert works and lay the groundwork for the Great American Songbook with his Broadway shows and film music. With his brother Ira, and his cousins Henry and B. A. Botkin, Gershwin explored various ethnic and cultural identities and contemplated their roles in US culture. His music confronted race during the Jim Crow era and continues to engage with issues of race today. This interdisciplinary exploration of Gershwin's life and music describes his avowed pursuit of an 'American' musical identity and its ongoing legacy.

Reviews

'… a worthwhile addition to the ever-growing body of Gershwin studies.'

Andrew Farach-Colton Source: Gramophone

‘To know where we are with Gershwin now, clearly, one should go with the Cambridge Companion.'

Russell Davies Source: The Times Literary Supplement

‘Equally at home in the concert hall or on Broadway and, later, with movies and popular music, George Gershwin (1898–1937) was a crossover artist before that term was commonly used. He continues to grab the attention of a diverse array of musicologists, and many of today’s noted Gershwin experts are represented in the pages of this contribution to the ‘Cambridge Companions to Music’ series. The breadth of the writings in this volume illustrates how widely Gershwin’s accomplishments are spread.’

J. Farrington Source: Choice

‘In this rich cornucopia of essays about Gershwin’s life, work, and continuing legacy, the authors individually and collectively bring new appreciations to an extraordinary multi-faceted musical career. Whether read as single chapters or cover to cover, this book is a joy.’

William A. Everett - University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory

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