Tabloid Tuesday: George & Ira Gershwin

We’re going to jump ahead a few years now to two of the most legendary composers of the 20^th century: the Gershwin brothers. Ira, lyricist, and George, composer, together created some of the most memorable songs of the century.

Even though the Gershwin’s parents had moved to America because of the growing Antisemitism in Europe at the beginning of the century and changed their names upon moving because of this, they named their first son Israel (which he shortened to Ira) and their second son Jacob (which he changed to George). So that was kind of counter-intuitive and almost cruel of them, but anyway.

When the boys were growing up they spent a lot of time around the Yiddish Theatre district running errands for the theatres and frequently appearing in performances as extras. They moved around a lot with each new enterprise their father started, but remained around the same area.

Little George roamed the street as a young boy on his roller skates causing a general ruckus with the other fellas, and showed little interest in music until he was about ten when he heard his friend perform at a violin recital. George soon began playing the piano which had been intended for his older brother Ira.

If you know half of the jazz standards out there, you know the work of George and Ira. They had their pieces made famous by such artists as Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

They had their first collaboration in 1918 with “The Real American Folk Song.” The two collaborated frequently after 1924 and Ira dropped his pseudonym which he had previously written under. From this point forward they were unstoppable.

George wrote his first major classical piece in 1924, Rhapsody in Blue. Though neither of his operas were commercial successes, the second, Porgy and Bess is now regarded as one of the finest examples of American 20^th century opera and it contains such classics as “Summertime.”

The Gershwin brothers were writing in New York simultaneously with the HarlemRenaissance.

The Harlem Renaissance was a movement in which the African American community formed a strong cultural dialogue and presence in New York city. The movement manifested in visual arts, poetry, and music.

It centred on trying to “uplift” the race, and form a new racial identity of the urban African American of the northern states. There were inherent problems which the movement tried to sort through, including how to perform their art, which discussed the near history of slavery and other civil injustices, to an elite white audience.

Many performers of the Harlem Renaissance were made into the anthropological subjects of populations from the white upper crust of New York “slumming it” in Harlem on the weekends to see the shows of “primitive” cultures, as they put it at the time. This issue was actually addressed in a lot of the art that came out after the beginning of the movement.

Digressions aside, it is difficult to talk about New York culture at this time without delving ever so briefly into this important movement.

Actually! My digression is relevant (for once). Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess got a bad rap for the racist portrayal of African Americans. As white men, this misreading of African American culture by the Gershwin’s is completely congruous with the misunderstanding and mis-viewing of artists in the Harlem Renaissance by white people “slumming it.” Especially being written at this time, in New York at the same time as the cultural uplifting of the race, this was especially problematic.

Okay, back on topic for real now:

At the age of 38, George Gershwin passed away of a brain tumor, much to the disgruntlement of his family and friends. At the time he had been living with Ira and his wife, Lenore in Beverley Hills. A short time before his death, George started to lose mental control and capacity. He had mood swings and his coordination was clearly and quickly slipping. So Lenore kicked him out of the house and made him go live elsewhere, where he was taken care of by his valet.

Though George died young, together he and his brother accomplished wonderful things while they both lived.