George Gershwin

George Gershwin (1898–1937)

Born in Brooklyn to Russian Jewish immigrants, Gershwin became one of America's greatest composers, blending jazz and classical styles. His most significant choral writing appears in the folk opera Porgy and Bess (1935). He spent the summer of 1934 on the South Carolina coast absorbing the local community's spiritual-singing style, which he wove into the opera's elaborate choruses — an approach compared to the choral writing in Wagner's Die Meistersinger. His songs have since become choral staples, with arrangements of "Embraceable You," "Someone to Watch Over Me," and "I Got Rhythm" performed by choirs worldwide. His death at thirty-eight from a brain tumor cut short a remarkable career.

Learn more about his work at: gershwin.com/george