George Gershwin achieved early success as one of the most brilliant songwriters on Broadway. He had more ambitious dreams, however: he aspired to be recognized as a serious classical composer. Rhapsody in Blue was his first step in that direction, followed by the Concerto in F, An American in Paris and, finally, the opera Porgy and Bess. Gershwin believed that American classical music had to incorporate elements of jazz in order to find a distinctive national voice, and throughout his all-too-brief career, he worked towards achieving that synthesis.

A fabulous pianist and improviser, Gershwin knew that his technical equipment as a classical composer was incomplete, and tried hard to fill in the gaps in his knowledge by applying himself to the study of music theory and orchestration. In 1924, Rhapsody in Blue had to be orchestrated by Ferde Grofé. A year later, Gershwin was able to score the Concerto in F without any outside help. He originally intended to call the piece ‟New York Concerto,” perhaps thinking of a musical portrayal of a city in the same way he was to do in An American in Paris a few years later. The word ‟portrayal” is not used here by accident: Gershwin was also a talented painter and visual images offen influenced his musical work.

Gershwin offered the following comments on his piano concerto:

The first movement employs the charleston rhythm.* It is quick and pulsating, representing the young, enthusiastic spirit of American life. It begins with a rhythmic motif given out by the kettledrums**, supported by other percussion instruments, and with a charleston motif introduced by bassoon, horns, clarinets, and violas. The principal theme is announced by the bassoon. Later, a second theme is introduced by the piano.

The second movement has a poetic nocturnal atmosphere which has come to be referred to as the American blues, but in a purer form than that in which they are usually treated.

The final movement reverts to the style of the first. It is an orgy of rhythms, starting violently and keeping to the same pace throughout.

* In her biography of Gershwin, Joan Peyser suggests that Gershwin may have had a secret personal reason for using the charleston rhythm: he was having an affair with a woman named Molly Charleston at the time, and he had a son by her in 1926.

** The kettledrum motif returns shortly before the end of the third movement.

Notes By Peter Laki