[Dixielandjazz] George Gershwin biography reviewed

[Robert Ringwald]

George Gershwin biography reviewed

New Biography Taps Unused Source Material of Gershwin
by Morton I. Teicher
Jewish Chronicle (Pittsburgh), December 23, 2009

During his short life from September 1898 to July 1937, George Gershwin composed
enough popular and classical music to warrant being called one of America's greatest
musicians.
Adding to the number of existing biographies, Walter Rimler, author of two previous
books on music as well as articles and short stories, justifies another account of
Gershwin's life, titled "George Gershwin: An Intimate Portrait," by his having discovered
previously unused source material. Weaving together these new letters and interview
records with his diligent research, Rimler has produced a lively narrative that captures
Gershwin's musical triumphs and failures as well as the tragedy and the achievements
of his brief life.
Born to Russian Jewish immigrants, Gershwin was the second of four children. Raised
on New York City's Lower East Side, Gershwin became enamored with music at the age
of 10 when he heard a fellow student play Dvorak's "Humoresque." He began to use
the family piano, originally bought for his older brother, Ira. Despite their limited
means, his parents recognized that George had talent and arranged for him to get
music lessons. By the age of 15, he dropped out of school to work in the music business
and six years later, he wrote "Swanee," which earned him thousands of dollars.
In 1924, after composing for several Broadway shows, Gershwin wrote and performed
the original presentation of "Rhapsody in Blue," which brought him considerable fame.
Wealthy and successful, he bought a five-story town house near Riverside Drive and
moved his parents and siblings into it.
Living the happy life of a celebrity, Gershwin met James and Katherine Warburg in
1925; Gershwin and Katherine soon began an affair that lasted on and off for the
rest of his life. James (Jimmy, as Gershwin called him) was a member of the well-known
Jewish banking family and Katherine (Kay), who was not Jewish, was a composer who
came from a musical family. The couple had been married for seven years and had three
daughters but followed the ethos of the Roaring '20s with limited marital restraints.
Gershwin, similarly not bound by his affair with Kay, had numerous romances, none
of which led to marriage. Although he was not observant, practically all of Gershwin's
friends were Jewish, making Kay an outsider. Even after she divorced Jimmy Warburg,
Gershwin did not marry her. They separated in 1936 when George moved to Hollywood
to write songs for the movies with his brother, Ira. There, Gershwin complained about
fatigue and headaches that were initially misdiagnosed as emotional in origin until
it was recognized that he had a brain tumor. An effort to get Dr. Walter E. Dandy
of Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, America's best neurosurgeon, failed but it didn't
matter since the tumor proved inoperable and Gershwin died on July 11, 1937.
Interestingly, about a year later, author Thomas Wolfe was taken from Seattle, where
he had become ill, to Baltimore for Dandy to operate. Although this time, Dandy did
perform the surgery, it was too late and Wolfe died on Sept. 15, 1938, just before
reaching his 38th birthday -- about the same age as Gershwin.
In addition to his many show and movie tunes as well as his concert music, Gershwin
is known for the folk opera, "Porgy and Bess," considered by many to be his greatest
contribution to American music. Rimler tells the story of its composition at great
length. He also mentions the failed efforts to write a Yiddish operetta and an opera
based on "The Dybbuk," S. Ansky's supernatural story. Rimler explores Gershwin's
troubled relationships with his family, especially his mother and Ira's wife, his
sister-in-law.
This energetically written book adds to our knowledge of a superb composer who, unfortunately,
died too early.
_____
Morton I. Teicher is the founding dean of the Wurzweiler School of Social Work, Yeshiva
University, and dean emeritus of the School of Social Work, University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill.
    Posted by: "Songbirds moderator"
peggyfan at earthlink.net
 songbirds_moderator
    Date: Thu Dec 24, 2009 6:37 pm ((PST))
New Biography Taps Unused Source Material of Gershwin
by Morton I. Teicher
Jewish Chronicle (Pittsburgh), December 23, 2009
During his short life from September 1898 to July 1937, George Gershwin composed
enough popular and classical music to warrant being called one of America's greatest
musicians.
Adding to the number of existing biographies, Walter Rimler, author of two previous
books on music as well as articles and short stories, justifies another account of
Gershwin's life, titled "George Gershwin: An Intimate Portrait," by his having discovered
previously unused source material. Weaving together these new letters and interview
records with his diligent research, Rimler has produced a lively narrative that captures
Gershwin's musical triumphs and failures as well as the tragedy and the achievements
of his brief life.
Born to Russian Jewish immigrants, Gershwin was the second of four children. Raised
on New York City's Lower East Side, Gershwin became enamored with music at the age
of 10 when he heard a fellow student play Dvorak's "Humoresque." He began to use
the family piano, originally bought for his older brother, Ira. Despite their limited
means, his parents recognized that George had talent and arranged for him to get
music lessons. By the age of 15, he dropped out of school to work in the music business
and six years later, he wrote "Swanee," which earned him thousands of dollars.
In 1924, after composing for several Broadway shows, Gershwin wrote and performed
the original presentation of "Rhapsody in Blue," which brought him considerable fame.
Wealthy and successful, he bought a five-story town house near Riverside Drive and
moved his parents and siblings into it.
Living the happy life of a celebrity, Gershwin met James and Katherine Warburg in
1925; Gershwin and Katherine soon began an affair that lasted on and off for the
rest of his life. James (Jimmy, as Gershwin called him) was a member of the well-known
Jewish banking family and Katherine (Kay), who was not Jewish, was a composer who
came from a musical family. The couple had been married for seven years and had three
daughters but followed the ethos of the Roaring '20s with limited marital restraints.
Gershwin, similarly not bound by his affair with Kay, had numerous romances, none
of which led to marriage. Although he was not observant, practically all of Gershwin's
friends were Jewish, making Kay an outsider. Even after she divorced Jimmy Warburg,
Gershwin did not marry her. They separated in 1936 when George moved to Hollywood
to write songs for the movies with his brother, Ira. There, Gershwin complained about
fatigue and headaches that were initially misdiagnosed as emotional in origin until
it was recognized that he had a brain tumor. An effort to get Dr. Walter E. Dandy
of Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, America's best neurosurgeon, failed but it didn't
matter since the tumor proved inoperable and Gershwin died on July 11, 1937.
Interestingly, about a year later, author Thomas Wolfe was taken from Seattle, where
he had become ill, to Baltimore for Dandy to operate. Although this time, Dandy did
perform the surgery, it was too late and Wolfe died on Sept. 15, 1938, just before
reaching his 38th birthday -- about the same age as Gershwin.
In addition to his many show and movie tunes as well as his concert music, Gershwin
is known for the folk opera, "Porgy and Bess," considered by many to be his greatest
contribution to American music. Rimler tells the story of its composition at great
length. He also mentions the failed efforts to write a Yiddish operetta and an opera
based on "The Dybbuk," S. Ansky's supernatural story. Rimler explores Gershwin's
troubled relationships with his family, especially his mother and Ira's wife, his
sister-in-law.
This energetically written book adds to our knowledge of a superb composer who, unfortunately,
died too early.
_____
Morton I. Teicher is the founding dean of the Wurzweiler School of Social Work, Yeshiva
University, and dean emeritus of the School of Social Work, University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill.


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