Rhapsody on the Blue

September 1, 2005 12:53 AM

The Official George & Ira Gershwin Web Site
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posted by Gyan (7 comments total)

Gershwin! Hooray! But what about Oscar?
posted by TwelveTwo at 12:54 AM on September 1, 2005

Nice post. I love RiB far more than I think I ought to, or perhaps it deserves. But, what the hell.
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 3:23 AM on September 1, 2005

Ethereal Bligh -- What's RiB?
This site is beee-you-tee-full to look at and listen to. Who has gone to the great expense and effort of putting it up? What kind of profit do they get from it?

What are the odds that a magnificent composer like George Gershwin would happen to happen to be born into the same family with a brother who was also a more-than-adequate to inspired lyricist? This is the true miracle of the Gershwins. Clap a yo' hands!
posted by Faze at 7:35 AM on September 1, 2005

RiB = Rhaphsody in Blue
posted by FYKshun at 8:14 AM on September 1, 2005

Jesus... s/b Rhapsody
posted by FYKshun at 8:15 AM on September 1, 2005

A Moe once said to Larry: "I'll give you a rhapsody on the kisser" (BAM!). Here's the big Gershwin controversy as I see it: apparently, the guy didn't do his own orchestrations. So something like RiB owes quite a bit to it arranger. How much, however, is the question. The same may be asked of "Porgy and Bess."
posted by Faze at 9:12 AM on September 1, 2005

Faze: the guy didn't do his own orchestrations

Here's something from Wikipedia:

The Concerto in F shows considerable development in Gershwin's compositional technique namely because he orchestrated the entire work himself, unlike the Rhapsody in Blue which was done by Fred Grofé, the orchestrater for Paul Whiteman's orchestra. The English composer William Walton commented that he adored Gershwin's orchestration of the concerto, he himself being a famous orchestrator.

Gershwin was still learning. Remember, he wasn't even 40 when he died.
posted by pracowity at 9:18 AM on September 1, 2005