06/17/2019

George Gershwin, the maestro of the American Songbook, comes across as a serious composer who fused jazz and classical music in this admiring but bloodless biography. University of Michigan musicologist Crawford (America’s Musical Life) follows Gershwin (1898–1937) and his rise in the ferment of early 20th century popular music from hawking tunes in New York’s Tin Pan Alley to writing songs for Broadway and Hollywood musicals, including standards such as “Swanee,” “I Got Rhythm,” and “Someone to Watch Over Me.” He foregrounds Gershwin’s long-form symphonic jazz, including the “Rhapsody in Blue,” the folk opera Porgy and Bess, and the “Concerto in F”; these pieces, Crawford shows, made Gershwin’s reputation as a pioneer of a novel American blues-inflected classical style—they occasionally appeared alongside Beethoven in concert programs—and absorbed much of his time and ambition. Drawing heavily on Gershwin’s letters, the author narrates the whorl of song-writing, rehearsals, parties, and concertizing that was his life, but there’s little drama in the story—barely even a love interest—and Gershwin feels like a sunny, busy, and talented man without depth. Crawford discusses Gershwin’s oeuvre in detail, but the musicological analysis—“Gershwin’s scheme balanced tonal stability with tonal freedom in a proportion that proved ideal for a thirty-two-bar aaba structure”—doesn’t sing. The result is an informative but humdrum take on Gershwin’s music. Photos. (Sept.)

"An engaging focus on the music, scrupulously covering all the musical comedies in detail as well as the classical compositions and film work. [Crawford] effectively interweaves what was happening in Gershwin's personal life into the story of the songs and shows, rather than the other way around....A worthy tribute to Gershwin's phenomenal creativity over only two decades."

"Richard Crawford’s book on Gershwin’s life and music, elegant and authoritative, is an irresistible match: one of the great historians of American music writing about one of the greatest American composers. Every chapter is filled with deep knowledge and insight, written with charm and captivating prose."

"Crawford’s Summertime gives as close a glimpse of [Gershwin’s] productivity as can be imagined."

"Balancing massively rich research with detailed yet always lucid analysis and a master’s knack for storytelling, Crawford… makes Gershwin and his music both come alive afresh."

2019-06-23
How popular music of the 1920s and '30s was indelibly influenced by one composer.

Musicologist Crawford (Emeritus, Music/University of Mich.; America's Musical Life: A History, 2001, etc.) adds to the burgeoning number of biographies about composer and pianist George Gershwin (1898-1937) with what he calls "an academic scholar's account of Gershwin's life in music during the composer's own time." Drawing on previous studies as well as archival material, the author traces Gershwin's musical development, analyzes technical qualities of his compositions, and highlights his critical reception. He is less interested in examining Gershwin's personal life, character, friendships, and romantic relationships, and he barely glances at events beyond the theater and concert hall. Despite this narrow perspective, however, the author offers an engaging chronicle of a brilliant musician. The list of his compositions is stunning: Rhapsody in Blue; An American in Paris, and the folk opera Porgy and Bess as well as songs that include the memorable "I Got Rhythm," "The Man I Love," "Someone To Watch Over Me," "Swanee," and "But Not for Me." More than his contemporaries, Gershwin embraced the verve, melodies, and rhythm of jazz and blues. Together with his lyricist brother Ira, he became a major force in musical theater, creating shows featuring a famed roster of performers, notably Fred Astaire and Astaire's sister Adele. "I do not know whether Gershwin was born into this world to write rhythms for Fred Astaire's feet or whether Astaire was born into this world to show how the Gershwin music should really be danced," the critic Alexander Woollcott observed, but the match was sensational. Although Crawford describes Gershwin as gregarious, and although he was linked romantically with many women, he was emotionally reticent. "He didn't understand why he couldn't get out of life what he wanted, which was a companion," his sister once commented. Crawford is reticent, too, about analyzing his subject's needs and desires, merely paraphrasing one possibly revealing letter that Gershwin wrote to his psychoanalyst. While not delving deeply into his subject's heart, he provides a thorough analysis of his talent.

A warm homage to a central figure in American music and theater.