Table of Contents
Introduction xv
Part I Composer to the Fore
1 The Gershwins: Morris and Rose and Family 3
2 A Piano in the House, and Elsewhere 10
3 A Songwriter Emerges (1917-18) 27
4 From Syracuse to New York (1918-19) 42
5 Society, the Music Business, and George White's Scandals (1920) 57
6 "Arthur Francis" and Edward Kilenyi 68
7 Songwriter and Composer (1922) 79
8 Americans in London (1922-23) 94
9 A Recital and an Experiment (1923-24) 111
10 Rhapsody in Blue (1924) 122
Part II Ira Comes Aboard
11 Enter Ira (1924) 135
12 A Year in the Life, Part I (1924-25) 150
13 A Year in the Life, Part II (Concerto in F) 161
14 A Year in the Life, Part III 172
15 In Arenas Old and New (1926) 184
16 Ob, Kay! (1926) 198
17 Ups and Downs: Kaufman on the Scene (1927) 209
18 From Aarons to Ziegfeld (1927) 223
19 Americans in Europe (1928) 238
20 Back in the U.S.A.: An American in Paris (1928) 254
21 In Midcareer (1929) 267
22 A Breakup and a Redo (1929-30) 277
23 Boyfriend, Songwriter, Musical Citizen 288
24 Girl Crazy (1930) 305
25 Hollywood and the Second Rhapsody (1930-31) 318
26 Of Thee I Sing (1931) 331
27 More Downs and Ups and Downs (1932) 343
28 The Last Musical Comedy (1933) 358
Part III Composer in Charge
29 A Turn in the Road (1933-34) 367
30 Musk by Gershwin and Porgy and Bess, Act I (1935-36) 383
31 Porgy and Bess, Act II 396
32 Porgy and Bess, Act III 409
33 Performing Porgy and Bess 420
34 Judging Porgy and Bess 433
35 Composer of Porgy and Bess 443
36 Hollywood Songwriter I: Shall We Dance (1936-37) 451
37 Hollywood Songwriter II: A Damsel in Distress (1937) 468
38 Gonna Rise Up Singing 480
Acknowledgments 501
Notes 507
Lyric Credits 563
Index 565