Extended Essay

Subject: Music
What are the elements/characteristics of European Classical music and how has it
affected the Jazz components in George Gershwins Rhapsody in Blue?
1
Abstract:
Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin is a piece of quasi-classical music. Implying
that a seemingly pure piece of jazz music is also strongly and heavily inuenced by
European Classical music.
What are the elements/characteristics of European Classical music and how
has it affected the Jazz components in George Gershwins Rhapsody in Blue?.
This essays investigates the inuences of European classical music on George
Gershwins Rhapsody in Blue. Inuences from his earlier years, people whom he
interacted with, and his environment have all been taken into account. This essay also
attempts to dene and highlight the characteristics of European Classical music within the
piece. I also take these characteristics of European Classical music and compare them to
the history of European Classical music to dene the origin of where the characteristic
originated from. This is done so by analyzing both the theoretical composition of Rhapsody
in Blue as well as both the modern and rst time recording of the respected piece. My
research has uncovered the European Classical inuences on Rhapsody in Blue, and I
have found that the quality of music has been enhanced with the addition of Classical
elements. However, I believe that it is still important to keep part of Gershwins spirit of
Jazz and improvisation alive in todays performances.
This essay mainly contains information retrieved from secondary sources, however
I have included some primary sources of information. I interviewed a conductor who
conducted the Rhapsody in Blue and asked for his opinions and views on the
characteristics of the European Classical inuence on this piece. I also conducted surveys
amongst Music students and non-Music students looking for response of a similar matter
1
.
(279 words)
2
1
I have attempted to contact professors on George Gershwin to gain more insight on the composers life
however this has been unsuccessful.
Table of Contents:
.............................................................................................. Introduction 4
................................................................................................. Chapter 1 6
................................................................................................. Chapter 2 8
....................................................................................... 2.1 Structure 8
........................................................................... 2.2 Instrumentation 10
................................................................................. 2.3 Sequencing 12
..................................................................................... 2.4 Harmony 13
......................................................................................... 2.6 Tempo 13
............................................................................................... Chapter 3 15
............................................................................................. Conclusion 17
............................................................................................... Appendix 18
..................... Appendix I: Pages referred to from Rhapsody in Blue 18
.......................... Appendix II: Page referred to from Prelude No. 17 21
....... Appendix III: Page referred to from Ravels piano concert no.1 22
.... Appendix IV: Rhapsody in Blue pre/post-listening Questionnaire 23
........................................................................................... Bibliography 24
3
Introduction
Through the evolution of music, the piano evolved with it. Starting out rst as a
harpsichord, and being developed through the centuries into the modern beautiful
instrument that it is. With the evolution of the piano, the music composed for the piano
couldnt help but evolve alongside it. The contrapuntal melodies of Bach and Vivaldi in the
Baroque period transformed after a century and a half into the famous Classical period. A
period in which a strict tempo was always kept and a dynamic range divided with no in-
betweens. A new brand of music formed with epitomizing composers such as Mozart,
Beethoven, and Haydn. Soon thereafter, the 19
th
century came along and swept away the
classical period, molding a new shape of expressive music: the works of the Romantic era.
However, after the Romantic era, the evolution of music starts blooming in all directions:
expressionism, impressionism, serialism, minimalism, Jazz, blues, and the list goes on
indenitely.
Personally being a pianist with a passion to play both European Classical music
and Jazz, and being a great admirer of George Gershwins music I was able to gain further
insight into Rhapsody in Blue through my practicing and playing of the piece. I chose to
investigate the European Classical inuences within this piece because the musical
elements contained in this piece are monumental. This piece combines the elements of
both European Classical music and jazzy. The fusion of the two musical styles can be
seen as an enormous step forward in the evolution of music. And being in the early 1900s,
new experimental types of music was not frowned upon, and when this piece did premiere
in 1924, it became one of the most popular pieces ever composed amongst a growing
audience for Jazz.
The methodology in which I will take to investigating this piece of music is to rstly
analyse the musical scoring of the piece to look for hidden details that indicate to a visual,
but less aural Classical element. I will also compare the original piano score to the
orchestrated version to see if there have been any modications on the piano score in the
orchestrated music. I will also personally assess two different recordings of Rhapsody in
Blue, a modern recording and a recording played by George Gershwin himself. Upon
listening, I will be analyzing the two recordings for traits that indicate Classically inuenced
Jazz motif or Jazz inuenced classical motif. To broaden m perspective towards this piece,
4
I will also create a questionnaire and conduct eld research by requesting a total of 20
randomly selected participants (those who study and do not study music). By carefully
reviewing their answers, I can then make a comparison between how this piece is viewed
as to how it actually is.
Rhapsody in Blue is a particularly exceptional piece of music, as it is recognized not
as only a Jazz piece, but a quasi-classical piece. Meaning that this piece is just as much
classically inuenced as Jazz inuenced and will contain characteristic traits of both styles
of music, albeit indistinctive. Due to the long history of European Classical music, I will limit
the investigation of its characteristics to just the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic eras.
Also, because the piano was designed to be a classical solo instrument, I will take into
account how the piece would sound differently if instead of a piano, a Jazz instrument
were to be replaced, such as a saxophone or trumpet.
The instrumentation of a piece is very important, although many concertos for other
instruments may actually have been originally composed on a piano then orchestrated, the
timbre and tone quality of the instrument would differ greatly. Thus, I will take a small
excerpt from the piece and transcribe it so that different instruments play the solo to
investigate how much of a classical music inuence the piano really has on the overall
classical quality of the piece.
First, I will be conducting an investigation into George Gershwins history in search
for classical inuences on Gershwin. In section 2, I will be studying the sheet music for
Rhapsody in Blue looking for telltale and hidden signs of European Classical traits. Next, I
will also be focusing on the aural side of the piece, while making reference to classical
characteristics mentioned in section 1. Section 2, I will include an analysis of the classical
traits previously mentioned in chapter 2 in both the original and todays recordings of the
piece. The aim of this is to see how the classical characteristics are viewed today and how
it is performed. I have also conducted a survey amongst musicians and non-musicians to
gather information on the perspective of how this piece is viewed. I believe that this will
allow me enough insight to make a sound conclusion on the effects of traditional Classical
music on Gershwins composition of Rhapsody in Blue.
5
Chapter 1
A study of George Gershwins background and how it may have inuenced
the way he composed his piece.
George Gershwin (1898 - 1937) had a childhood one may not expect coming from
such a famous prolic composer of Jazz. The son of non-musical russian immigrant
parents, George Gershwin began playing the piano at the age of 12 (1910). Soon after
picking up the piano, he started studying with Charles Hambitzer: a prominent pianist,
piano teacher, conductor, violinist, and cellist. Although not as well-known as George
Gershwin, Charles Hambitzer may be afliated with Gershwins success and inspiration for
his works. Gershwin once said: without Hambitzer, there would be no Gershwin.
2

Hambitzer taught Gershwin for 6 years, before Gershwins lessons ended and Hambitzer
passed away. Thus it is a reasonable assumption that much of Gershwins style can be
traced back to Hambitzer, although there are no existing recordings of Hambitzer that can
be used to establish links between Hambitzer and Gershwin.
Hambitzer introduced Gershwin to classical music and also taught him all of the
basics to European Classical music. Hambitzer also encouraged Gershwin to attend
orchestral concerts, gaining him more insight into European Classical music. Gershwin did
attend, but instead of just listening to the orchestral music, he would reproduce the music
he heard in the orchestra on the piano. This form of practice would have heavily
embedded distinctive European Classical musical traits in to both Gershwins playing and
future composing. . Hambitzer provided the European Classical avor within Gershwins
compositions, but his inspirations for composing did not end there. Gershwin also
absorbed music from African-American artists at the time, Jewish traditions, theatre music,
vaudevilles, and more music from miscellaneous ethnic communities from varied parts of
New York city. Gershwin was unable to nish high-school, dropped out and began working
on the Tin Pan Alley as a song-plugger
3
for Jerome H. Remick. Gershwin would perform
Remicks published music every day, slowly infusing his music with Gershwins taste for
music and his composed works later on in life. Gershwin rst became known through the
6
2
http://www.hatii.arts.gla.ac.uk/MultimediaStudentProjects/98-99/9606017b/project/html/glossary/hamb.htm
3
Song-pluggers were pianists employed by music stores (in this case, Tin Pan Alley) to promote new music.
being composed and published. to patrons. In this manner, Patrons would be able to hear a preview of the
song before making the purchase.
song Swannee. Soon afterwards, Rialto Ripples became Gershwins rst biggest
composition that he worked on with Remick. However, soon after this piece was published,
he left Tin Pan Alley and started working for the Aeolian Company and Standard Music
Rolls in New York. He recorded, and (re)arranging pieces. He recorded songs prolically,
producing hundreds of recordings. He also started recording some of his own
compositions. Not only did he start composing, he also - for a brief period of time - went
into vaudeville and accompanied Nora Bayes and Louise Dresser on the piano both
famous singers in vaudeville. His collaboration with lyricist Buddy DeSylva gave birth to
the famous Porgy and Bess.
Gershwin had ties and relations with almost all artists in music genres available in
New York. His job working as a performer and piano recorder gained him access into
every kind of music that was being published. Gershwin picked up inspiration, knowledge,
and experience on all music occurring in New York. His prolic gains in insight to a new
era of music was invincible. He continued his composing through the years until in 1924,
he came up with Rhapsody in Blue, Gershwins rst major classical work. The nal fusion
of Jazz music in his era with classical music created a signicant spark in his works. In his
pursuit of this new classical element of music, he travelled to Paris seeking tutor from
famous singers and other classical and 20
th
century composers such as Maurice Ravel.
However, they were obliged to turn down Gershwin because they were afraid an excess of
European Classical music would ruin Gershwins natural Jazz-inuenced style of writing
music.
The rejection of Gershwin into classical music society may have been benecial
because Gershwin continued on to compose his second most successful piece, An
American in Paris. However, it is arguable that the classical elements that Gershwin
attempted to include in this Jazz tone poem may have slightly ruined his writing of music.
And looking through Gershwins short history of musical experiences, it can be seen that
his composition of music contains elements of numerous successful Jazz artists in his
time. It can also be seen that Gershwins music after Rhapsody in Blue became a greatest
hit, started becoming more infused with classical traits of music. This may have been
deleterious as it started to change Gershwins original Jazz style of writing. However,
Gershwins musical history it seems, contains countless inuences from Jazz artists but
only few sources of European Classical music.
7
Chapter 2
A study of the theoretical composition of Rhapsody in Blue showing the
characteristics and inuences of European Classical music in Jazz
In this piece of Jazz music, to the lay listener, it would seem very blatantly obvious
that this piece is Jazz. However, there are many inuences of classical music hidden
beneath the surface and sound of this piece. Upon viewing this piece of music before
listening, there are a few signicant traits distinctive of European Classical music. The rst
is that George Gershwin wrote this piece of music for a standard classical orchestra with
typical instrumentation to that seen in the Romantic Era. The structure of this piece is also
written in a very similar style to that of a classical concerto a big orchestral opening
followed by the virtuoso pianist
4
. Also, the composing of dissonant harmony and then the
act of resolving it by means of a cadence.
2.1 Structure
European Classical music contains many different styles of structuring a piece of
music. For example, sonata form (A1-B-A2), binary form (A-B), and tertiary form (A1-B-A1)
5
.
Typical piano concertos from European Classical music often follows the the set format of
a Sonata form. Jazz on the other hand, has more freedom when it comes to structure.
Because improvisation is important in Jazz, the structure will often be as follows:
introduction of melody, improvisation on melody (with accompaniment if in an ensemble),
repeat introductory melody, further improvisation (often by another instrument), and so on.
In Rhapsody in Blue, a similar type of Sonata form is followed. However it is heavily
modied. Although a rhapsody is not a concerto, a rhapsody is an extended piece of music
with only one movement; it is similar to a condensed concerto. There are times in the
piece that indicate the start, end, or transition into or out of sections of a Sonata form
(exposition, development, recapitulation). However, Gershwin, in an attempt to fuse the
classical Sonata form within a piece of Jazz rhapsody, has changed the form and so it is
difcult to distinguish between the true beginnings and ends of the sections.
8
4
Comparable to Tchaikovskys Piano Concerto No.1 Movement 1
5
Sonata form is different to Tertiary form in that Sonata form is structured Exposition, Development, and
Recapitulation. Whereas Tertiary form is simply just A-B-A, a repeat with small variations of the A section.
This incorporation of the Sonata form within Rhapsody in Blue has allowed for this
grand piece of music an air of mystery. It has affected the Jazz components in a way that
listeners will hear a very structured form of music. It is necessary for all music to have a
structure, but upon completing a survey asking people of both musical and non-musical
talents, all answered with Classical structure when asked What style of music does the
structure of this piece sound like?
6
. However, I continued to ask whether they heard or
took notice of the European Classical nature of the structure of this piece before seeing
the question, they answered no. The survey conducted shows that although this piece has
has a very Jazzy appearance, it is still very classical at heart.
In terms of phrase structure, Gershwin also employs a technique called joint
phrases developed by Haydn. This technique is used when starting a phrase before a
previous phrase has ended. This technique may give the listener a feel of something being
unnished and imperfect. Joint phrasing also allows for variations of a theme or motif to be
sounded as if played on top of the original theme as Gershwin writes in gure 1.1.
By using a joint phrase with the main theme, Gershwin is creating a dissonant
sound with the overtone of the main theme after which it is played and the variation of it
(which is right after the main theme).
9
6
The survey can be found in Appendix D
2.2 Instrumentanon
Instrumentation is always a key aspect that can determine the genre of music. The
instrumentation determines the aural quality in which the music is played and heard. Jazz
music typically uses a band or ensemble instead of an orchestra. A Jazz band typically
consists of mainly brass instruments such as trumpets and trombones; and some
woodwind instruments, such as clarinets and saxophones. Occasionally a Jazz band will
employ the use of a double bass for its deep register and mellow tone. All these wind
instruments are then often accompanied by a drum kit to keep the pulse.
However, in Gershwins jazz ensemble, the wide range of instruments used in
Rhapsody in Blue does not indicate a group that plays jazz. Instead, upon viewing the
instrumentation of this piece, it resembles very clearly an orchestra from the Romantic era.
Below are gures 1.2 and 1.3, 1.2 is the instrumentation of Rhapsody in Blue, whereas
gure 1.3 is an image of the instrumentation of Ravels Piano Concerto in G
7
.
The similarity between the two is almost identical and can be immediately seen
(between the instruments used). In fact, if it was not known that gure 1.2 was from
Rhapsody in Blue, one might also argue that it was taken from a Romantic piano concerto
such as the example listed above, or even Tchaikovskys Piano Concerto No. 1.
The questionnaire also brought an interesting perspective on to this subject. The
majority of people who lled in the questionnaire said that the instrumentation sounded
very much like a Beethoven orchestra, just playing different series of notes at different
speeds to make this piece sound like jazz.
Thus, the broad choice of instrumentation for a Jazz Ensemble has allowed
Gershwin to create harmonies and textures beyond the reach of just simple Jazz band
instruments. The big Jazz orchestra fuses the mellow sounds of the lower strings, with
high pitched violins along with Bassoons, Flutes, and Oboes, and the large brass sounds
of Trombones, Trumpets, and Saxophones. And once rubato, and a dynamics range of pp
to ff is added, the piece transforms, creating a sound of jazz with a timbre of Classical
music.
10
7
Durand & Cie. Concerto pour Piano et Orchestra, Plate D. & F., Paris, 1932.
Fig. 1.2 Fig. 1.3
11
2.3 Sequenc|ng
The rst most obvious characteristic of this piece that has elements derived from
European Classical music is Gershwins heavy use of sequencing throughout this piece.
Sequencing is a direct repetition of typically, a motif or phrase. Sequences that follow the
original motif or phrase can be either modulated to be played in a different key; or if in an
orchestra, the motif or phrase can be given to a another instrumental section. But there are
some cases in which the sequence is given to another instrumental and modulated.
In gure 1.4, the main motif of a sequence is introduced by the trombones then
sequenced 2 bars ahead in gure 1.5 with a modulation from the original B
b
major to E
b

major. However, the third time he sequences this motif, Gershwin both transposes and
modulates it as shown in gure 1.6. Figure 1.6 shows the transposition of the motif to the
French Horns and a modulation from the original motif. The use of sequencing in the
Orchestra in Rhapsody in Blue is typical to music composed in both the Baroque and
Classical eras of music by composers such as Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven
8
.
More use of sequencing can be found repeatedly throughout this entire piece.
Gershwin uses the technique of sequencing to create a Jazz sounding style of music.
However, it is the most used technique in the Baroque era, and it was perfected in that era
by Bach. Figure 1.7
9
is a typical sequence used by Bach:
12
8
Beethovens 5
th
Symphony 1
st
movement contains many sequences of the main motif heard at the
beginning of the piece.
9
Breitkopf & Hrtel. Prelude No. 17 in A
b
Major, BWV 862, 1886 Bach-Gesellschaft Ausgabe.
http://imslp.info/les/imglnks/usimg/a/a0/IMSLP02222-BWV0862.pdf
By heavily employing the technique of sequencing throughout Rhapsody in Blue,
Gershwin has terraced the melodies, themes, motifs, and phrases thoroughly. By doing so,
he created a strong dissonant sound almost consistently throughout the whole piece.
Gershwin has taken advantage of a traditional technique for creating heterophonic, and
polyphonic textures and used it to create polyphonic dissonant textures.
2.4 narmony
One big characteristic of classical music is hidden within the harmonic structure of
this piece. In the introduction of this piece recursive key changes occur rapidly from tonic
to dominant, but only reversed (thus, dominant to tonic): B
b
, E
b
, A
b
, D
b
, G
b
, B, E, and A
major. This pattern is also the circle of fths, a distinct element of classical music. Not only
that, the keys in which this introduction progresses are the progressive keys in which each
progressive key gains one more key signature. From this, the classical characteristic is
revealed; a dominant to tonic key change is just like a perfect cadence. Thus, instead of
modulating from tonic key to the dominant key, he does the opposite, creating a jazzy
sound.
This use of harmony adds much to the sound of the piece overall, because the
sound created by reversing otherwise traditional chord sequences, the sound is also
reversed, more dissonance is created through resolving chords in an reversed manner.
Thus, giving it the proper Jazz sound it deserves.
2.6 1empo
Tempo, as is widely known, is a signicant aspect of Jazz music that must be strictly
controlled if Jazz music is to be danced to (as it often is). However, in the writing of
Rhapsody in Blue, Gershwin refers to many different tempo markings such as
Scherzando, Piu Mosso, and Con Moto. Typically, Jazz music uses English words to
describe the tempo such as Swing, Light Rock, Shufe, and so on. But Gershwin uses
traditional European Classical tempo markings showing that he wants this piece to be
played in a style similar to that of the European Classical music eras. However, Gershwin
does also resort to the use of simply writing down tempo and performance instructions in
plain English.
13
Figure 1.8 shows just three examples of traditional tempo markings that Gershwin
used in Rhapsody in Blue. Apart from traditional tempo markings, he also uses tempo
directions, and even performance directions such as those shown in gure 1.9:
Gershwin even uses both traditional and modern markings at the same time to enhance
the players performance (gure 1.10):
Gershwin intelligently combines his knowledge of both Jazz music and European
Classical music to create his most desired effect in Rhapsody in Blue. This allows the
Rhapsody in Blue to become a piece of music that can be played in the most versatile of
manners; open even more to be bent according to the musician(s). Without the use of
traditional markings and directions, it is possible that much of the harmony that can be
heard in todays performance of Rhapsody in Blue would not be heard.
Fig 1.8
Fig 1.9
Fig 1.10
14
Chapter 3
A comparison and contrast of two recordings of Rhapsody in Blue, played by
George Gershwin and Bernstein
After thorough listening to both recordings, the most noticeable difference is the
tempo. As stated in the previous chapter, subheading Tempo, the tempo of Jazz music
must be precise. However, George Gershwin shows complete disregard for this and both
composes and performs this piece with widely varying tempos.
Furthermore, the use of rubato is taken to its extremities in this piece, not heard of
in Jazz music, but indeed heard of in music originating from the Romantic era from
composers such as Chopin, Tchaikovsky, and Brahms. Furthermore, Bernsteins recording
includes more traditional techniques regarding tempo than the original recording played by
Gershwin such as subito accelerando and decelerando. Taking this into account,
Gershwins recording is slightly shorter than Bernsteins. This is due to how Gershwin
played the piece at a generally faster tempo.
Dynamics have also been dramatized. The addition of more crescendos and
decrescendos in todays performances have arguably added more taste to the piece.
However, I stand that the way George Gershwin played it in his rst few recordings should
be the legacy that the Rhapsody in Blue needs to leave.
Not only are the dynamics different, but the extent of the use of extended
instrumental techniques on the instruments are also much more complicated in the original
recording. The clarinet soloist at the beginning uses an effect created by releasing on the
reeds before the note is nished playing thus creating a duck like sound (as shown in
gure 2.1).
The original recording seems much more Classical than the modern recording. This
may be because peoples perception that Rhapsody in Blue needs to be strictly a Jazz
piece has made them transform the way it is performed. The extra addition of rubato, and
Fig 2.1
15
even further dramatic use of dynamics have arguably enhanced the performance of this
piece. The most likely reason for this is most likely because some parts of Gershwins rst
performances of said piece were improvised.
Finally, from listening to the two recordings, my knowledge and familiarity with the
history of European Classical music has lead me to believe that Bernsteins performance
style of the Rhapsody in Blue can be directly attributed to the inuences of European
Classical music, especially the Romantic Era. Thus, I believe that through the evolution of
music, Rhapsody in Blue has also changed due to the different styles of existing music
and peoples natural attraction to conform.
16
Conclusion
Research question: What are the elements/characteristics of European Classical
music and how has it affected the Jazz components in George Gershwins
Rhapsody in Blue?
This essay has covered what the elements of European Classical music in
Rhapsody in Blue are, and how the elements have affected the Jazz components within
this piece. And upon thorough analysis of Rhapsody in Blue, many European Classical
traits of music have been identied. These characteristics of a traditional form of music
have moulded with the Jazz in this piece, making it distinctly quasi-classical.
Even though Gershwin intended the Rhapsody in Blue to be semi-classical, today, it
has transformed into a Romantic-Jazz piece of music. Because in Gershwins original
performances, he improvised, I believe that no matter the inuences of music over time,
the avor of the piece should remain somewhat improvised. However, I am not criticizing
Bernsteins performance, he has played the piece brilliantly. My belief is that every
performance of Rhapsody in Blue should include improvisational sections as it is a fusion
of Classical and Jazz. However, it may become questionable now, whether the Rhapsody
in Blue should or should not be played in a manner that is distinctive of Classical music.
In conclusion, my stand is that the European Classical music inuences have
allowed and strongly inuenced Gershwin to compose Rhapsody in Blue with a structure,
texture, and instrumentation new to the Jazz generation. Although interpretations of this
work will always be changing, the spirit of Gershwin lives in this piece through the intricate
details of sound.
17
Appendix
Append|x I: ages referred to from khapsody |n 8|ue
(Pages I referred to in my essay):
18
19
20
Append|x II: age referred to from re|ude No. 17
(Pages I referred to in my essay)
21
Append|x III: age referred to from kave|'s p|ano concert no.1
(Pages I referred to in my essay):
22
Append|x IV: khapsody |n 8|ue pre]post-||sten|ng uesnonna|re
Pre-listening questionnaire:
1. Do you know George Gershwin? If so do you know George Gershwins Rhapsody in
Blue?
2. Do you know what a Rhapsody is? If so, what?
3. What period of the Western Classical music do you think this piece best ts into?
a. Baroque (Composers such as Bach, Vivaldi, and Monteverdi)
b. Classical (Composers such as Beethoven, Mozart, and Haydn)
c. Romantic (Composers such as Chopin, Tchaikovsky, and Brahms)
d. 20th Century (Composers such as Schoenberg, Rachmaninoff, and Scott Joplin)
[Includes expressionists, serialism, minimalism, jazz, blues, etc.]
Post-listening questionnaire:
1. If you answered No to question 1 of the Pre-concert questionnaire: Does the tune of
Rhapsody in Blue sound familiar?
2. If you answered No to question 2 of the Pre-concert questionnaire, please take a
guess to what a Rhapsody is after hearing the piece.
3. Upon hearing Rhapsody in Blue, what period of the Western Classical music do you
now think this piece best t into?
a. Baroque (Composers such as Bach, Vivaldi, and Monteverdi)
b. Classical (Composers such as Beethoven, Mozart, and Haydn)
c. Romantic (Composers such as Chopin, Tchaikovsky, and Brahms)
d. 20
th
Century (Composers such as Schoenberg, Rachmanino!, and Scott
Joplin) [Includes expressionists, serialism, minimalism, jazz, blues, etc.]
4. State something interesting about the instrumentation of this piece.
5. Do you hear any classical elements/characteristics of music in this piece? If so, what?
6. [For music students only] Can you relate this piece/composer to any other piece/
composer?
23
Bibliography
Websites:
Gutmann, Peter. George Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue. 2003. <http://
www.classicalnotes.net/classics/gershwin.html>, retrieved Friday 2
nd
September 2011.
Naughtin, Matthew. Rhapsody in Blue. 2002. <http://www.mattnaughtin.com/Gershwin-
RhapsodyinBlue.pdf>, retrieved Monday 22
nd
August 2011.
Rhapsody in Blue ~ George Gershwin. Updated 19 Nov 2006. <http://uniqhorns.com/
rhapsody.html>, retrieved Monday 22
nd
August 2011.
Wikipedia. George Gershwin Updated on 16
th
October 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/George_Gershwin>, retrieved 21
st
September 2011.
Wikipedia. Jerome H. Remick. Updated on 8
th
October 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/Jerome_H._Remick>, retrieved 21
st
September 2011.
Wikipedia. Song-plugger. Updated on 14
th
August 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Song-plugger>, retrieved 21
st
September 2011.
Scores:
Durand & Cie. Concerto pour Piano et Orchestra, Plate D. & F., Paris, 1932. Retrieved 3
rd

October.
Prelude & Fugue in A
b
Major <http://imslp.info/les/imglnks/usimg/a/a0/IMSLP02222-
BWV0862.pdf> retrieved 3
rd
October 2011.
Books:
Burrows, John. Classical Music, Dorling Kindersley Limited, London, 2005.
Goldberg, Isaac. Tin Pan Alley: A Chronicle of the American Popular Music Racket, The
John Day Company, 1930.
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Pollack, Howard. George Gershwin: His Life and Work, University of California Press,
California, 2006.
CDs, MP3s, Video recordings:
Gershwin plays Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue [Video]. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=1U40xBSz6Dc> retrieved 26
th
September 2011.
GERSWHIN, G.: Jazz Music (Paul Whiteman's Gerswhin) (Paul Whiteman Orchestra)
(1921-1945), Naxos, RX 124-125 (1924). Track 08: Rhapsody in Blue
George Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue, Bernstein Century: Gershwin (1997), Track 01:
Rhapsody in Blue
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