- List of compositions by George Gershwin
This is a list of compositions by
George Gershwin . During his short life of thirty-nine years, George Gershwin was both asongwriter for Broadway and a classicalcomposer . He composedsongs , stage works, concert works both with and withoutpiano solo,film music and even anopera . His works are grouped thematically in this list, and in chronological order according to the dates of compositions in the same group.Classical works
"Note: All orchestral/operatic pieces are orchestrated by Gershwin unless otherwise specified."
*"Tango" (1915), for solo piano. Written when he was 15.
*"Lullaby " (1919), a meditative piece forstring quartet . Originally, a class assignment from hismusic theory teacher.
*"Blue Monday", a one-act opera featured in "George White's Scandals of 1922" at the Globe Theatre,Paul Whiteman conducting, orchestrated byWill Vodery .
**A Suite from "Blue Monday" for two pianos was later arranged and has been recorded.
**Reorchestrated byFerde Grofé and retitled "135th Street" in 1925 for a performance atCarnegie Hall .
*"Rhapsody in Blue ", (1924), his most famous work, a symphonic jazz composition for Paul Whiteman'sjazz band & piano, premiered atAeolian Hall , better known in the form orchestrated for full symphonic orchestra byFerde Grofé . Featured in numerous films and commercials.
*"Short Story ", (1925), for violin and piano, an arrangement of two other short pieces originally intended to be included with theThree Preludes . Premiered by Samuel Dushkin at TheUniversity Club of New York in New York City.
*"Concerto in F", (1925), three movements, for piano and orchestra, premiered inCarnegie Hall by theNew York Symphony Orchestra ,Walter Damrosch conducting.
*"Three Preludes ", (1926), for piano, first performed by Gershwin at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City.
*"An American in Paris " (1928), a symphonic poem with elements of jazz and realistic Parisian sound effects, premiered inCarnegie Hall by theNew York Philharmonic ,Walter Damrosch conducting.
*"Second Rhapsody " (1931), for piano and orchestra, based on the score for a musical sequence from the film "Delicious". Working title for the work was "Rhapsody in Rivets". Premiered at the Boston Symphony Hall by theBoston Symphony Orchestra ,Serge Koussevitzky conducting.
*"Cuban Overture " (1932), originally titled "Rumba", a tone poem featuring elements of nativeCuba n dance and folk music; score specifies usage of native Cuban instruments, premiered at theLewisohn Stadium of theCity University of New York , Gershwin conducting.
*"Piano Transcriptions of Eight Songs" (1932)
*"Variations on "I Got Rhythm" " (1934), a set of interesting variations on his famous song, for piano and orchestra. Premiered at theBoston Symphony Hall by the Leo Reisman Orchestra, conducted by Charles Previn.
** Includes a waltz, an atonal fugue, and experimentation with Asian and jazz influences
*"Porgy and Bess ", a folkopera (1935) (from the book byDuBose Heyward ) about African-American life, now considered a definitive work of the Americantheater , premiered at the Alvin Theatre,Alexander Smallens conducting.
** Contains the famousaria "Summertime", in addition to hits like "I Got Plenty o' Nuttin'" and "It Ain't Necessarily So".
**Porgy and Bess has also been heard in the concert hall, mostly in two orchestral suites, one by Gershwin himself entitledCatfish Row ; another suite byRobert Russell Bennett , is also relatively popular.
*"Walking the Dog", (1937), a humorous piece for orchestra featuring the clarinet. Originally a musical sequence entitled "Promenade" from the movie "Shall We Dance" for piano andchamber orchestra .
** Many other incidental sequences from "Shall We Dance" were composed and (for the most part) orchestrated by Gershwin, among them: "Waltz of the Red Balloons" and a final extended 8-minute orchestral passage based on the title song with an intruiging coda hinting at Gershwin forging a new musical path. It is unknown why any of these compositions have not seen the light of day in the concert hall.
** Most of the musicals Gershwin wrote are also known for their instrumental music, among them the March fromStrike Up The Band andovertures to many of his later shows.
*"Impromptu in Two Keys ", published posthumously in (1973), for piano
*"Two Waltzes in C ", published posthumously in (1975), for piano
**Originally a two-piano interlude in "Pardon My English" on Broadway.Musical theater credits
"Note: All works are musicals produced on Broadway unless specified otherwise."
*1919 - "La La Lucille" (lyrics byArthur Jackson ,B. G. DeSylva andIrving Caesar )!
*1919 - "Morris Gest 's "Midnight Whirl" (lyrics byB. G. DeSylva and John Henry Mears)
*1919 - "Limehouse Nights" (lyrics byB. G. DeSylva and John Henry Mears)
*1920 - "Poppyland" (lyrics byB. G. DeSylva and John Henry Mears)
*1920 - "George White's Scandals of 1920" (lyrics by Arthur Jackson)
*1921 - "A Dangerous Maid" (lyrics by Ira Gershwin). Premiered inAtlantic City .
*1921 - "The Broadway Whirl" (co-composed withHarry Tierney , lyrics byBuddy DeSylva , Joseph McCarthy,Richard Carle andJohn Henry Mears
*1921 - "George White's Scandals of 1921" (lyrics by Arthur Jackson)
*1922 - "George White's Scandals of 1922" (lyrics byE. Ray Goetz ,Ira Gershwin andB. G. DeSylva )
**The premiere performance featured the one-act opera "Blue Monday" with libretto and lyrics byB. G. DeSylva , set in Harlem in a jazz idiom. However, after only one performance, the opera was withdrawn from the show. Gershwin also wrote seven other songs for the show.
*1922 - "Our Nell" (co-composed withWilliam Daly , lyrics co-written by Gershwin and Daly)
*1922 - "By and By" (lyrics by Brian Hooker)
*1923 - "Innocent Ingenue Baby" (co-composed withWilliam Daly , lyrics by Brian Hooker)
*1923 - "Walking Home with Angeline" (lyrics by Brian Hooker)
*1923 - "The Rainbow" (lyrics byClifford Grey and Brian Hooker). Premiered in London.
*1923 - "George White's Scandals of 1923" (lyrics byE. Ray Goetz ,B. G. DeSylva and Ballard MacDonald)
*1924 - "Sweet Little Devil" (lyrics by B. G. DeSylva)
*1924 - "George White's Scandals of 1924" (lyrics byB. G. DeSylva and Ballard MacDonald)
*1924 - "Primrose" (lyrics byDesmond Carter andIra Gershwin ). Premiered in London.
*1924 - "Lady, Be Good!" (lyrics byIra Gershwin )
*1925 - "Tell Me More!" (lyrics byIra Gershwin andB. G. DeSylva )
*1925 - "Tip-Toes" (lyrics by Ira Gershwin)
*1925 - "Song of the Flame" (operetta , lyrics byOtto Harbach andOscar Hammerstein II , and musical collaboration byHerbert Stothart )
*1926 - "Oh, Kay! " (lyrics by Ira Gershwin andHoward Dietz )
**Includes the famous song, "Someone to Watch Over Me "
**Revived in 1928 and 1990 (the latter with an all-Black cast)
*1927 - "Strike Up The Band " (lyrics by Ira Gershwin). Premiered inPhiladelphia .
**Revised and produced on Broadway in 1930
*1927 - "Funny Face" (lyrics by Ira Gershwin)
*1928 - "Rosalie" (lyrics by Ira Gershwin andP. G. Wodehouse , co-composed withSigmund Romberg )
*1928 - "Treasure Girl" (lyrics by Ira Gershwin)
*1929 - "Show Girl" (lyrics by Ira Gershwin andGus Kahn )
*1930 - "Girl Crazy " (lyrics by Ira Gershwin)
*1931 - "Of Thee I Sing " (lyrics by Ira Gershwin)
**Awarded thePulitzer Prize for Drama for 1932 and was the first musical to win that award, although only Ira Gershwin and the bookwriters were awarded the Prize and not George Gershwin
**Revived in 1933 and 1952
*1933 - "Pardon My English" (lyrics by Ira Gershwin)
*1933 - "Let 'Em Eat Cake " (lyrics by Ira Gershwin),sequel to "Of Thee I Sing "
*1935 - "Porgy and Bess " (lyrics by Ira Gershwin andDuBose Heyward )
**Revived on Broadway in 1942, 1943, 1953, 1976 (Houston Grand Opera winner of theTony Award for Most Innovative Revival of a Musical), and 1983Works featuring original Gershwin songs for shows by other composers
*1916 - "The Passing Show of 1916" - "The Making of a Girl" (co-composed with
Sigmund Romberg , lyrics byHarold Atteridge ); "My Runaway Girl" (lyrics byMurray Roth )
*1918 - "Hitchy-Koo of 1918" - "You-oo Just You" (lyrics byIrving Caesar )
*1918 - "Ladies First" - "The Real American Folk Song (is a Rag) " (lyrics byIra Gershwin ); "Some Wonderful Sort of Someone" (lyrics bySchuyler Greene )
*1918 - "Half-Past Eight" - "There's Magic in the Air" (lyrics byIra Gershwin ); "The Ten Commandments of Love", "Cupid" and "Hong Kong" (lyrics byEdward B. Perkins )
*1919 - "Good Morning, Judge" - "I Was So Young (You Were So Beautiful)" (lyrics byIrving Caesar andAlfred Bryan ); "There’s More to the Kiss than the X-X-X" (lyrics byIrving Caesar )
*1919 - "The Lady in Red" - "Some Wonderful Sort of Someone" (lyrics bySchyler Greene ); "Something about Love" (lyrics byLou Paley )
*1919 - "Capitol Revue" - "Come to the Moon" (lyrics byLou Paley andNed Wayburn ); "Swanee" (lyrics byIrving Caesar )
*1920 - "Dere Mabel" - "We’re Pals" (lyrics byIrving Caesar ), first performed inBaltimore ; "Back Home" and "I Don't Know Why (When I Dance with You)" (lyrics byIrving Caesar )
*1920 - "Ed Wynn 's Carnival" - "Oo, How I Love You To Be Loved by You" (lyrics byLou Paley )
*1920 - "The Sweetheart Shop" - "Waiting for the Sun to Come Out" (lyrics byIra Gershwin )
*1920 - "Sinbad" - "Swanee" (lyrics byIrving Caesar ). As performed byAl Jolson
*1920 - "Broadway Brevities of 1920" - "Lu Lu" and "Snowflakes" (lyrics byArthur Jackson ); "Spanish Love" (lyrics byIrving Caesar )
*1920 - "Piccadilly to Broadway" (songs unpublished)
*1921 - "Blue Eyes" (songs unpublished)
*1921 - "Selwyn's Snapshots of 1921" - "On the Brim of Her Old-Fashioned Bonnet", "The Baby Blues" and "Futuristic Melody" (lyrics byE. Ray Goetz , songs unpublished)
*1921 - "The Perfect Fool" - "My Log-Cabin Home" (lyrics byIrving Caesar andBuddy De Sylva ); "No One Else but that Girl of Mine" (lyrics byIrving Caesar )
*1922 - "The French Doll" - "Do It Again!" (lyrics byBuddy De Sylva )
*1922 - "For Goodness Sake" - "Someone" and "Tra-la-la" (lyrics byIra Gershwin )
*1922 - "Spice of 1922" - "The Yankee Doodle Blues" (lyrics byIrving Caesar andBuddy De Sylva )
*1922 - "The Dancing Girl" - "That American Boy of Mine" (lyrics byIrving Caesar )
*1923 - "Little Miss Bluebeard" - "I Won’t Say I Will, But I Won’t Say I Won’t" (lyrics byIra Gershwin andBuddy De Sylva )
*1923 - "Nifties of 1923" - "At Half-Past Seven" (lyrics byBuddy De Sylva ); "Nashville Nightingale" (lyrics byIrving Caesar )
*1926 - "Americana" - "That Lost Barber Shop Chord" (lyrics byIra Gershwin )
*1930 - "Nine-Fifteen Revue" - "Toddlin' Along" (lyrics byIra Gershwin )
*1936 - "The Show Is On" - "By Strauss" (lyrics byIra Gershwin ). Revived in 1937Works interpolating Gershwin songs posthumously
*1953 - "At Home With
Ethel Waters " - "Oh, Lady be Good! "
*1956 - "Mr. Wonderful", starringSammy Davis Jr.
*1967 - "I Got Rhythm " a hit single for pop vocal groupThe Happenings
*1983 - "My One And Only" - an adaptation of the music from "Funny Face"
*1986 - "Uptown...It's Hot!" - "Oh, Lady be Good! "
*1992 - "Crazy for You " - musical adapting George and Ira GershwinTin Pan Alley and Broadway songs
**Awarded theTony Award for Best Musical
*1999 - "The Gershwins' Fascinating Rhythm" -revue with songs by George and Ira Gershwin
*2001 - "George Gershwin Alone" - one-man play byHershey Felder , who portrayed Gershwin, incorporating "Swanee" from "Sinbad" (lyrics byIrving Caesar ), "Embraceable You " from "Girl Crazy " (lyrics byIra Gershwin ), "Someone to Watch Over Me " from "Oh, Kay! " (lyrics byIra Gershwin ), "Bess, You is My Woman Now" from "Porgy and Bess " (lyrics byDuBose Heyward andIra Gershwin ), "An American in Paris " and "Rhapsody in Blue ".
*2002 - "Elaine Stritch at Liberty" - "But Not For Me"
*2002 - "Back From Broadway" - one-time concert featuring songs by George GershwinMiscellaneous songs
*1916 - "When You Want ’Em, You Can’t Get ’Em (When You’ve Got ’Em, You Don’t Want ’Em)" (lyrics by Murray Roth)
*1917 - "Beautiful Bird" (lyrics byIra Gershwin andLou Paley )
*1917 - "When There's a Chance To Dance" (lyrics byIra Gershwin )
*1918 - "Gush-Gush-Gushing" (lyrics byIra Gershwin )
*1918 - "When the Armies Disband" (lyrics byIrving Caesar )
*1918 - "Good Little Tune" (lyrics byIrving Caesar )
*1919 - "The Love of a Wife" (lyrics byArthur Jackson andB. G. DeSylva )
*1919 - "O Land of Mine, America" (lyrics byMichael E. Rourke ). A national anthem submission for a "New York American " competition offering five thousand dollars to the winner. Gershwin received the lowest prize of fifty dollars.
*1920 - "Yan-Kee" (lyrics byIrving Caesar )
*1921 - "Phoebe" (lyrics byIra Gershwin andLou Paley )
*1921 - "Something Peculiar" (lyrics byIra Gershwin andLou Paley )
*1921 - "Dixie Rose" (lyrics byIrving Caesar andB. G. DeSylva )
*1921 - "In the Heart of a Geisha" (lyrics byFred Fisher )
*1921 - "Swanee Rose" (lyrics byIrving Caesar andB. G. DeSylva )
*1921 - "Tomale (I’m Hot for You)" (lyrics byB. G. DeSylva )
*c.1921 - "Molly-on-the-Shore" (lyrics byIra Gershwin )
*c.1921 - "Mischa, Yascha, Toscha, Sascha" (lyrics byIra Gershwin )
**This is Gershwin's only finished work based on aJewish theme, and the title is a reference to the first names of four Jewish-Russianviolinist s,Mischa Elman ,Jascha Heifetz ,Toscha Seidel andSascha Jacobsen .
*1922 - "The Flapper" (co-composed withWilliam Daly , lyrics byB. G. DeSylva )
*1925 - "Harlem River Chanty" and "It’s a great little world!" (lyrics byIra Gershwin , originally composed for "Tip-Toes" on Broadway but not used)
*1925 - "Murderous Monty (and Light-Fingered Jane)" (lyrics byDesmond Carter , composed for London production of "Tell Me More".)
*1926 - "I’d rather charleston" (lyrics byDesmond Carter , composed for London production of "Lady Be Good".)
*1928 - "Beautiful gypsy" and "Rosalie" (originally composed for "Rosalie" on Broadway, but not used)
*1929 - "Feeling Sentimental" (originally composed for "Show Girl" on Broadway, but not used)
*1929 - "In the Mandarin’s Orchid Garden"
*1932 - "You’ve got what gets me" (composed for the first film version of "Girl Crazy".
*1933 - "Till Then"
*1936 - "King of Swing" (lyrics byAl Stillman )
*1936 - "Strike up the band for U.C.L.A" (to the same music as the song "Strike Up The Band")
*1937 - "Hi-Ho!" (lyrics byIra Gershwin , originally composed for Shall We Dance, but not used)
*1938 - "Just Another Rhumba" (lyrics byIra Gershwin , originally composed for The Goldwyn Follies, but not used)
*1938 - "Dawn of a New Day"Musical film s*1923 - "The Sunshine Trail" - theme song of same title (lyrics by Ira Gershwin), as well as accompaniment music for
silent film
*1931 - "Delicious" (lyrics by Ira Gershwin)
*1937 - "Shall We Dance" (lyrics by Ira Gershwin)
*1937 - "A Damsel in Distress" (lyrics by Ira Gershwin)
*1938 - "Goldwyn Follies " (lyrics byIra Gershwin )
**Gershwin died during the filming.Vernon Duke completed and adapted Gerhwin's songs, and composed some additional ones.
*1947 - "The Shocking Miss Pilgrim " (Kay Swift adapted a number of unpublished Gershwin melodies andIra Gershwin wrote the lyrics.)
*1964 - "Kiss Me, Stupid " (adaptations of unpublished Gershwin songs with lyrics byIra Gershwin .)Commercial works on piano
*1917 - "Rialto Ripples" - A rag in collaboration with
Will Donaldson
*early 1920s - "Three-Quarter Blues (Irish Waltz)"
*1926 - "Swiss Miss" (arrangement of a song from "Lady Be Good")
*1928 - "Merry Andrew" (arrangement of a dance piece from "Rosalie")
*1932 - "George Gershwin’s Song-Book" (arrangements ofrefrain s from Gershwin songs)
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