Rhapsody in Blue
Rhapsody in Blue is a 1924 musical composition written by George Gershwin for solo piano and jazz band, which combines elements of classical music with jazz-influenced effects. Commissioned by bandleader Paul Whiteman, the work premiered in a concert titled "An Experiment in Modern Music" on February 12, 1924, in Aeolian Hall, New York City.[2][3] Whiteman's band performed the rhapsody with Gershwin playing the piano.[4] Whiteman's arranger Ferde Grofé orchestrated the rhapsody several times including the 1924 original scoring, the 1926 pit orchestra scoring, and the 1942 symphonic scoring.
For other uses, see Rhapsody in Blue (disambiguation).Rhapsody in Blue
January 1924
June 12, 1924 Harms, Inc.[1]
February 12, 1924
Aeolian Hall, New York City, US
- George Gershwin (piano)
- Ross Gorman (clarinet)
- Ferde Grofé (orchestrator)
The rhapsody is one of Gershwin's most recognizable creations and a key composition that defined the Jazz Age.[5][6][7] Gershwin's piece inaugurated a new era in America's musical history,[8] established his reputation as an eminent composer and became one of the most popular of all concert works.[9] In the American Heritage magazine, Frederic D. Schwarz posits that the famous opening clarinet glissando has become as instantly recognizable to concert audiences as the opening of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony.[10]
Preservation status[edit]
On September 22, 2013, the Gershwin estate announced that a musicological critical edition of the full orchestral score will be eventually released. The Gershwin family, working in conjunction with the Library of Congress and the University of Michigan, are working to make these scores available to the public.[126][127] Though the entire Gershwin project may take 40 years to complete, the Rhapsody in Blue edition will be an early volume.[128][129]
Rhapsody in Blue entered the public domain on January 1, 2020, although individual recordings of it may remain under copyright.[130][131]