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CHILDHOOD AND BIRTH

• George was named after his grandfather George Gershwin
• He is from Brooklyn NY
• Son of two Russian-Jewish immigrants
• Began to play music at 11 after his family bought a second hand piano for his brother
• His siblings names were Ira, Frances, Arthur
• George was also a very smart child

EARLY ADULTHOOD

• Dropped out of school at 15
• Played at New York night clubs as a song plugger
• After 3 years he became a advanced piano player

TEACHERS AND MENTORS

• He studied under Charles hambitzer until he died
• Some other teachers are Henry Cowell, Wallingford Riegger, Edward Kilenyi

FIRST COMPOSITIONS

• His first song was When you want em you can’t get em, when you have em you don’t want em, which earned him fifty cents.
• He also wrote Swanee, Someone to Watch Over Me and Summertime around this time period

FIRST MAJOR HITS

• George wrote Rhapsody Blues which was premeried by Paul Whitmans Concert Band, in New York and also was orchestrated by Ferde Grofe.
• George also wrote Summertime as part of Porgy and Bess, soon after

LIFE OTHER THAN MUSIC

• George moved to Hollywood after the commercial failure of Porgy and Bess.
• George had no kids and had no wife, but he had a girlfriend, Kay Swift

DEATH

• George Gershwin died from a brain tumor in July 11 1937
• He is buried in Westchester Hills Cemetery
• And thousands attended George’s funeral.

I’VE GOT RHYTHM

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPRiM5JvYx8
• He wrote this song in 1930
• This song has also been remastered many times more and has been featured in movies

SUMMERTIME

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixdJLXDT_QM

EMBRACEABLE YOU

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9f8qPL3pJHA

FUN FACTS

• Sometimes George wrote 6 operas a day
• George became an excellent painter

SOURCES

• Biography.com
• Wikipedia
• YouTube