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Any Gershwin fan can tell you that Rhapsody in Blue is the composer’s most famous piece. But why is this piece so famous? What was the reason for its creation? Read this article to find out all about Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue.
Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue was first played in 1924, at New York’s Aeolian Hall. It was considered an “experiment in modern music” by the composer. The reason for this is that jazz was not typically considered fit for the classical stage. Gershwin’s experiment was a landmark event, for it opened the door for jazz to enter the realm of concerts, recitals and even opera. During this first performance of Rhapsody in Blue, the audience roared approval after listening to the swooping clarinet line that begins the piece. Most critics rated it a first-class achievement. But how did its performance and creation come about? Read on.
Gershwin was a famous composer by the age of sixteen. The works he created both in and out of school were innovative and engaging. In 1923, a famous bandleader, Paul Whiteman, asked Gershwin to write a jazz piece for the band. Upon Gershwin’s approval, Whiteman placed an ad in the New York Tribune that announced that the young composer was creating a jazz concerto for a night termed “An Experiment in Modern Music.” Although he was consumed with Broadway commitments and overbooked to appear in Europe, Gershwin created the piece and handed it to Whiteman’s assistant, Ferde Grofe. Grofe orchestrated the piece, and Gershwin appeared in 1924 to play the piece itself in front of Rachmaninoff, Heifetz, several hundred critics, and a packed house. It was a resounding success. It earned the composer a fourth of a million dollars, and he toured America.
There was a small amount of criticism on several points. First, critics complained about the composer paying his own work, stating that his exposure to it may have allowed him to embody music that was otherwise bereft of expression.
Several critics had problems with the fact that his orchestration was completed by Grofe, and questioned Gershwin’s ability as a composer. Many or the critics that did not like the piece (there were few) noted the lack of an episodic nature in harmony and musical themes. Rhapsody in Blue was stated by several as having “stale, inexpressive harmonic structure.” While these critics were loud, they were few and far between. Every performance has a few that are not impressed, and in this case, they were shouted down by those in favor of the piece: virtually the rest of the critics and audience. Gershwin took no comments to heart, preferring instead to keep making his revolutionary way through music.
Gershwin went on to create more wonderful works after Rhapsody, not the least of which were Porgy and Bess, An American in Paris, Concerto in F and The Second Rhapsody. His works were characterized by the cleverness of their musical harmonies, the brightness of their rhythm and the quality of heir orchestral color.
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