George Gershwin - The Tragic End of a Musical Prodigy

George Gershwin - The Tragic End of a Musical Prodigy | Biographical Documentary

Рет қаралды 210,214

Ай бұрын

One of the best loved composers and songwriters of all time, George Gershwin had no interest in music as a boy. But when he was 10 his parents bought a piano for his older brother, and to everyone’s surprise, he was able to pick out tunes he had learned by following the keys on a neighbour’s pianola.
He dropped out of school at 15 to work as a song plugger, pounding out ditties for people buying sheet music, but within three years his songs were being included in Broadway musicals.
The rest is history, he achieved worldwide fame with his musical theatre, movie scores and genre crossing jazz inspired classical music. He was intelligent, charming, witty, he painted, kept himself fit and had no secret vices.
But at the age of 38 he started behaving erratically, had an absence attack when playing at a concert and hallucinations of the smell of burning rubber. Tragically his symptoms were dismissed as psychological, and he was dead within six months.
Finding Out More
Edward Jablonski's biography, Gershwin, despite being quite old now, is still the most thorough of the numerous Gershwin biographies. I have listed this on my Amazon Store Page. www.amazon.com/shop/professor...
Academic References
Bagatti, D. (2016). Music and medicine: the tragic case of Gershwin's brain tumor and the challenges of neurosurgery in the first half of the 20th century. World Neurosurgery, 85, 298-304.
Dandy, W. E. (1919). Roentgenography of the brain after the injection of air into the spinal canal. Annals of surgery, 70(4), 397-403.
Leffert, M. (2011). The psychoanalysis and death of George Gershwin: An American tragedy. Journal of the American Academy of Psychoanalysis and Dynamic Psychiatry, 39(3), 421-452.
Sloop, G. D. (2001). What caused George Gershwin's untimely death? Journal of Medical Biography, 9(1), 28-30.
Teive, H. A., Germiniani, F., Cardoso, A. B., Paola, L. D., & Werneck, L. C. (2002). The uncinated crisis of George Gershwin. Arquivos de neuro-psiquiatria, 60, 505-508.
Copyright Disclaimer
The primary purpose of this video is educational. I have tried to use material in the public domain or with Creative Commons Non-attribution licences wherever possible. Where attribution is required, I have listed this below. I believe that any copyright material used falls under the remit of Fair Use, but if any content owners would like to dispute this, I will not hesitate to immediately remove that content. It is not my intention to infringe on content ownership in any way. If you happen to find your art or images in the video, please let me know and I will be glad to credit you.
Images
Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
Wellcome Collection
Library of Congress
Music
Gershwin: Swanee - Al Jolson - Public domain.
Gershwin: Piano transcription of "The Man I Love" - Constantin Stephan CC4.0
Gershwin: 1st Prelude - La Pianista CC3.0
Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue, orchestrated by Ferde Grofé, 1924 Jazz Band Version. Bramwell Tovey, piano soloist. United States Marine Band.
Gershwin: Do it again from The French Doll 1922 Paul Whiteman Orchestra - Public domain
Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue recording from 1924, by George Gershwin. Public domain
Gershwin: Rialto Ripples - Jeffrey Biegel -Fair Use
Gershwin: When You Want 'Em, You Can't Get 'Em, When You've Got 'Em, You Don't Want 'Em - Gershwin Piano Roll. Public Domain.
Stephen Foster: The Old Folks at Home -Takayuki Yamashita -CC0
Beethoven: Symphony No 5 in C Minor: Fulda Symphonic Orchestra, Simon Schindler. EFF: Open Audio License version 1.
Chopin: Prélude op. 28 n° 4 - Dorian Pâquet CC4.0
Maurice Ravel: Bolero Conducted by Ravel 1930 Public domain
Nadia Boulanger - Trois Pièces pour violoncelle et piano - Cheng² Duo
Gershwin: American in Paris: Ulyanovsk State Academic Symphony Orchestra: conductor - Ilya Derbilov. CCAttribution
Gershwin: Porgy & Bess: Teatro Regio Torino - 2019 Production CCAttribution
Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No 6 Wilhelm Furtwängler - Berlin Philharmonic
Claude-Paul Taffanel: Andante Pastoral et Scherzettino. Alex Murray (flute) and Martha Goldstein (piano) CC2.0
Gershwin: The Man I Love: Nethanya - Kibbutz Orchestra conducted by Yaron Gottfried Dan Gottfried piano CC Attribution.
Gershwin: Summertime Russian String Orchestra conducted by Misha Rachlevsky
Gershwin: 3 Preludes for Clarinet and Piano II. Clarinet: Byeon Gyu-ri, Piano: Kim Hwa-jeong CCAttribution
Gershwin: Piano Concerto in F soloist, Chris Reeves, Orchestra of the Pines directed by Gene Moon. CCAttribution
Video produced by Graeme Yorston and Tom Yorston.

Пікірлер: 766

@janethayes5941 Ай бұрын

I was 4 years old. My aunt had a recording of Rhapsody in Blue on a 78 if you can imagine! She played it for me and my world was never the same. No more kid songs for me. I wanted more.

@professorgraemeyorston Ай бұрын

There is nothing like Gershwin!

@auapplemac1976 Ай бұрын

I too heard Rhapsody at a young age and was immediately attracted to it. I had heard other classical music, but this was different and touched me in a different way. Have been a fervent Gershwin fan since them. Have seen Porgy and Bess performed on stage several times and have a recording of the original production. John Bubbles who played Sportin’ Life was amazing.

@maudeboggins9834 Ай бұрын

Mr. Gershwin & Irving Berlin were two immensely talented musicians. Mr. Berlin enjoyed 101 years on this earth.

@user-do7up9eu9i Ай бұрын

We too had a recording on a 78. I still have it.

@pamelab7235 Ай бұрын

When I was 10 I got chicken pox and my mom would play Gershwin records for me to help pass the time. Like you, it changed my life when it comes to music appreciation.

@paulakpacente Ай бұрын

I'm 70 years old. My mom played classical music when I was a child, and I never lost my love for George Gershwin.

@allisonhogg5131 Ай бұрын

Thank you. I was a mental health nurse for 30 years so found it very interesting. I knew it was a brain tumour by his symptoms and have in the past nursed an individual who would always throw themselves on the floor. We where told to ignore their attention seeking behaviour until the patient was eventually scanned and found to have a brain tumour. Over time this changed thankfully and organic causes are ruled out first. Georges music reminds me of my father particularly "Rhapsody in Blue". George was very talented but I never knew he painted so will check them out.

@professorgraemeyorston Ай бұрын

Yes, nowadays he would have had a scan and an operation and if it wasn't the highly malignant tumour, he would have lived probably without any other problems.

@liviia305 Ай бұрын

My paternal grandfather died in the 1930s due to a brain tumor. Not much could be done for them back then, and sadly, it was a source of family shame, and never discussed.

@dshe8637 Ай бұрын

It's desperately sad that people going through such serious conditions are dismissed as neurotic and morally deficient. It's quite horrible.

@lynettedonovan385 Ай бұрын

22:15 @@liviia305

@alecwilliams7111 Ай бұрын

An additional remark: Duke Ellington--a great jazz musician dislike the movie biography of Gershwin. He said it showed Gershwin being rude to people: "I knew George Gershwin, and I never saw him be rude to anyone" (MUSIC IS MY MISTRESS by Duke Ellington). That a pretty good epitaph for anyone.

@professorgraemeyorston Ай бұрын

He seems to have been a genuinely nice guy!

@sarahhearn-vonfoerster7401 Ай бұрын

Ellington, himself, was an exceedingly talented and generous man, by all accounts. A wonderful comment in support of his friend.

@jubalcalif9100 27 күн бұрын

Well said and well put!

@twangel46 24 күн бұрын

I really like rhapsody in blue and concerto in F

@johnlee9997 19 күн бұрын

À@@professorgraemeyorston

@beblader9 Ай бұрын

A sad end for such a gifted man. Tragedy.

@professorgraemeyorston Ай бұрын

And so multi-talented.

@Sybil-RoxanneClemons Ай бұрын

Absolutely.

@grantlawrence611 14 күн бұрын

A musical genius

@susanford2388 Ай бұрын

George Gershwin was an exceedingly talented man. Gone before his time.

@professorgraemeyorston Ай бұрын

Very true.

@Sybil-RoxanneClemons Ай бұрын

All of those doctors could not find the the brain tumor? Shame on them. 😢😢😢😢

@Sybil-RoxanneClemons Ай бұрын

@@professorgraemeyorstonI want to know more about the trumpet player Tonni Kalash

@jubalcalif9100 27 күн бұрын

I heartily concur!

@begotten59 Ай бұрын

Thank you Professor Graeme Yorston. I was diagnosed with brain cancer/GBM survivor 18 years and counting.--👨🏽‍🦽👏👏👏🥇🥇🥇

@secretshaman189 Ай бұрын

Thank-you so much for emphasizing that creative artists don't have to be deranged or an addict of some kind to be any good.

@professorgraemeyorston Ай бұрын

It's a common misperception.

@loriedmundson782 Ай бұрын

A great fan of Gershwin since age of 17, when played 3rd chair clarinet high school band. We played Rhapsody in Blue, songs from Porgy and Bess, and American In Paris. Fell madly in love with the music, and Gene Kelly. Very much enjoy your channel. ❤

@professorgraemeyorston Ай бұрын

Thank you, I'm glad you're enjoying the videos.

@williamhollin1445 21 күн бұрын

I was a HS Band teacher for 45 years. THIS is what HS band is for! Glad your HS BD did right by you!

@deborahwalters6042 23 сағат бұрын

My favorite piece by Gershwin was "Rhapsody in Blue" until I heard his "Concerto in F for Piano and Orchestra." Now "Rhapsody in Blue" takes second. I love his music so much that I named my black Peek-a-poo "Gersha Nichole" after George Gershwin.

@angelaknebel4156 Ай бұрын

So sad we lost him so soon!!! RIP Maestro Gershwin 💔 A really interesting biography although so very sad to hear the details of his illness, thank you for uploading

@professorgraemeyorston Ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it.

@sandramyer7081 Ай бұрын

Very sad - so sad 😢

@elliepascoe5954 Ай бұрын

I have recorded/remastered old jazz music for more than thirty years, and the Gershwin brothers were a constant golden thread❤But then, all the Gershwin children were multi talented. Imagine growing up in those times, in that family.Wow! Love your view on Gershwin!

@professorgraemeyorston Ай бұрын

Thank you.

@dshe8637 Ай бұрын

I have only just discovered this fascinatjng channel. I can't believe it hasn't been recommended sooner. The quality, intelligence, compassion and knowledge of these is wonderful. It deserves wider recommendation by KZfaq, so I urge anyone who enjoyed one of them to subscribe.

@cher4500 16 күн бұрын

George was an Amazing Writer. Wrote Some Beautiful Music.. They were so talented. Ira and George Gershwin.. 💖 🎹 ✍ So Talented with such beautiful tunes.. Timeless..

@professorgraemeyorston 16 күн бұрын

Very true.

@voyaristika5673 18 күн бұрын

I'd no idea he was so young when he died. It's incredible what he accomplished in that time. Such gifts! It's disconcerting to think of how long he suffered without any medical diagnosis or direction. I can't imagine the fear and frustration he dealt with trying to figure out how and why he was "doing this to himself" when the whole time he was trying to make a brain tumor go away. Honestly, that poor man has my heart for that reason. Well, Dr. Yorston, you've produced yet another excellent video. Your work is so easy to follow and everything I watch is engrossing. Thanks!

@professorgraemeyorston 18 күн бұрын

Thank you, glad you're enjoying them.

@TuckerSP2011 Ай бұрын

Thank you Professor! Very interesting biography of George Gershwin. He certainly was an American treasure. Sad that he died so young from a brain tumor.

@professorgraemeyorston Ай бұрын

I wonder what he would have gone on to do if he'd lived another 30 years.

@bobtaylor170 Ай бұрын

@@professorgraemeyorstonthis is a question which seems to particularly haunt us in regard to composers. It's said about Mozart, about Schubert, about Jimi Hendrix, about Charlie Parker. ( Now, there's a case for you, Doctor. ) But I've never really heard it said about Aubrey Beardsley, whose short of yours from earlier in the week I enjoyed. I know people have speculated about Keats, and rightly so, but it's hard for me to think of anyone else who wasn't a composer whom people have wondered about in that regard. You may be familiar with the great American popular song from circa 1940, "East of the Sun, West of the Moon." It's a stunning piece of work, but it's not by Kern, Rodgers, Berlin, or Arlen. It was written for a college show by a 22 year old senior from an Ivy League college. One of the Hollywood studios was so taken with his talent that they offered, and he accepted, a lucrative contract to write exclusively for them. However, "East of the Sun, West of the Moon" is the only song we have from him, because on his cross country trip to California, he was killed in an auto accident. Now, that's a haunting one.

@TuckerSP2011 Ай бұрын

@@professorgraemeyorston I'm sure amazing, liberating music!

@hank1519 22 күн бұрын

The fact that his sister-in-law accused him of faking his symptoms is appalling

@biancamonzo8117 Ай бұрын

I used to experience severe migraines and it was sheer hell, I can only imagine what poor Mr. Gershwin was going through. I come from a musical family and the Gershwin's music was much cherished in our house. Another great video, well done 💜

@johnkingsley9525 Ай бұрын

Watching Gershwin using a pencil to fill in notes reminded me when I worked in my fathers fountain pen store on Hollywood Blvd. repairing and selling fountain pens. Music copyist’s who at that time would take sheets of music that composers had penciled in the general melody and with a fountain pen make a new copy in black ink so it could be printed. They used a gold stub three prong flexible nib with a iridium point for hardness so you could get a fine line and when you pressed down the nib would spread apart to make the full note. I would adjust and custom the nib to their hand position. Times sure change and at 88 you can bet I have seen plenty. Now living in Costa Rica. 🌴😎🌴

@larskars5835 9 күн бұрын

This is fascinating. Thank you.

@dianeruiz0721 Ай бұрын

The psychiatric and medical community truly failed this man. What a shame. Thanks George for all the smiles your music and art continue to bring us, year after year! What a gifted artist ❤

@professorgraemeyorston Ай бұрын

I know it seems he was let down, but without an LP or ventriculogram, the diagnosis would not have been clear.

@graerindley6312 29 күн бұрын

If you want the medical community to be perfect you'll be waiting forever.

@phyllisurman-klein9038 23 күн бұрын

Peter Klein, my husband, toured Porgy and Bess around the world from 1992 to 2013. He learned from Leopold, the son of Frances, that George named the opera Porgy and Bess after an intimate relationship with Ann Brown, the first Bess. We also learned from Liza Minelli that Judy Garland was with the family when they received the fatal news and were all in shock! I'm a psychoanalyst very appreciative of the attention you gave to the tragedy of George's misdiagnosis.

@professorgraemeyorston 22 күн бұрын

Fascinating, thank you.

@PJGRAND Ай бұрын

George Gershwin gave us some of the most beautiful music ever heard especially Rhapsody in Blue and sad that we lost such a great talent so young at 39 Mozart and Chopin also died in their '30s but we were lucky to just have the music we have of them.

@paulabarch5065 Ай бұрын

My god this was sad-- and so very good. Ill need to watch it again tonight. So young. So much music yet to be written.

@professorgraemeyorston Ай бұрын

A real tragedy.

@Sybil-RoxanneClemons Ай бұрын

@@professorgraemeyorston I love I've Got a Crush on You, Do Do Do, Embraceable You, Walking The Dog. I am a Gershwin-A-Holic

@generalcomments1239 Ай бұрын

Never get enough of these videos. Always great

@professorgraemeyorston Ай бұрын

Thank you.

@ricvalentino2502 Ай бұрын

Fascinating documentary. Like Mozart, Buddy Holly, Hank Williams, Robert Johnson, or any other musician who died young, what beautiful music we lost.

@jubalcalif9100 27 күн бұрын

As I do when I take off my hat, you make a good point!

@helenvalerio4864 23 күн бұрын

B by

@yvonnebaker393 19 күн бұрын

Look at it differently! What if he had not been born? Like Elvis, Mozart etc.(died young) aren't we lucky we had them AT ALL ??????

@jenford7078 Ай бұрын

How tragic and such a loss... Thank you for pointing out his genius was uncomplicated by substance abuse or mental health disorders.

@jubalcalif9100 27 күн бұрын

Indeed!

@cathywestholt5324 Ай бұрын

George Gershwin is the first person I think of if someone asks who would you like to meet past or present. His music is so captivating no matter if it's a love song, rhapsody, lighthearted, etc., they all steal my heart. I am so saddened that his life was cut so short. What a wonderful man! ❤❤❤ I guess I have a special empathy since I have had epilepsy for 65 years, primarily myoclonic. Thank you for this wonderful video! ❤❤❤

@professorgraemeyorston Ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it.

@Sonic-dogmagic Ай бұрын

Loved George Gershwin's music and Ira Gershwins lyrics! God seems to gift great talented people to the world for a very short time. ❤😢❤

@per-arnemoa103 Ай бұрын

Especially His chosen people, the jews. As He promised to Abraham and the blessings. ❤

@theatreorganman Ай бұрын

A landmark production that not only contributes importantly to the biography of Gershwin but also to the condition of man.

@jayriedmuller7187 Ай бұрын

He truly was a musical genius. Not right that he died so young. Very sad.

@professorgraemeyorston Ай бұрын

A real tragedy.

@gjs9366 Ай бұрын

Excellent documentary about a great American genius, and his sad, tragic end.

@professorgraemeyorston Ай бұрын

Thank you.

@autumnleaves2766 Ай бұрын

Excellent presentation. George Gershwin would be delighted to know that his music is still loved by so many. I love playing jazz piano myself and also compose a few tunes. The Gershwin songs I enjoy playing include Summertime, Lady Be Good, Nice Work If You Can Get It, A Foggy Day, Fascinating Rhythm, They Can't Take That Away From Me, Strike Up The Band, I Was Doing Alright, The Man I Love, I Got Rhythm and Our Love Is Here To Stay. I think he really captured the spirit of bustling, optimistic mid-20th century America. I wonder if the type of brain tumour he had would be survivable today ? Presumably it would be if detected early enough.

@professorgraemeyorston Ай бұрын

If it was a Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) - the most common type of primary malignant brain tumour in adults - it is the most aggressive and lethal with less than 1% of all patients surviving for more than ten years, even today - but if it was a less aggressive type then it would have been treatable.

@jilkat25 Күн бұрын

I recently heard that George Gershwin wrote "Our Love Is Here To Stay" a mere 36 hours before his death. He would have, no doubt, continued to compose many more of the standards of our cultural heritage for decades had he not been taken from us so soon. My younger brother was diagnosed with glioblastoma in late 2021, and claimed he had few severe symptoms (a bit of dizziness, mild headaches) until he had a seizure right before his diagnosis with an orange-sized tumor deep within the folds of the right side of his brain. He survived less than 3 months, despite being treated by an extraordinary and renowned oncological neurosurgeon. My brother and I had been adopted when our parents were in their mid-forties, so, growing up, our parents were the age of most of our friends' grandparents. They had both survived the 1918 influenza pandemic which had taken both our mother's mother and our father's father. The flu had left our mother very petite and unable to become pregnant. She passed away over a single weekend in 2018 at 106 (probably from Norovirus which had suddenly raged through her retirement center.) Since the age of 7 in 1918/19 she never again had any form of influenza, even when the rest of our family came down with it annually until seasonal vaccines became available. She was the healthiest person I ever knew until her last 72 hours. Dad was a US Army medic stationed in southern England during the war. He died of leukemia in 1988. Gershwin's music was the soundtrack of my parents' lives. At my mother's 104th birthday party there was a fabulous pianist and singer whose repertoire was all songs from Gershwin's era and from WWII. There were many seniors in attendance (the center was only for healthy seniors-no medical conditions allowed beyond a few mild mobility issues.) And although my mom (b. 1911) was the eldest, a man named Sam Houston III was turning 102 and claimed to be the grandson of the Texas statesman. They all knew every word of every song. I get emotional just thinking about it. "Someone To Watch Over Me" had the whole room sniffling. I'm certain each one had a personal memory of every tune. In fact, I heard this same group of people sing this song and others many times, even without the beautiful piano accompaniment of that night's party; they just frequently sang together a capella in the dining room-because they could. They were a fun group of very old yet vibrant people. The pianist at the party asked the group, "What is the one thing you would "un-invent" if you could?" And, several of them, without hesitation, said, "The Bomb!" I'm sure most of them are gone now, post-Covid. But, I'm so grateful George Gershwin's music will survive long past all of us, as it should. Thank you for your wonderful biographical medical videos! I plan to watch them all!

@autumnleaves2766 Күн бұрын

@@professorgraemeyorston Thanks for the information..

@autumnleaves2766 Күн бұрын

@@jilkat25 Sorry to read about your brother, but loved the account of the Gershwin-themed birthday party for your mother. It is sad to think of the decline in standard of popular music in recent decades, not to mention the banal lyrics.

@alecwilliams7111 Ай бұрын

Thanks for running the biography of George Gershwin. I am a long time fan, and have been in orchestras playing his music. I think he was one of the greatest American composers of all time.

@professorgraemeyorston Ай бұрын

I agree!

@Mike20216 Ай бұрын

So sad to have lost this genius at such a young age, but god what a legacy he left us.

@larryboysen5911 28 күн бұрын

His gift was surly God given, right from birth! He accomplished his deep mission...the bring his art to the enjoyment of millions. Just imagine how his additional vast "store house" of compositions would have added so much more to "music for the millions"...if not cut short! Thank you, Ira, for your lyrical talents as well!

@mattsadovnikoff1457 Ай бұрын

Thank you, Doctor, for this wonderful documentary. His music had and always will have an inestimable impact on the lives of so many millions. We still need much more research into brain illness and dysfunction. RIP George!

@OzzieJayne Ай бұрын

What a talent, I didn't know he also painted! Such a damn shame the tumour was danced around til too late. Aussie poet/writer Henry Lawson summed up his muse, - "Beer makes you feel how you ought to feel without beer"

@jubalcalif9100 27 күн бұрын

I too never knew before now that he painted! What an incredibly talented man he was.

@jbbevan Ай бұрын

I have studied Gershwin since 1958 when I saw Rhapsody in Blue (which was the beginning of my extensive classical collection) but this treatise told me things I did not know and put some other things into perspective I had not realized. My first live concert was February 12, 1958 and it was Paul Whiteman conducting an all-Gershwin program with the Utah Symphony in the Salt Lake Tabernacle (6,500 seats). This was also celebrating the USO's release of Rhapsody in Blue, American in Paris, and the Concerto in F on Westminster at the same time. Ira Gershwin got hold of these recordings and liked them so well that he offered Gershwin's "Original Suite from Porgy & Bess" to Maurice Abravanel to record. It was not published and the parts were borrowed by Ira from the Library of Congress. Abravanel and the USO recorded it in 1959 for Westminster. It received stronger reviews than expected and most critics liked it better than Robert Russel Bennett's prevailing "Symphonic Picture." So the "Original Suite" was then published as "Catfish Row" which has had many recordings since...including from the Berlin Philharmonic/Ozawa. But the first and pioneering recording was the Utah Symphony Orchestra under Abravanel.

@professorgraemeyorston Ай бұрын

Thank you, I love Gershwin's music but didn't know how Catfish Row first saw light of day.

@jbbevan Ай бұрын

@@professorgraemeyorston Maurice Abravanel and Ira became friends when Abravanel was Weill's "personal" conductor for a period.

@RobertDeMartin 29 күн бұрын

Thank you so much. So were the times in the early 20th Century. One point which the video makes is that regardless of a person's makeup and challenges in their life they can dedicate their lives to accomplishing amazing results particularly in the artistic world. Early in the video someone recognized his talent by calling him a genius. Yes, jealousy, business and politics aside, if one just listened and 'felt' his music more of the so called experts would agree and publicly say so. I wonder what George Gershwin would have done had he lasted beyond World War II. Of course, Broadway exploded in the 50's and movies more and more were featuring musical themes. He and his music will never be forgotten. It was nice to see the public show their respect to one of Country's greatest composers.

@jeankroeber2481 Ай бұрын

Thank you so much for this fascinating film. I have always loved Gershwin's music. My brother, a cardiologist, died of Glioblastoma within a span of 2 yrs. He went through long periods of not saying anything. It was heartbreaking. At least, we are still left with Mr. Gershwin's beautiful music and it was apparent that while he lived, he was very good at it.

@prototropo Ай бұрын

I'm really sorry you lost your brother. Your post caught my eye because within a few recent years, I lost both my doctor and my dentist to brain tumors. Beyond my sadness it made me wonder about the environmental risks to health workers.

@jeankroeber2481 Ай бұрын

@@prototropo Thank you. I don't know really. My brother was health-conscious his entire life. He never smoked, drank wine in moderation, ate healthy food. He rode his bike, gardened, rowed (skulling) to his office. And yes, he loved music -- played piano for relaxation. An all-around popular guy, beloved by patients and friends alike. I share in your sadness at having lost both your doctor and dentist to this brutal disease...like being rudderless. You remember them forever. 🙏

@marykinsella417 Ай бұрын

@@prototropo By

@JohnnyJBlairSingeratLarge 21 күн бұрын

This is the perfect short documentary on Gershwin. Thanks for doing this. Keep up the good work.

@professorgraemeyorston 18 күн бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it.

@marcguimaraes Ай бұрын

You are absolutely right. Addiction only destroys your brain and body. People confuse creativity with tripping on drugs. Both are two completely things. But today most of people think that tripping and high on substances is creating. lol Ignorance is blind and High as a kite ...

@analauraaznar1552 Ай бұрын

Amazing! I first heard Blue Rhapsody in the cartoons. Then, my mother played us an LP called "Classics for Children" and there I identified Gershwin. I will always remember him with that same joy. Thanks Professor Yorston, great job as usual. :)

@professorgraemeyorston Ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it.

@user-rs3is9dd8r 20 күн бұрын

Thank you. Very informative & very interesting. Didn't look at my watch once. This is my first program of yours. Looks like I'm hooked. Good job.

@joemahma9069 Ай бұрын

Excellent effort, Prof. Yorston! The chromatic clarinet slur at the intro to Rhapsody in Blue should cement in the mind of ALL musicians the genius. Thanks much!

@robertmatch6550 Ай бұрын

That was a great compliment from Ravel, himself one of the greats!

@walterbsprinks Ай бұрын

I heard Gershwins Rhapsody in Blue at 12years old. Gershwins Music has a certain Wonderful Magic that changes lives. His artistic interpretations were and still are sublime unique melodies. Your Doco was excellently written and balanced!

@professorgraemeyorston Ай бұрын

Thank you.

@user-ev7rl1pd5w 18 күн бұрын

What does doco stand for?

@jimdrake3436 Ай бұрын

According to Mitch Miller, who toured with Gershwin in 1935, when the two of them were leaving a hall following an afternoon rehearsal, Gershwin exclaimed, "Somebody is burning tires near here!" and pinched his nose with his fingers. Miller said nothing--and had smelled nothing but fresh air.

@professorgraemeyorston Ай бұрын

Which suggests he had a more slow growing tumour which could have been treated successfully.

@dorothyblundell8588 11 күн бұрын

@@professorgraemeyorston 8:14 😊

@aspasiagravanis1724 21 күн бұрын

Thank you i really love his music and we’re missing him may he’s resting peacefully and knowing that he will live forever in our hearts ❤️ thank you 🙏 for your representation well done 👍 thank you 🙏 ❤️❤️❤️may his memory be eternal 💐❤

@denisehowland 20 күн бұрын

I love Gershwin’s compositions . Thank you for an unsensational, fact based and very interesting account of his life and illness.

@professorgraemeyorston 18 күн бұрын

Thank you.

@muffassa6739 Ай бұрын

Thank you so very much for your video. He was a great composer and a wonderful man who passed away far too young. It's so nice to see him honored 💕

@professorgraemeyorston Ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it.

@dianefrank3058 23 күн бұрын

When I think of l all the magnificent music he didn’t live to compose, my heart cries😢

@singingbeach 16 күн бұрын

So very true...

@51394547 9 күн бұрын

Not true at all. He might not have composed anything. The well might have been dry. One cannot comment on what a person didn't achieve.

@dianefrank3058 8 күн бұрын

That's a very sad and negative outlook to me. I prefer to believe his talent would have continued uninterrupted had he lived longer, just like Ira’s.

@truecynic1270 Ай бұрын

An absolute favourite of mine. Such a genius! Such a musician! Such a joy! Such an original! So sad to learn that his life, too, was tragic.........undeserved............ one bit. Wonderful music. Thank you, George Gershwin - I LOVE your talent, creativity and work.

@professorgraemeyorston Ай бұрын

That's very enthusiastic for a cynic!

@prototropo Ай бұрын

What a fantastic biographical essay. I learned so many new aspects of a man whose music and influence over American culture has meant so much to me. This was a huge treat, even if it describes a terrible loss for us all. The drama of his life is a bit reminiscent of several other, too many other, great composers whose lives were terribly abbreviated--Purcell, Mozart, Schubert, Chopin, Mendelssohn. One detail that felt out of place in such an intelligent, compassionate portrayal is the old descriptor of "illegitimate" to describe a child born to unwed parents. Obviously, no human being, whether squalling infant or intrepid migrant, is inherently illegal or invalid. A newborn baby entering, as we all do, a life not of its choosing and a world not of its making, is the least deserving soul imaginable of such a title. That adjective is instead a very unattractive indictment of a society's own insufficiencies.

@elviramcintosh9878 Ай бұрын

Great story well presented. Greetings from Australia.

@professorgraemeyorston Ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it

@colleenrichards5662 14 күн бұрын

Hello from NSW….💙🇦🇺

@mrs.g.9816 Ай бұрын

My mom, my husband Steve, and my husband's uncle George all loved Gershwin. Of course, I do, too. George was a New York City cop in the 1960's. Steve told me once that George was enjoying a concert in a park. He was sitting back against a tree with a blissful smile on his face while listening to "Rhapsody in Blue". After the piece was finished, George said, "That music definitely captured this city's spirit!"

@mdsailmaster22 29 күн бұрын

Why do we need to preserve our culture of Brooklyn in order to survive this kind of situation in our country tenaciously! This is a lifelong dream of ours to share our culture with others who have been affected in Brooklyn generations since childhood by exposure to cultural memories of our ancestors! ❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹✝️🇺🇸Slk

@marianaovalle6205 Ай бұрын

I loved watching your documentary. Thank you. I’m sure George Gershwin is happy in heaven, grateful you did this for him and everyone who loved and loves him still.

@bigbandsrock1 Ай бұрын

Loved Mr. Gershwin so much! Knew much of his story, but had never heard that had his tumor been discovered earlier he might have survived! Heart wrenching to hear that! my admiration and fondness for him will live on, always!! ❤️🌹

@professorgraemeyorston Ай бұрын

He was one of the greats.

@ronaldmartin4664 25 күн бұрын

This is excellent! Thank you so much! As a lifelong lover & student of Gershwin's music, I am deeply grateful. You nailed this genius's personality.

@professorgraemeyorston 24 күн бұрын

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it.

@katherinevallo2326 Ай бұрын

My mom growing up would play classical music including Gershwin. I still love Gershwin because of my mom.

@sandramyer7081 Ай бұрын

I Love George Gershwin composing and music since i was a kid- Rhapsody if Blue was my favorite on the piano

@professorgraemeyorston Ай бұрын

He was a great composer.

@briggsak05 27 күн бұрын

Thankyou for the AMAZING CONTEMPORY BACKGROUND.

@professorgraemeyorston 27 күн бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

@paulabarch5065 Ай бұрын

Suggestion: Cole Porter. That would be de-lovely.

@professorgraemeyorston Ай бұрын

Thanks, I'll look into him.

@musiciankellett 28 күн бұрын

Thank you for a fascinating and richly detailed insight into a composer whose genius still moves and inspires. I had read that Gershwin wrote Rhapsody in Blue on the train because he had forgotten that he had agreed to write it and basically winged the piano part because he hadn't had time to score the piano part. It may not be true, but it's a great story.

@professorgraemeyorston 27 күн бұрын

He was a great improviser so it may well be true.

@jackieclark2004 23 күн бұрын

Life like mist appears just for a day and disappears tomorrow . Such a talented musician gone too soon💐🙏🏾

@professorgraemeyorston 22 күн бұрын

Very true.

@leslieackerman4189 Ай бұрын

Magnificent study. Does not warrant so many comments starting with…“I“. Full of details and superbly produced.

@donnaemerson6278 11 күн бұрын

Thank you for this compassionate, thorough biography of George Gershwin. Had he lived today, his brain tumor would've likely been found early, and he may have survived. I will appreciate him all the more for what you have shared about his joyful spirit.

@professorgraemeyorston 9 күн бұрын

Thank you.

@tango7660 Ай бұрын

I love the music of George Gershwin. This documentary is excellent. Thank you

@professorgraemeyorston Ай бұрын

Thank you.

@nataliegold6584 25 күн бұрын

Very interesting and enlightening professional view on possible causes of George Gershwins untimely death

@professorgraemeyorston 24 күн бұрын

Thank you.

@xjAlbert Ай бұрын

Thanks for creating this excellent biography of a brilliant composer. I've performed a fair amount of Gershwin's music, including "Let 'Em Eat Cake" and "Of Thee I Sing," but I didn't know many of these biographical details until seeing this video, May 19, 2024.

@professorgraemeyorston Ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

@franklinshouse8719 Ай бұрын

Great video!!! Wonderful. I love Gershwin and his music, and the story of his short life is very interesting.

@professorgraemeyorston Ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

@ValeryFarrington Ай бұрын

Hi. What a splendid description of a much loved composer..love his music and his personality. ❤️. Valérie

@jayanthonywillis3048 Ай бұрын

At last! Something on KZfaq that was worth watching! Thank you so much! Let me compliment you on your compassionate and comprehesive approach to your subject; it made the story of Gershwin's life and artistic accomplishments all the more enthralling.

@professorgraemeyorston Ай бұрын

Thank you.

@AndyWitmyer Ай бұрын

As a kid in the 1980s and 90s, my friends were all listening to MC Hammer and New Kids on the Block, while in my house, I listened to "Rapsody in Blue" and "An American in Paris" and other Gershwin masterpieces on my parent's old record player. That I still write music to this very day is, in part, because I felt so inspired by his works. To be honest, despite my fondness for his music, until now, I didn't actually know very much about his personal life - as such, I found this short documentary of yours to be quite informative, and fascinating. I can tell that you genuinely love and appreciate his contributions to music, which made it a joy to watch.

@AlyraMoondancer 28 күн бұрын

Thank you very much for this video. I have been a Gershwin fan since I was in junior high school. In 1969 a piano-playing friend of mine played his Second Prelude in C# minor for me and I was hooked. I collected every piece of his that I could find, both records and sheet music; read books about him and Ira; and learned to play piano (sort of - I'm better at guitar and voice) just so I could play his music. I even got to see a live performance of _Porgy and Bess,_ which was awesome. I celebrate George's birthday every year, and his music often dances through my head. Despite all that familiarity, I still learned some new things from your video!

@professorgraemeyorston 22 күн бұрын

Thank you, high praise from such a fan!

@user-ob2pe3ri1j 28 күн бұрын

AMAZING DUO AND THE TOPS OF AMERICAN MUSIC

@richardshiggins704 Ай бұрын

As usual fascinating . As I followed the video I felt like screaming "neurologist" please ! However access to the brain was very limited in terms of physical diagnosis at that time . I suppose psychology was the default approach when so little else could be done . The air encephalogram was quite a painful procedure and not without hazard . We are so lucky nowadays to have access to instantaneous diagnosis via MRI / CT imaging . Many thanks for the humane appraisal of this gifted man .

@professorgraemeyorston Ай бұрын

Perhaps if he hadn't had so many people tell him his symptoms were psychological he might have agreed to the LP and ventriculogram.

@richardshiggins704 Ай бұрын

@@professorgraemeyorston I think at this stage he was beyond rational insight as to the gravity of his own deteriorating condition .

@lilibethgreenway5017 Ай бұрын

Thank you for educating me on one of America's most famous composers with whose biography I wasn't acquainted.

@FilmNutz Ай бұрын

Thank you for this very important biographical study. A fitting appreciation which does justice to a giant of 20th century music. Your expert discussion of his final illness allays many unanswered questions in the tragic loss of this great genius. 🎹🎵🎺. The footage from the original Broadway production of Porgy & Bess is a real treasure. 💎If only he could have known it still be running 100 years later!

@joannahoskins7743 27 күн бұрын

Thank you for this excellent video. I've been a huge fan of George Gershwin since middle school when I saw "American in Paris" and as another commenter has said, ..."and a fan of Gene Kelly." I wish there had been time and space for even more of Gershwin's wonderful compositions. I did hear a bit of Prelude #2, one of my very favorites. Such evocative music.

@professorgraemeyorston 27 күн бұрын

I would have liked to have given the music more time, but copyright issues make it complex!

@davidhinton3595 Ай бұрын

A wonderful insight into George Gershwin.

@lucindamoran8686 Ай бұрын

Wonderful document ary history, of George Gershwin! Thank you!🎉 Rapsody in Blue is one of my most famous songs! What a charming and talented man he was! He left us beautiful music and paintings to remember him always.

@Rafael-oi6dj 29 күн бұрын

He was no pretty boy, but was an extraordinary composer & interpreter who gave america's soul a very revealing musical dress; i suppose that was his mission

@gerikepler5160 19 күн бұрын

Thank you. As a jazz vocalist, I also appreciate classical music and show tunes, know many Gershwin tunes and compositions, and I thoroughly enjoyed the video.

@professorgraemeyorston 18 күн бұрын

Thank you.

@priscillawatson7049 Ай бұрын

O M G! SO UNFAIR FOR HIM, HAVING TO LIVE WITH A LETHAL MIS- DIAGNOSIS I too had a benign? meningioma that had to be taken out when it grew so much that threatened my life, I survived it but Im now nearly blind, a bit deaf, balance problems....but the world will not miss a massive creative talent because I've none....! such an unfair thing to happen to Gershwin! RIP

@paulabarch5065 Ай бұрын

Rhapsody in Blue. Limpid? Trite? Silly critic. Its universally appealing for something so "vapid." And "The Man i Love"? And "Someone To Watch Over Me" makes me tear up. In the best kind of way. Thank you for this, Professor!

@bobtaylor170 Ай бұрын

The critics and theoreticians are so often nitwits or pedants. Consider the great American musicologist, Alec Wilder, who in his classic, American Popular Song, uses much of his long chapter on Gershwin to criticize him for his use of repeated notes! I've wanted to dig Wilder up, pry open the lid, and shriek at him, "Those repeated notes which you take him to such task for were intrinsic to his genius, you twit!"

@professorgraemeyorston Ай бұрын

I agree, I'm not sure what planet the critic was on!

@dinkohrvat344 Ай бұрын

Heard it said Rhapsody in Blue is the most perfect piece of music ever written . I am not sure but it does come close . Thank you for this documentary it was Brilliant .

@Iceland874 Ай бұрын

I use to fall asleep aa a toddler to Rhapsody in Blue and An American in Paris. I love the Gershwin brothers’ songs. My favorite is the collection “Gershwin Plays Gershwin”. Thank you for the nice video and history.

@TheStephfonShaversJourney. Ай бұрын

I learned from this great composer.

@alexvlasny9755 Ай бұрын

This is absolutely fascinating story of amazing person’s life. Thank you.

@michelodonnell7240 Ай бұрын

Absolutely fascinating

@professorgraemeyorston Ай бұрын

Thank you.

@electropainted 29 күн бұрын

what a wonderful, broadcast quality biography. my goodness, well done sir!

@paulazemeckis7835 Ай бұрын

I remember my parents' 78's. And there was one album cover with a woman wrapped in whipped cream. I was a classically trained pianist from 6 through 15. Wish I didn't stop. Enjoyed this vid. I played some of his music. Hello from sunny and warm St. Petersburg, Florida 🌴.

@professorgraemeyorston Ай бұрын

Thank you - I'm glad it inspired you to play his music.

@faeriesmak Ай бұрын

It’s not too late! You can play again!

@perrywise2188 Ай бұрын

The woman covered in whip cream was an album by Herb Albert and the Tijuana Brass kzfaq.info/get/bejne/j5ZnjMyF1bzMlmw.html

@shavewithdave5339 Ай бұрын

Ha… that album, called “Whipped Cream” was the first album I bought 😂

@nessieness5433 Ай бұрын

That was an excellent documentary!

@professorgraemeyorston Ай бұрын

Thank you.

@michelemaxwell9261 Ай бұрын

Thank you for this exceptional doccie on George Gershwin. Was riveted! and so sad that no one diagnosed his condition. Have always loved his music!❤

@chrish2277 26 күн бұрын

Great art is timeless. That first glissade of Rhapsody in Blue...epic

@annehastings9424 Ай бұрын

One of the first records I bought was an EP of Rhapsody in Blue played by Oscar Levant. Love his music, so sad that his life ended in this way. Thank you for documentary and all the great clips.

@professorgraemeyorston Ай бұрын

Great recording. Glad you enjoyed it.

@bobtaylor170 Ай бұрын

Oscar Levant!! Oh, my!! What a case he was! He was best friend to the Gershwin brothers, and one of the greatest wits in American history. He was also overwhelmed with anxiety disorders and with alcoholism. But he was spontaneously the wittiest man I've ever heard. He was on television with Jack Paar when I was a kid in the early 60s. In the video, you mentioned Vernon Duke. Duke was a White Russian whose family had taken refuge in Turkey, I think it was, after the 1917 Revolution. When he heard Gershwin, he knew he had to meet him. He did, and George Gershwin, grand fellow that he was, took Duke, whose Russian name was Vladimir Dukelsky, under his wing. He suggested that Dukelsky change his name to Vernon Duke. Dukelsy asked Oscar Levant what he thought about it. Levant: "What does it matter? You're destined for oblivion under either name."

@bobtaylor170 Ай бұрын

There's another haunting, great songwriter from that period, Vincent Youmans, who was born within a day of Gershwin. In the 1920s, the tabloid columnists termed them "the rival princes of the Broadway musical" and America's two most eligible bachelors. You may not be familiar with Youmans' songography, but take a look and your eyeballs will pop. Youmans, who his contemporaries thought might have been the most talented of them all, was tortured by such insecurity that he couldn't write unless he was falling - off - the piano bench drunk. In 1931, he came down with tuberculosis, and his doctor said, "If you want to live, you must quit drinking." Youmans did, lived another fifteen years, and as far as anyone knows, never wrote anything again.

@gsco82 Ай бұрын

Thank you for this very interesting and insightful biography of George Gershwin. I am a great fan of the music of George and Ira Gershwin, as well as George's classical/jazz pieces. His music will last forever.

@jimmieloge575 Ай бұрын

I enjoyed learning more about George Gershwin, what a Wonderfully Talented man he was! It's Obvious that he worked Very Hard and became Greatly Successful! What a Terrible thing that happened to him, this brain tumor robbing him of his Very Young Life 😢!

@professorgraemeyorston Ай бұрын

It is such a sad story.

@lizkrusenstjerna2149 Ай бұрын

Excellent video, Professor Yorston!

@professorgraemeyorston Ай бұрын

Many thanks!

@marykilgarriff3550 29 күн бұрын

Thank you for your documentary. Well presented and very interesting. I learned many of his tunes at my piano lessons when I was young. I loved his music then and I still like to rattle the ivories in his memory. Best wishes from an Irish pensioner. 🇮🇪