This episode is the first of 3 about George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue.
George Gershwin was a pianist and composer born in New York City in 1898. Many of his works found great success, including the scores for Porgy and Bess, an opera, and An American in Paris, a tone poem. Perhaps his most famous and influential piece is Rhapsody in Blue, a piano concerto in one movement composed in 1924. Gershwin’s style is unique because, unlike European composers of his time like Claude Debussy and Igor Stravinsky, Gershwin blends orchestral sounds with America’s most distinctive style of the time: Jazz. In this episode, Dr. Tammy Kernodle of Miami University in Oxford Ohio joins host Ana Smith to discuss the history of jazz in America and its influence in Gershwin’s music.
The music in the start of this episode is the beginning of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue performed by the Paul Whiteman Band and George Gershwin in 1926.
Key Vocabulary
- Jazz: A style of music which began with Black American in New Orleans, Louisiana and has since spread across the world. Since the 1920s (also known as the Jazz Age), Jazz has been considered a major genre of music alongside others like Classical, Country, and Pop.
Harlem Renaissance (1920s & 30s): A period of great growth of Black American literature, art, and music which centered around the neighborhood of Harlem in northern Manhattan, New York City. - Boston 6: A group of 6 American composers from the late 1800s who aimed to create an American style of music which was distinct from Europe’s.
- Duke Ellington (1899-1974): A Black American composer and pianist who led his Jazz Orchestra for 50 years. Duke Ellington is widely considered one of America’s greatest composers.
- James Reece Europe: A Black American bandleader and composer who was especially famous for going on tour with his band across the European continent during World War I. Make sure you don’t confuse Europe and Europe.
Dr. Tammy Kernodle is a professor of musicology at Miami University in Oxford Ohio. She specializes in Black American music, gender studies, and their intersection.
