George Gershwin

George Gershwin (September 26, 1898–July 11, 1937) was an American composer who wrote most of his vocal and theatrical works in collaboration with his elder brother, lyricist Ira Gershwin. George Gershwin composed both for Broadway and for the classical concert hall. He also wrote popular songs with success.

Many of his compositions have been used on television and in numerous films, and many became jazz standards; the jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald recorded many of the Gershwins' songs on her 1959 Gershwin Songbook (arranged by Nelson Riddle), and the very greatest singers and musicians have recorded Gershwin songs, most notably John Coltrane, Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Judy Garland, Nina Simone, John Fahey, Sting, and countless others.

Biography
Gershwin was born as Jacob Gershowitz in Brooklyn, New York to Russian Jewish immigrant parents. His father, Morris (Moishe) Gershowitz, changed their family name to Gershwin sometime after immigrating from St. Petersburg, Russia. Gershwin's mother, Rosa Bruskin, also immigrated from Russia. She married Gershowitz four years later.

George Gershwin was the second of four children. He first displayed interest in music at the age of ten, when he was intrigued by what he heard at a friend's violin recital. The sound and the way his friend played captured him. His parents had bought a piano for his older brother Ira, but to his parents' surprise and Ira's relief it was George who played it. Although his younger sister Frances was the first in the family to make money from her musical talents, she married young, and became a housewife, at which time she gave up her own singing and dance career—settling into painting, a hobby of George's.

Gershwin tried out various piano teachers for two years, then was introduced to Charles Hambitzer by Jack Miller, the pianist in the Beethoven Symphony Orchestra. Hambitzer acted as George's mentor until Hambitzer's death in 1918. Hambitzer taught George conventional piano technique, introduced him to music of the European classical tradition, and encouraged him to attend orchestral concerts. (At home following such concerts, young George would attempt to reproduce at the piano the music he had heard). He later studied with classical composer Rubin Goldmark and avant-garde composer-theorist Henry Cowell.

George Gershwin, 1937His first job as a performer was as a piano pounder for Remick's, a publishing company on Tin Pan Alley. His 1917 novelty rag "Rialto Ripples" was a commercial success, and in 1919 he scored his first big national hit with his song "Swanee." 1916 was the year he started working for Aeolian Company and Standard Music Rolls in New York, recording and arranging piano rolls. He produced dozens if not hundreds of rolls under his own and assumed names (pseudonyms attributed to Gershwin include Fred Murtha and Bert Wynn.) He also recorded rolls of his own compositions for the Welte-Mignon reproducing piano of M. Welte & Sons, Inc. of New York City, the inventor and first producer of reproducing pianos. As well as recording piano rolls, Gershwin made a brief foray into vaudeville accompanying both Nora Bayes and Louise Dresser on the piano.

In 1924, George and Ira collaborated on a musical comedy, Lady Be Good which included such future standards as "Fascinating Rhythm" and "The Man I Love." This was followed by Oh, Kay! (1926); Funny Face in (1927); Strike Up the Band (1927 & 1930); Girl Crazy (1930), which introduced the standard "I Got Rhythm"; and Of Thee I Sing (1931), the first musical comedy to win a Pulitzer Prize. "I Got Rhythm", in particular, became a jazz standard, and its chord progression has incredible significance in jazz. These chord changes known, as "rhythm changes," have been frequently adopted in jazz literature.

In 1924, Gershwin composed his first classical work, Rhapsody in Blue for orchestra and piano, which was arranged by Ferde Grofé and premiered with Paul Whiteman's concert band in New York. It proved to be his most popular work.

Gershwin stayed in Paris for a short period of time where he wrote An American in Paris. This work received mixed reviews. Eventually he found the music scene in Paris supercilious, and returned to America. Though he hugely admired the French style of music—and did until the day he died—Gershwin remained thoroughly American.

His most ambitious composition was Porgy and Bess (1935). Called by Gershwin himself a "folk opera," the piece premiered in a Broadway theater and is now widely regarded as the most important American opera of the 20th century. Based on the novel Porgy by DuBose Heyward, the action takes place in a black neighborhood in Charleston, South Carolina, and with the exception of several minor speaking roles, all of the characters are black. The music combines elements of popular music of the day, which was strongly influenced by black music, with techniques found in Western opera, such as recitative and leit motifs.

Early in 1937, Gershwin began to complain of blinding headaches and a recurring impression that he was smelling burned rubber. Unbeknown to him, he had developed a brain tumor. It was in Hollywood, while working on the score of The Goldwyn Follies, that he collapsed and, on July 11, 1937, died following surgery for the tumor at the age of 38.

Gershwin had a 10-year affair with composer Kay Swift, and frequently consulted her about his music. Oh, Kay was named for her. Posthumously, Swift arranged some of his music, transcribed some of his recordings, and collaborated with Ira on several projects. Gershwin had also had an affair with Paulette Goddard.

George Gershwin's mausoleum in Westchester Hills CemeteryGershwin could be generous, warm, and a friend-in-need, but he could also be vain and more than a trifle egotistical. His friend and champion, the concert pianist Oscar Levant once asked him: "George, if you had it to do all over again, would you still fall in love with yourself?"

Gershwin died intestate, and all his property passed to his mother. He is interred at the Westchester Hills Cemetery in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York. The Gershwin estate continues to bring in significant royalties from licensing the copyrights on Gershwin's work. The estate supported the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act because its 1923 cutoff date was shortly before Gershwin had begun to create his most popular works. The copyrights on those works expired in 2007 in the European Union and will expire between 2019 and 2027 in the United States of America.

In 2005, The Guardian determined using "estimates of earnings accrued in a composer's lifetime" that George Gershwin was the richest composer "of all time." [2]

George Gershwin was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2006. The George Gershwin Theatre on Broadway, where the musical Wicked is now playing, is named after him.

Musical style and influence
Gershwin was influenced very much by French composers of the early twentieth century. Maurice Ravel was quite impressed with the Gershwins' abilities, commenting, "Personally I find jazz most interesting: the rhythms, the way the melodies are handled, the melodies themselves. I have heard of George Gershwin's works and I find them intriguing." The orchestrations in Gershwin's symphonic works often seem similar to those of Ravel; likewise, Ravel's two piano concertos evince an influence of Gershwin. He also asked Ravel for lessons; when Ravel heard how much Gershwin earned, he replied "How about you give me some lessons?" (some versions of this story feature Igor Stravinsky rather than Ravel as the composer; however Stravinsky himself confirmed that he originally heard the story from Ravel).

Gershwin's own Concerto in F was criticized as being strongly rooted in the work of Claude Debussy, more so than in the jazz style which was expected. The comparison didn't deter Gershwin from continuing to explore French styles. The title of An American in Paris reflects the very journey that he had consciously taken as a composer: "The opening part will be developed in typical French style, in the manner of Debussy and the Six, though the tunes are original." (Hyland 126)

Aside from the French influence, Gershwin was intrigued by the works of Alban Berg, Dmitri Shostakovich, Igor Stravinsky, Darius Milhaud and Arnold Schoenberg. He also asked Schoenberg for composition lessons. Schoenberg refused, saying "I would only make you a bad Schoenberg, and you're such a good Gershwin already".

Bar 49 to 53 from Rhapsody in BlueRussian Joseph Schillinger's influence as his teacher of composition (1932-1936) was substantial in providing him with a method to his composition. There has been some disagreement about the nature of Schillinger's influence on Gershwin. After the posthumous success of Porgy and Bess, Schillinger claimed he had a large and direct influence in overseeing the creation of the opera; Ira completely denied that his brother had any such assistance for this work. A third account of Gershwin's musical relationship with his teacher was written by Gershwin's close friend and another Schillinger student, Vernon Duke, in an article for the Musical Quarterly in 1947.[5] "What was George's orchestration like in those pre-Schillinger days? Brilliant in spots, adequate in others, but on the whole top-heavy and with too much doubling and padding...George met Schillinger through Joseph Achron, the late composer and violinist, and apparently what he was then seeking was fresh vistas, which would enable him to write fresher songs. It was Schillinger's impression that Gershwin was at the end of his very short rope as a technician--not as a composer." Regarding Porgy, Duke wrote that "the tunes we all listened to around George's piano...were now clothed in appropriate orchestral garb and shone with a new and dazzling brilliance. The 'Schillinger slavery' brought an unexpected freedom to George's musical utterances." He mentions in the same article that "another Schillinger-inspired work...is the witty variations on I Got Rhythm for piano and orchestra, containing a number of devices recommended by Schillinger and deftly and ingeniously applied." Schillinger more or less influenced Gershwin's technique through over four years of study before he moved to California, starting with and including Cuban Overture.[6][7]

What set Gershwin apart was his ability to manipulate forms of music into his own unique voice. He took the jazz he discovered on Tin Pan Alley into the mainstream by splicing its rhythms and tonality with that of the popular songs of his era.

George Gershwin's first published song was "When You Want 'Em You Can't Get 'Em, When You've Got 'Em, You Don't Want 'Em." It was published in 1916 when Gershwin was only 17 years old and earned him a sum total of $5.00.

In 2007, The Library of Congress named their Prize for Popular Song after him and his brother Ira. Recognizing the profound and positive effect of popular music on the world’s culture, the prize will be given annually to a composer or performer whose lifetime contributions exemplify the standard of excellence associated with the Gershwins. On March 1st, 2007, Paul Simon, one of America’s most respected songwriters and musicians, was announced to be the recipient of the first annual Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.

Recordings
Many fans of George Gershwin have complained that he made so few recordings. His very first recording was his own Swanee with the Fred Van Eps Trio in 1919. The record is very heavy on the banjo playing of Van Eps, and the piano is only mildly discernible. The recording took place before Swanee became famous as an Al Jolson specialty in early 1920.

Gershwin did record an abridged version of Rhapsody in Blue with Paul Whiteman and his orchestra for the Victor Talking Machine Company in 1924, soon after the world premiere. The same orchestra made an electrical recording of the same abridged version for Victor in 1927. However, a dispute in the studio over interpretation angered Paul Whiteman and he left the proceedings. The conductor's baton was taken over by Nathanial Shilkret who was already present. Gershwin made a number of solo piano recordings of tunes from some of his musicals, some including the vocals of Fred and Adele Astaire, as well as his Three Preludes for piano. In 1929, Gershwin "supervised" the world premiere recording of An American in Paris with Nathaniel Shilkret and the Victor Symphony Orchestra (usually drawn from the Philadelphia Orchestra); Gershwin's role in the recording was rather limited, particularly because Shilkret was conducting and had his own ideas about the music. Then someone realized they had not hired anyone to play the brief celesta solo, so they asked Gershwin if he would or could play the instrument and he agreed. Gershwin can be heard, rather briefly, on the recording during the slow section.

Gershwin also appeared on various radio broadcasts, some of which have been preserved on transcription discs. In 1934, in an effort to earn money to finance his planned folk opera, he hosted his own radio program titled "Music by Gershwin" in which he presented his own work as well as the work of other composers. Airchecks from this and other radio broadcasts include his Variations on I Got Rhythm, portions of the Concerto in F and numerous songs from his musical comedies. He also recorded a run-through of his Second Rhapsody, conducting the orchestra and playing the piano solos. A similar thing happened with Porgy and Bess, when Gershwin played and sang a bit during the opening piano solo, then conducted (and even introduced) some of the soloists. RCA Victor asked him to supervise recordings of highlights from Porgy and Bess in 1935, which were the last recordings in which he participated.

In 1975, the discovery of piano rolls that Gershwin originally played led Columbia Records to release an album featuring Gershwin playing the jazz-band arrangement of Rhapsody In Blue, accompanied by the Columbia Jazz Band conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas. The flip side of the Columbia Masterworks release features Tilson Thomas leading the New York Philharmonic in An American In Paris.

In 1993, a collection of piano roll reproductions originally played in by Gershwin and mechanically reproduced by Frank Milne were published in CD form by Nonesuch Records. Titled "Gershwin Plays Gershwin: Gershwin Plays Gershwin: The Piano Rolls" (ASIN: B000005J1I), this CD contains 12 tracks composed and performed by Gershwin. Due to the inability of player pianos of the specific time period to automatically play at the correct volume, this aspect of the recordings was faithfully engineered by "pianolist" Frank Milne.

List of compositions by George Gershwin

This is a list of compositions by George Gershwin. During his short life of thirty-nine years, George Gershwin was both a songwriter for Broadway and a classical composer. He composed songs, stage works, concert works both with and without piano solo, film music and even an opera. His works are grouped themmatically in this list, and in chronological order according to the dates of compositions in the same group.

Classical works
Note: All orchestral/operatic pieces are orchestrated by Gershwin unless otherwise specified.

Tango (1915), for solo piano. Written when he was 15.
Lullaby (1919), a meditative piece for string quartet. Originally, a class assignment from his music theory teacher.
Blue Monday, a one-act opera featured in George White's Scandals of 1922 at the Globe Theatre, Paul Whiteman conducting, orchestrated by Will Vodery.
A Suite from Blue Monday for two pianos was later arranged and has been recorded.
Reorchestrated by Ferde Grofé and retitled 135th Street in 1925 for a performance at Carnegie Hall.
Rhapsody in Blue, (1924), his most famous work, a symphonic jazz composition for Paul Whiteman's jazz band & piano, premiered at Aeolian Hall, better known in the form orchestrated for full symphonic orchestra by Ferde Grofé. Featured in numerous films and commercials.
Short Story, (1925), for violin and piano, an arrangement of two other short pieces originally intended to be included with the Three Preludes. Premiered by Samuel Dushkin at The University Club in New York City.
Concerto in F, (1925), three movements, for piano and orchestra, premiered in Carnegie Hall by the New York Symphony Orchestra, Walter Damrosch conducting.
Three Preludes, (1926), for piano, first performed by Gershwin at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City.
An American in Paris (1928), a symphonic poem with elements of jazz and realistic Parisian sound effects, premiered in Carnegie Hall by the New York Philharmonic, Walter Damrosch conducting.
Second Rhapsody (1931), for piano and orchestra, based on the score for a musical sequence from Delicious. Working title for the work was Rhapsody in Rivets. Premiered at the Boston Symphony Hall by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Serge Koussevitzky conducting.
Cuban Overture (1932), originally titled Rumba, a tone poem featuring elements of native Cuban dance and folk music; score specifies usage of native Cuban instruments, premiered at the Lewisohn Stadium of the City University of New York, Gershwin conducting.
Piano Transcriptions of Eight Songs (1932)
Variations on "I Got Rhythm" (1934), a set of interesting variations on his famous song, for piano and orchestra. Premiered at the Boston Symphony Hall by the Leo Reisman Orchestra, conducted by Charles Previn.
Includes a waltz, an atonal fugue, and experimentation with Asian and jazz influences
Porgy and Bess, a folk opera (1935) (from the book by DuBose Heyward) about African-American life, now considered a definitive work of the American theater, premiered at the Alvin Theatre, Alexander Smallens conducting.
Contains the famous aria "Summertime", in addition to hits like "I Got Plenty of Nothin'" and "It Ain't Necessarily So".
Porgy and Bess has also been heard in the concert hall, mostly in two orchestral suites, one by Gershwin himself entitled Catfish Row; another suite by Robert Russell Bennett, Porgy and Bess: A Symphonic Picture is also relatively popular.
Walking the Dog, (1937), a humorous piece for orchestra featuring the clarinet. Originally a musical sequence entitled Promenade from the movie Shall We Dance for piano and chamber orchestra.
Many other incidental sequences from Shall We Dance were composed and (for the most part) orchestrated by Gershwin, among them: Waltz of the Red Balloons and a final extended 8-minute orchestral passage based on the title song with an intruiging coda hinting at Gershwin forging a new musical path. It is unknown why any of these compositions have not seen the light of day in the concert hall.
Most of the musicals Gershwin wrote are also known for their instrumental music, among them the March from Strike Up The Band and overtures to many of his later shows.
Impromptu in Two Keys, published posthumously in (1973), for piano
Two Waltzes in C, published posthumously in (1975), for piano
Originally a two-piano interlude in Pardon My English on Broadway.

Musical theater credits
1919 - La La Lucille (lyrics by Arthur Jackson, B. G. DeSylva and Irving Caesar)
1919 - Morris Gest "Midnight Whirl" (lyrics by B. G. DeSylva and John Henry Mears)
1919 - Limehouse Nights (lyrics by B. G. DeSylva and John Henry Mears)
1920 - Poppyland (lyrics by B. G. DeSylva and John Henry Mears)
1920 - George White's Scandals of 1920 (lyrics by Arthur Jackson)
1921 - A Dangerous Maid (lyrics by Ira Gershwin). Premiered in Atlantic City.
1921 - The Broadway Whirl (co-composed with Harry Tierney, lyrics by Buddy DeSylva, Joseph McCarthy, Richard Carle and John Henry Mears
1921 - George White's Scandals of 1921 (lyrics by Arthur Jackson)
1922 - George White's Scandals of 1922 (lyrics by E. Ray Goetz, Ira Gershwin and B. G. DeSylva)
The premiere performance featured the one-act opera Blue Monday with libretto and lyrics by B. G. DeSylva, set in Harlem in a jazz idiom. However, after only one performance, the opera was withdrawn from the show. Gershwin also wrote seven other songs for the show.
1922 - Our Nell (co-composed with William Daly, lyrics co-written by Gershwin and Daly)
1922 - By and By (lyrics by Brian Hooker)
1923 - Innocent Ingenue Baby (co-composed with William Daly, lyrics by Brian Hooker)
1923 - Walking Home with Angeline (lyrics by Brian Hooker)
1923 - The Rainbow (lyrics by Clifford Grey and Brian Hooker). Premiered in London.
1923 - George White's Scandals of 1923 (lyrics by E. Ray Goetz, B. G. DeSylva and Ballard MacDonald)
1924 - Sweet Little Devil (lyrics by B. G. DeSylva)
1924 - George White's Scandals of 1924 (lyrics by B. G. DeSylva and Ballard MacDonald)
1924 - Primrose (lyrics by Desmond Carter and Ira Gershwin). Premiered in London.
1924 - Lady, Be Good! (lyrics by Ira Gershwin)
1925 - Tell Me More! (lyrics by Ira Gershwin and B. G. DeSylva)
1925 - Tip-Toes (lyrics by Ira Gershwin)
1925 - Song of the Flame (operetta, lyrics by Otto Harbach and Oscar Hammerstein II, and musical collaboration by Herbert Stothart)
1926 - Oh, Kay! (lyrics by Ira Gershwin and Howard Dietz)
Includes the famous song, "Someone to Watch Over Me"
Revived in 1928 and 1990 (the latter with an all-Black cast)
1927 - Strike Up The Band (lyrics by Ira Gershwin). Premiered in Philadelphia.
Revised and produced on Broadway in 1930
1927 - Funny Face (lyrics by Ira Gershwin)
1928 - Rosalie (lyrics by Ira Gershwin and P. G. Wodehouse, co-composed with Sigmund Romberg)
1928 - Treasure Girl (lyrics by Ira Gershwin)
1929 - Show Girl (lyrics by Ira Gershwin and Gus Kahn)
1930 - Girl Crazy (lyrics by Ira Gershwin)
1931 - Of Thee I Sing (lyrics by Ira Gershwin)
Awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for 1932 and was the first musical to win that award, although only Ira Gershwin and the bookwriters were awarded the Prize and not George Gershwin
Revived in 1933 and 1952
1933 - Pardon My English (lyrics by Ira Gershwin)
1933 - Let 'Em Eat Cake (lyrics by Ira Gershwin), sequel to Of Thee I Sing
1935 - Porgy and Bess (lyrics by Ira Gershwin and DuBose Heyward)
Revived on Broadway in 1942, 1943, 1953, 1976 (Houston Grand Opera winner of the Tony Award for Most Innovative Revival of a Musical), and 1983

Works featuring original Gershwin songs for shows by other composers
1916 - The Passing Show of 1916 - "The Making of a Girl" (co-composed with Sigmund Romberg, lyrics by Harold Atteridge); "My Runaway Girl" (lyrics by Murray Roth)
1918 - Hitchy-Koo of 1918 - "You-oo Just You" (lyrics by Irving Caesar)
1918 - Ladies First - "(The Real) American Folk Song (is a Rag)" (lyrics by Ira Gershwin); "Some Wonderful Sort of Someone" (lyrics by Schuyler Greene)
1918 - Half-Past Eight - "There's Magic in the Air" (lyrics by Ira Gershwin); "The Ten Commandments of Love", "Cupid" and "Hong Kong" (lyrics by Edward B. Perkins)
1919 - Good Morning, Judge - "I Was So Young (You Were So Beautiful)" (lyrics by Irving Caesar and Alfred Bryan); "There’s More to the Kiss than the X-X-X" (lyrics by Irving Caesar)
1919 - The Lady in Red - "Some Wonderful Sort of Someone" (lyrics by Schyler Greene); "Something about Love" (lyrics by Lou Paley)
1919 - Capitol Revue - "Come to the Moon" (lyrics by Lou Paley and Ned Wayburn); "Swanee" (lyrics by Irving Caesar)
1920 - Dere Mabel - "We’re Pals" (lyrics by Irving Caesar), first performed in Baltimore; "Back Home" and "I Don't Know Why (When I Dance with You)" (lyrics by Irving Caesar)
1920 - Ed Wynn's Carnival - "Oo, How I Love You To Be Loved by You" (lyrics by Lou Paley)
1920 - The Sweetheart Shop - "Waiting for the Sun to Come Out" (lyrics by Ira Gershwin)
1920 - Sinbad - "Swanee" (lyrics by Irving Caesar). As performed by Al Jolson
1920 - Broadway Brevities of 1920 - "Lu Lu" and "Snowflakes" (lyrics by Arthur Jackson); "Spanish Love" (lyrics by Irving Caesar)
1920 - Piccadilly to Broadway (songs unpublished)
1921 - Blue Eyes (songs unpublished)
1921 - Selwyn's Snapshots of 1921 - "On the Brim of Her Old-Fashioned Bonnet", "The Baby Blues" and "Futuristic Melody" (lyrics by E. Ray Goetz, songs unpublished)
1921 - The Perfect Fool - "My Log-Cabin Home" (lyrics by Irving Caesar and Buddy De Sylva); "No One Else but that Girl of Mine" (lyrics by Irving Caesar)
1922 - The French Doll - "Do It Again!" (lyrics by Buddy De Sylva)
1922 - For Goodness Sake - "Someone" and "Tra-la-la" (lyrics by Ira Gershwin)
1922 - Spice of 1922 - "The Yankee Doodle Blues" (lyrics by Irving Caesar and Buddy De Sylva)
1922 - The Dancing Girl - "That American Boy of Mine" (lyrics by Irving Caesar)
1923 - Little Miss Bluebeard - "I Won’t Say I Will, But I Won’t Say I Won’t" (lyrics by Ira Gershwin and Buddy De Sylva)
1923 - Nifties of 1923 - "At Half-Past Seven" (lyrics by Buddy De Sylva); "Nashville Nightingale" (lyrics by Irving Caesar)
1926 - Americana - "That Lost Barber Shop Chord" (lyrics by Ira Gershwin)
1930 - Nine-Fifteen Revue - "Toddlin' Along" (lyrics by Ira Gershwin)
1936 - The Show Is On - "By Strauss" (lyrics by Ira Gershwin). Revived in 1937

Works interpolating Gershwin songs posthumously
1953 - At Home With Ethel Waters - "Oh, Lady be Good!"
1956 - Mr. Wonderful, starring Sammy Davis Jr.
1967 - "I Got Rhythm" a hit single for pop vocal group The Happenings
1983 - My One And Only - an adaptation of the music from Funny Face
1986 - Uptown...It's Hot! - "Oh, Lady be Good!"
1992 - Crazy for You - musical adapting George and Ira Gershwin Tin Pan Alley and Broadway songs
Awarded the Tony Award for Best Musical
1999 - The Gershwins' Fascinating Rhythm - revue with songs by George and Ira Gershwin
2001 - George Gershwin Alone - one-man play by Hershey Felder, who portrayed Gershwin, incorporating "Swanee" from Sinbad (lyrics by Irving Caesar), "Embraceable You" from Girl Crazy (lyrics by Ira Gershwin), "Someone to Watch Over Me" from Oh, Kay! (lyrics by Ira Gershwin), "Bess, You is My Woman Now" from Porgy and Bess (lyrics by DuBose Heyward and Ira Gershwin), An American in Paris and Rhapsody in Blue.
2002 - Elaine Stritch at Liberty - But Not For Me
2002 - Back From Broadway - one-time concert featuring songs by George Gershwin

Miscellaneous songs
1916 - When You Want ’Em, You Can’t Get ’Em (When You’ve Got ’Em, You Don’t Want ’Em) (lyrics by Murray Roth)
1917 - Beautiful Bird (lyrics by Ira Gershwin and Lou Paley)
1917 - When There's a Chance To Dance (lyrics by Ira Gershwin)
1918 - Gush-Gush-Gushing (lyrics by Ira Gershwin)
1918 - When the Armies Disband (lyrics by Irving Caesar)
1918 - Good Little Tune (lyrics by Irving Caesar)
1919 - The Love of a Wife (lyrics by Arthur Jackson and B. G. DeSylva)
1919 - O Land of Mine, America (lyrics by Michael E. Rourke). A national anthem submittion for a New York American competition offering five thousand dollars to the winner. Gershwin received the lowest prize of fifty dollars.
1920 - Yan-Kee (lyrics by Irving Caesar)
1921 - Phoebe (lyrics by Ira Gershwin and Lou Paley)
1921 - Something Peculiar (lyrics by Ira Gershwin and Lou Paley)
1921 - Dixie Rose (lyrics by Irving Caesar and B. G. DeSylva)
1921 - In the Heart of a Geisha (lyrics by Fred Fisher)
1921 - Swanee Rose (lyrics by Irving Caesar and B. G. DeSylva)
1921 - Tomale (I’m Hot for You) (lyrics by B. G. DeSylva)
c.1921 - Molly-on-the-Shore (lyrics by Ira Gershwin)
c.1921 - Mischa, Yascha, Toscha, Sascha (lyrics by Ira Gershwin)
This is Gershwin's only finished work based on a Jewish theme, and the title is a reference to the first names of four Jewish-Russian violinists, Mischa Elman, Jascha Heifetz, Toscha Seidel and Sascha Jacobsen.
1922 - The Flapper (co-composed with William Daly, lyrics by B. G. DeSylva)
1925 - Harlem River Chanty and It’s a great little world! (lyrics by Ira Gershwin, originally composed for Tip-Toes on Broadway but not used)
1925 - Murderous Monty (and Light-Fingered Jane) (lyrics by Desmond Carter, composed for London production of Tell Me More.)
1926 - I’d rather charleston (lyrics by Desmond Carter, composed for London production of Lady Be Good.)
1928 - Beautiful gypsy and Rosalie (originally composed for Rosalie on Broadway, but not used)
1929 - Feeling Sentimental (originally composed for Show Girl on Broadway, but not used)
1929 - In the Mandarin’s Orchid Garden
1932 - You’ve got what gets me (composed for the first film version of Girl Crazy.
1933 - Till Then
1936 - King of Swing (lyrics by Al Stillman)
1936 - Strike up the band for U.C.L.A (to the same music as the song Strike Up The Band)
1937 - Hi-Ho! (lyrics by Ira Gershwin, originally composed for Shall We Dance, but not used)
1938 - Just Another Rhumba (lyrics by Ira Gershwin, originally composed for The Goldwyn Follies, but not used)
1938 - Dawn of a New Day

Musical films
1923 - The Sunshine Trail - theme song of same title (lyrics by Ira Gershwin), as well as accompaniment music for silent film
1931 - Delicious (lyrics by Ira Gershwin)
1937 - Shall We Dance (lyrics by Ira Gershwin)
1937 - A Damsel in Distress (lyrics by Ira Gershwin)
1938 - Goldwyn Follies (lyrics by Ira Gershwin)
Gershwin died during the filming. Vernon Duke completed and adapted Gerhwin's songs, and composed some additional ones.
1947 - The Shocking Miss Pilgrim (Kay Swift adapted a number of unpublished Gershwin melodies and Ira Gershwin wrote the lyrics.)
1964 - Kiss Me, Stupid (adaptations of unpublished Gershwin songs with lyrics by Ira Gershwin.)

Commercial works on piano
1917 - Rialto Ripples - A rag in collaboration with Will Donaldson
early 1920s - Three-Quarter Blues (Irish Waltz)
1926 - Swiss Miss (arrangement of a song from Lady Be Good)
1928 - Merry Andrew (arrangement of a dance piece from Rosalie)
1932 - George Gershwin’s Song-Book (arrangements of refrains from Gershwin songs)