Gershwin Information

The Gershwin Brothers, George (1898-1937) and his older brother, Ira (1896-1983), are often considered the greatest of the songwriting teams to make a permanent and indelible contribution to the art form known as "The Great and American Songbook" - and to world musical culture in general. The brothers were the children of Russian Jewish immigrants, both born in Brooklyn (and except for the occasional job in Hollywood, were lifelong New Yorkers) in 1898 and 1896, respectively. George was originally a piano prodigy and Ira showed an early gift for poetry, rhymes, and wordplay. Writing mostly for Broadway shows and Hollywood musicals (and for top stars like Fred Astaire and Ethel Merman) the two brothers created dozens and dozens of the most beloved songs ever written, like "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off," "Embraceable You," "The Man I Love," and "But Not For Me." The apogee of their working relationship was Porgy and Bess, the 1935 masterpiece that is virtually unchallenged as the greatest of all American operas (which features such iconic songs as "It Ain't Necessarily So" and "Summertime). George wrote several important songs before he began working with Ira, and consequently, Ira kept on writing for decades after his younger brother's tragically early death from a brain tumor at age 38, but the classic songs that they wrote together, from 1924 to 1937, are beloved by the world entire.