名人轶事:George Gershwin: More of the Life and Music of One of A

（单词翻译）

George Gershwin: More of the Life and Music of One of America's Great

Songwriters

Written by - Shelley Gollust
(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

I’m Barbara Klein.

VOICE TWO:

And I’m Steve Ember with People in America in VOA Special English. Today we

continue our report about the life and music of one of America's greatest

composers, George Gershwin.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

As we reported last week, George Gershwin published his first song when he was

just eighteen years old. During the next twenty years, until his death, he

wrote more than five hundred more songs. He also wrote an opera, and music for

piano and orchestra¹.

Many of George Gershwin's songs were first written for musical plays performed

in theaters in New York City. These comedies, with plenty of songs, were a

popular form of entertainment in the nineteen twenties and nineteen thirties.

One of Gershwin's musical plays, "Girl Crazy," introduced a young singer named

Ethel Merman. She became one of the most celebrated² performers in America. In

the play, Ethel Merman sang a song George Gershwin wrote just for her. It was

called "I Got Rhythm. "

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Many songs that George Gershwin wrote for musical plays and movies have

remained as popular as ever. Over the years, they have been sung and played in

every possible way -- from jazz to country.


One example is the song, "Someone to Watch Over Me."  It was written for the

nineteen twenty-six musical "Oh, Kay!"  Here is a modern version of the song,

sung by Willie Nelson.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

In the nineteen twenties, there was a debate in the United States about jazz

music. Could jazz, some people asked, be considered serious music?

In nineteen twenty-four, jazz musician and orchestra leader Paul Whiteman

decided³ to organize a special concert to show that jazz was serious music.

George Gershwin agreed to compose something for the concert before he realized

how little time he had to do it. The concert was just a few weeks away.

Gershwin got busy. And, in that short time, he composed a piece for piano and

orchestra. He called it "Rhapsody in Blue."

VOICE TWO:

Gershwin himself played the piano part of "Rhapsody in Blue" at the concert.

The audience included some of the greatest classical musicians of the time.

When they heard his music, they were electrified⁴. It seemed to capture, for

the first time, the true voice of modern American culture. Today, we can still

hear Gershwin playing "Rhapsody in Blue." An old mechanical piano recording⁵

has been reproduced⁶ exactly on this recording. #p#副标题#e#

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

"Rhapsody in Blue" made George Gershwin famous all over the world. Several

hundred thousand copies of the printed music sold immediately. Gershwin was

satisfied that he had shown that jazz music could be both serious and popular.

Gershwin also wrote an opera, "Porgy and Bess. " It was based on a book by

DuBose Heyward. It is a tragic⁷ love story about black Americans along the

coast of South Carolina.

"Porgy And Bess" opened in Boston, Massachusetts, in nineteen thirty-five.

Audiences loved it. But most critics did not know what to think of it. It was

not like any other opera or musical play they had ever seen.

Gershwin was not affected⁸ by the critics' opinions. He believed some of his

greatest music had gone into the opera. He said he had created a new musical

form -- an opera based on popular culture. Here is the song "Summertime" from

a later production of “Porgy and Bess” in nineteen fifty-two. Leontyne

Price, who played Bess, sings the song.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:
Another well-known Gershwin piece is "An American in Paris. " It is a long

tone⁹ poem for orchestra. Its first public performance was by the New York

Philharmonic Orchestra in nineteen twenty-eight. Here is a modern recording

from “An American in Paris.”

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Once again, opinion was mixed. Most people loved "An American in Paris," as

they loved all of Gershwin's music. Some critics liked it, too. They called it

happy and full of life. Others hated it. They called it silly and long-winded.

Still, it remains¹⁰ one of his most popular works.

VOICE TWO:

George Gershwin died in nineteen thirty-seven, just days after doctors learned

he had brain cancer. He was only thirty-nine years old. Newspapers all over

the world reported his death on their front pages. Everyone mourned the loss

of the man and all the music he might have written. George Gershwin is still

considered one of America's greatest composers. His works still are performed

by many singers and groups. They are probably performed more often than any

other serious American composer.

VOICE ONE:

Austrian composer Arnold Schoenberg was one of the people who praised George

Gershwin. Schoenberg said Gershwin was a man who lived in music and expressed

everything through music, because music was his native language.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

This program was written by Shelley Gollust. It was produced by Lawan Davis. I

’m Steve Ember.

VOICE ONE:

And I’m Barbara Klein. Join us again next week for People in America in VOA

Special English.