George Gershwin

Gershwin, George (1898–1937), U.S. composer. From an immigrant background, he rose to fame first as a songwriter and then with musical shows like Lady, Be Good! (1924), his first Broadway success, and the Pulitzer Prize-winning satire Of Thee I Sing (1931), among many others. He also wrote highly regarded orchestral pieces, Rhapsody in Blue (1924), Piano Concerto (1925), and An American in Paris (1928), and an opera, Porgy and Bess (1935), noted for its lyricism and emotional power. Many of his songs, as well as Porgy and Bess, were written in collaboration with his lyricist brother, Ira Gershwin (1896–1983). His work shows the influence of Maurice Ravel, Igor Stravinsky, and, especially, U.S. jazz.