Rhapsody in Blue

Composer: GERSHWIN, George
  • Gershwin wrote Rhapsody in Blue for a 1924 concert directed by New York band leader Paul Whiteman. Whiteman advertised the concert heavily, billing it as “An Experiment in Modern Music.” Whiteman’s dance orchestra specialized in symphonic jazz arrangements, and this concert was intended to show off their crossover work to the public.1
  • The concert took place at Aeolian Hall in New York City on February 12, 1924. Gershwin appeared as piano soloist in Rhapsody in Blue. The concert was well-attended, especially by critics, thanks to Whiteman’s aggressive advertising campaign. The concert received extensive and positive press coverage, which helped establish Gershwin’s reputation as a composer who brought jazz into the concert hall.2
  • Though this may have been the earliest classical/jazz crossover event to achieve major critical success, Rhapsody in Blue was not the first classical work influenced by jazz. For example, Scott Joplin’s ballet The Ragtime Dance was staged in 1899, and his ragtime opera A Guest of Honor went on tour in 1903.3 This user-edited list offers several fascinating examples of early jazz-influenced classical works.

Sources

  1.  Richard Crawford and Wayne J. Schneider, “Gershwin, George,” Grove Music Online (October 16, 2013), accessed March 2, 2021, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-1002252861.
  2. Ibid.
  3. Edward A. Berlin, “Joplin, Scott,” Grove Music Online (October16, 2013), accessed March 2, 2021, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-1002253061. 

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