George Gershwin - The Tragic End of a Musical Prodigy | Biographical Documentary

[@MrZimmmy]

I’m a New Yorker who fell in love with George Gershwin’s music beginning with Rhapsody in Blue when I was 12. And to this day, nearly 64 years later, I stop and listen to Gershwin’s music. Rhapsody in Blue will be the final sounds I hear before I am laid to rest.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

His music always sounds fresh, however often you hear it.

[@paulakpacente]

I'm 70 years old. My mom played classical music when I was a child, and I never lost my love for George Gershwin.

[@MartiWilliams-r2z]

Same here.

[@allisonhogg5131]

Thank you. I was a mental health nurse for 30 years so found it very interesting. I knew it was a brain tumour by his symptoms and have in the past nursed an individual who would always throw themselves on the floor. We where told to ignore their attention seeking behaviour until the patient was eventually scanned and found to have a brain tumour. Over time this changed thankfully and organic causes are ruled out first. Georges music reminds me of my father particularly "Rhapsody in Blue". George was very talented but I never knew he painted so will check them out.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Yes, nowadays he would have had a scan and an operation and if it wasn't the highly malignant tumour, he would have lived probably without any other problems.

[@liviia305]

My paternal grandfather died in the 1930s due to a brain tumor. Not much could be done for them back then, and sadly, it was a source of family shame, and never discussed.

[@dshe8637]

It's desperately sad that people going through such serious conditions are dismissed as neurotic and morally deficient. It's quite horrible.

[@lynettedonovan385]

Uh

[@lynettedonovan385]

22:15 ​@@liviia305

[@Mike20216]

So sad to have lost this genius at such a young age, but god what a legacy he left us.

[@janethayes5941]

I was 4 years old. My aunt had a recording of Rhapsody in Blue on a 78 if you can imagine! She played it for me and my world was never the same. No more kid songs for me. I wanted more.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

There is nothing like Gershwin!

[@auapplemac1976]

I too heard Rhapsody at a young age and was immediately attracted to it. I had heard other classical music, but this was different and touched me in a different way. Have been a fervent Gershwin fan since them. Have seen Porgy and Bess performed on stage several times and have a recording of the original production. John Bubbles who played Sportin’ Life was amazing.

[@maudeboggins9834]

Mr. Gershwin & Irving Berlin were two immensely talented musicians. Mr. Berlin enjoyed 101 years on this earth.

[@Pamela-b5e]

We too had a recording on a 78. I still have it.

[@pamelab7235]

When I was 10 I got chicken pox and my mom would play Gershwin records for me to help pass the time. Like you, it changed my life when it comes to music appreciation.

[@begotten59]

Thank you Professor Graeme Yorston. I was diagnosed with brain cancer/GBM survivor 18 years and counting.--👨🏽‍🦽👏👏👏🥇🥇🥇

[@blueberry3168]

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@MrZimmmy]

What might have been for GG and the music world if his tumor had been diagnosed when it was operable to save him.

[@elliepascoe5954]

I have recorded/remastered old jazz music for more than thirty years, and the Gershwin brothers were a constant golden thread❤But then, all the Gershwin children were multi talented. Imagine growing up in those times, in that family.Wow! Love your view on Gershwin!

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you.

[@biancamonzo8117]

I used to experience severe migraines and it was sheer hell, I can only imagine what poor Mr. Gershwin was going through. I come from a musical family and the Gershwin's music was much cherished in our house. Another great video, well done 💜

[@ricvalentino2502]

Fascinating documentary. Like Mozart, Buddy Holly, Hank Williams, Robert Johnson, or any other musician who died young, what beautiful music we lost.

[@jubalcalif9100]

As I do when I take off my hat, you make a good point!

[@helenvalerio4864]

B by

[@yvonnebaker393]

Look at it differently! What if he had not been born? Like Elvis, Mozart etc.(died young) aren't we lucky we had them AT ALL ??????

[@hectorberlioz1449]

Do not forget Mendelssohn and Schubert!

[@secretshaman189]

Thank-you so much for emphasizing that creative artists don't have to be deranged or an addict of some kind to be any good.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

It's a common misperception.

[@dianeruiz0721]

The psychiatric and medical community truly failed this man. What a shame. Thanks George for all the smiles your music and art continue to bring us, year after year! What a gifted artist ❤

[@professorgraemeyorston]

I know it seems he was let down, but without an LP or ventriculogram, the diagnosis would not have been clear.

[@graerindley6312]

If you want the medical community to be perfect you'll be waiting forever.

[@oncdoc01]

George watched Ira go through pneumonia and recover. So, when George Gershwin contracted a cold, he presumed that his determination could outlast the development of pneumonia in both lungs. Without the benefit of anti-biotics, back in the 1920's, George Gershwin didn't have an ice-cubes chance in hell of recovering from Pneumonia.

[@MartiWilliams-r2z]

Agree.

[@alecwilliams7111]

An additional remark: Duke Ellington--a great jazz musician dislike the movie biography of Gershwin. He said it showed Gershwin being rude to people: "I knew George Gershwin, and I never saw him be rude to anyone" (MUSIC IS MY MISTRESS by Duke Ellington). That a pretty good epitaph for anyone.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

He seems to have been a genuinely nice guy!

[@sarahhearn-vonfoerster7401]

Ellington, himself, was an exceedingly talented and generous man, by all accounts. A wonderful comment in support of his friend.

[@jubalcalif9100]

Well said and well put!

[@twangel46]

I really like rhapsody in blue and concerto in F

[@johnlee9997]

À​@@professorgraemeyorston

[@dshe8637]

I have only just discovered this fascinatjng channel. I can't believe it hasn't been recommended sooner. The quality, intelligence, compassion and knowledge of these is wonderful. It deserves wider recommendation by KZbin, so I urge anyone who enjoyed one of them to subscribe.

[@mf-cv4ve]

Absolutely, I only just discovered this beautiful channel today and subscribed immediately !

[@angelaknebel4156]

So sad we lost him so soon!!! RIP Maestro Gershwin 💔 A really interesting biography although so very sad to hear the details of his illness, thank you for uploading

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Glad you enjoyed it.

[@sandramyer7081]

Very sad - so sad 😢

[@hank1519]

The fact that his sister-in-law accused him of faking his symptoms is appalling

[@MFYouTube683]

You’re the same kind of person she was back then

[@theatreorganman]

A landmark production that not only contributes importantly to the biography of Gershwin but also to the condition of man.

[@voyaristika5673]

I'd no idea he was so young when he died. It's incredible what he accomplished in that time. Such gifts! It's disconcerting to think of how long he suffered without any medical diagnosis or direction. I can't imagine the fear and frustration he dealt with trying to figure out how and why he was "doing this to himself" when the whole time he was trying to make a brain tumor go away. Honestly, that poor man has my heart for that reason. Well, Dr. Yorston, you've produced yet another excellent video. Your work is so easy to follow and everything I watch is engrossing. Thanks!

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you, glad you're enjoying them.

[@kennance115]

Well said good soul

[@loriedmundson782]

A great fan of Gershwin since age of 17, when played 3rd chair clarinet high school band. We played Rhapsody in Blue, songs from Porgy and Bess, and American In Paris. Fell madly in love with the music, and Gene Kelly. Very much enjoy your channel. ❤

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you, I'm glad you're enjoying the videos.

[@williamhollin1445]

I was a HS Band teacher for 45 years. THIS is what HS band is for! Glad your HS BD did right by you!

[@deborahwalters6042]

My favorite piece by Gershwin was "Rhapsody in Blue" until I heard his "Concerto in F for Piano and Orchestra." Now "Rhapsody in Blue" takes second. I love his music so much that I named my black Peek-a-poo "Gersha Nichole" after George Gershwin.

[@maureensaathoff7801]

@@deborahwalters6042

[@jamestojoinujkkhpuddle1897]

4😊 .😮t😅6​hk😢5@@williamhollin1445

[@alecwilliams7111]

Thanks for running the biography of George Gershwin. I am a long time fan, and have been in orchestras playing his music. I think he was one of the greatest American composers of all time.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

I agree!

[@ralphstern2845]

Another great Ashkenazi that changed the world we live in

[@MARIANSCATLIFFE]

Iam an Askenazic too

[@Sonic-dogmagic]

Loved George Gershwin's music and Ira Gershwins lyrics! God seems to gift great talented people to the world for a very short time. ❤😢❤

[@per-arnemoa103]

Especially His chosen people, the jews. As He promised to Abraham and the blessings. ❤

[@cathywestholt5324]

George Gershwin is the first person I think of if someone asks who would you like to meet past or present. His music is so captivating no matter if it's a love song, rhapsody, lighthearted, etc., they all steal my heart. I am so saddened that his life was cut so short. What a wonderful man! ❤❤❤ I guess I have a special empathy since I have had epilepsy for 65 years, primarily myoclonic. Thank you for this wonderful video! ❤❤❤

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Glad you enjoyed it.

[@AnthonyAbbott-fv7ms]

@@professorgraemeyorston

[@JillGrunewald-lp7lp]

@@professorgraemeyorston do you know any collectors who would like to buy my dad’s 78 jazz records…. He just passed away in April 3 weeks before his 100th birthday.

[@susanford2388]

George Gershwin was an exceedingly talented man. Gone before his time.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Very true.

[@Sybil-RoxanneClemons]

All of those doctors could not find the the brain tumor? Shame on them. 😢😢😢😢

[@Sybil-RoxanneClemons]

​@@professorgraemeyorstonI want to know more about the trumpet player Tonni Kalash

[@jubalcalif9100]

I heartily concur!

[@smorozova2]

p​@@jubalcalif9100

[@sunnybeaches1331]

EXCELLENT VIDEO! Sorry for George Gershwin. Not much different from people today. What a loss to all people.😢

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@TuckerSP2011]

Thank you Professor! Very interesting biography of George Gershwin. He certainly was an American treasure. Sad that he died so young from a brain tumor.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

I wonder what he would have gone on to do if he'd lived another 30 years.

[@bobtaylor170]

​@@professorgraemeyorstonthis is a question which seems to particularly haunt us in regard to composers. It's said about Mozart, about Schubert, about Jimi Hendrix, about Charlie Parker. ( Now, there's a case for you, Doctor. ) But I've never really heard it said about Aubrey Beardsley, whose short of yours from earlier in the week I enjoyed. I know people have speculated about Keats, and rightly so, but it's hard for me to think of anyone else who wasn't a composer whom people have wondered about in that regard. You may be familiar with the great American popular song from circa 1940, "East of the Sun, West of the Moon." It's a stunning piece of work, but it's not by Kern, Rodgers, Berlin, or Arlen. It was written for a college show by a 22 year old senior from an Ivy League college. One of the Hollywood studios was so taken with his talent that they offered, and he accepted, a lucrative contract to write exclusively for them. However, "East of the Sun, West of the Moon" is the only song we have from him, because on his cross country trip to California, he was killed in an auto accident. Now, that's a haunting one.

[@TuckerSP2011]

@@professorgraemeyorston I'm sure amazing, liberating music!

[@generalcomments1239]

Never get enough of these videos. Always great

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you.

[@jenford7078]

How tragic and such a loss... Thank you for pointing out his genius was uncomplicated by substance abuse or mental health disorders.

[@jubalcalif9100]

Indeed!

[@phyllisurman-klein9038]

Peter Klein, my husband, toured Porgy and Bess around the world from 1992 to 2013. He learned from Leopold, the son of Frances, that George named the opera Porgy and Bess after an intimate relationship with Ann Brown, the first Bess. We also learned from Liza Minelli that Judy Garland was with the family when they received the fatal news and were all in shock! I'm a psychoanalyst very appreciative of the attention you gave to the tragedy of George's misdiagnosis.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Fascinating, thank you.

[@mel-dv5jx]

What nonsense, naming Porgy and Bess after an intimate relationship with Ann Brown! Not exactly. The book by DuBose Heyward was written some time before the opera, which was based on this book, was composed. It was titled "Porgy" and the character of Bess was Heyward's creation. George Gershwin never met Ann Brown until after she wrote to him and he invited her to audition for the opera. “In our last days of rehearsals in New York before heading up to Boston for previews,” Ann related, “George took me to lunch. ‘Come on,’ he said, ‘I’m going to buy you an orange juice. Then, when we were seated, he made this announcement. I remember his words exactly because they thrilled me so. ‘I want you to know, Miss Brown,’ he said, ‘that henceforth and forever after, George Gershwin’s opera will be known as Porgy and Bess.”

[@adougherty8869]

My mother had the original performance of Porgy and Bess on 78s. When I got my first little record player at age 7, it played 78s and I was in heaven. Living in our house with so much modern classical music shaped my appreciation for music for all my 73 years. This makes me miss Mom so much. (I learned to read music from age 5, turning pages for her when she played, even tho she knew most by heart.)

[@PJGRAND]

George Gershwin gave us some of the most beautiful music ever heard especially Rhapsody in Blue and sad that we lost such a great talent so young at 39 Mozart and Chopin also died in their '30s but we were lucky to just have the music we have of them.

[@hectorberlioz1449]

Don't forget Schubert and Mendelssohn !

[@jayriedmuller7187]

He truly was a musical genius. Not right that he died so young. Very sad.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

A real tragedy.

[@autumnleaves2766]

Excellent presentation. George Gershwin would be delighted to know that his music is still loved by so many. I love playing jazz piano myself and also compose a few tunes. The Gershwin songs I enjoy playing include Summertime, Lady Be Good, Nice Work If You Can Get It, A Foggy Day, Fascinating Rhythm, They Can't Take That Away From Me, Strike Up The Band, I Was Doing Alright, The Man I Love, I Got Rhythm and Our Love Is Here To Stay. I think he really captured the spirit of bustling, optimistic mid-20th century America. I wonder if the type of brain tumour he had would be survivable today ? Presumably it would be if detected early enough.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

If it was a Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) - the most common type of primary malignant brain tumour in adults - it is the most aggressive and lethal with less than 1% of all patients surviving for more than ten years, even today - but if it was a less aggressive type then it would have been treatable.

[@jilkat25]

I recently heard that George Gershwin wrote "Our Love Is Here To Stay" a mere 36 hours before his death. He would have, no doubt, continued to compose many more of the standards of our cultural heritage for decades had he not been taken from us so soon. My younger brother was diagnosed with glioblastoma in late 2021, and claimed he had few severe symptoms (a bit of dizziness, mild headaches) until he had a seizure right before his diagnosis with an orange-sized tumor deep within the folds of the right side of his brain. He survived less than 3 months, despite being treated by an extraordinary and renowned oncological neurosurgeon. My brother and I had been adopted when our parents were in their mid-forties, so, growing up, our parents were the age of most of our friends' grandparents. They had both survived the 1918 influenza pandemic which had taken both our mother's mother and our father's father. The flu had left our mother very petite and unable to become pregnant. She passed away over a single weekend in 2018 at 106 (probably from Norovirus which had suddenly raged through her retirement center.) Since the age of 7 in 1918/19 she never again had any form of influenza, even when the rest of our family came down with it annually until seasonal vaccines became available. She was the healthiest person I ever knew until her last 72 hours. Dad was a US Army medic stationed in southern England during the war. He died of leukemia in 1988. Gershwin's music was the soundtrack of my parents' lives. At my mother's 104th birthday party there was a fabulous pianist and singer whose repertoire was all songs from Gershwin's era and from WWII. There were many seniors in attendance (the center was only for healthy seniors-no medical conditions allowed beyond a few mild mobility issues.) And although my mom (b. 1911) was the eldest, a man named Sam Houston III was turning 102 and claimed to be the grandson of the Texas statesman. They all knew every word of every song. I get emotional just thinking about it. "Someone To Watch Over Me" had the whole room sniffling. I'm certain each one had a personal memory of every tune. In fact, I heard this same group of people sing this song and others many times, even without the beautiful piano accompaniment of that night's party; they just frequently sang together a capella in the dining room-because they could. They were a fun group of very old yet vibrant people. The pianist at the party asked the group, "What is the one thing you would "un-invent" if you could?" And, several of them, without hesitation, said, "The Bomb!" I'm sure most of them are gone now, post-Covid. But, I'm so grateful George Gershwin's music will survive long past all of us, as it should. Thank you for your wonderful biographical medical videos! I plan to watch them all!

[@autumnleaves2766]

@@professorgraemeyorston Thanks for the information..

[@autumnleaves2766]

@@jilkat25 Sorry to read about your brother, but loved the account of the Gershwin-themed birthday party for your mother. It is sad to think of the decline in standard of popular music in recent decades, not to mention the banal lyrics.

[@erichorowitz4237]

SOMEONE to WATCH OVER ME; LOVE WALKED IN; EMBRACEABLE YOU; HOW LONG HAS THIS BEEN GOING ON?; listen to the 18 SONGS (transcriptions); 4 SONGS from Oh Kay.

[@mattsadovnikoff1457]

Thank you, Doctor, for this wonderful documentary. His music had and always will have an inestimable impact on the lives of so many millions. We still need much more research into brain illness and dysfunction. RIP George!

[@paulalb-n2f]

My god this was sad-- and so very good. Ill need to watch it again tonight. So young. So much music yet to be written.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

A real tragedy.

[@Sybil-RoxanneClemons]

@@professorgraemeyorston I love I've Got a Crush on You, Do Do Do, Embraceable You, Walking The Dog. I am a Gershwin-A-Holic

[@muffassa6739]

Thank you so very much for your video. He was a great composer and a wonderful man who passed away far too young. It's so nice to see him honored 💕

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Glad you enjoyed it.

[@jeankroeber2481]

Thank you so much for this fascinating film. I have always loved Gershwin's music. My brother, a cardiologist, died of Glioblastoma within a span of 2 yrs. He went through long periods of not saying anything. It was heartbreaking. At least, we are still left with Mr. Gershwin's beautiful music and it was apparent that while he lived, he was very good at it.

[@prototropo]

I'm really sorry you lost your brother. Your post caught my eye because within a few recent years, I lost both my doctor and my dentist to brain tumors. Beyond my sadness it made me wonder about the environmental risks to health workers.

[@jeankroeber2481]

@@prototropo Thank you. I don't know really. My brother was health-conscious his entire life. He never smoked, drank wine in moderation, ate healthy food. He rode his bike, gardened, rowed (skulling) to his office. And yes, he loved music -- played piano for relaxation. An all-around popular guy, beloved by patients and friends alike. I share in your sadness at having lost both your doctor and dentist to this brutal disease...like being rudderless. You remember them forever. 🙏

[@marykinsella417]

​@@prototropo By

[@truecynic1270]

An absolute favourite of mine. Such a genius! Such a musician! Such a joy! Such an original! So sad to learn that his life, too, was tragic.........undeserved............ one bit. Wonderful music. Thank you, George Gershwin - I LOVE your talent, creativity and work.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

That's very enthusiastic for a cynic!

[@cher4500]

George was an Amazing Writer. Wrote Some Beautiful Music.. They were so talented. Ira and George Gershwin.. 💖 🎹 ✍ So Talented with such beautiful tunes.. Timeless..

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Very true.

[@johnkingsley9525]

Watching Gershwin using a pencil to fill in notes reminded me when I worked in my fathers fountain pen store on Hollywood Blvd. repairing and selling fountain pens. Music copyist’s who at that time would take sheets of music that composers had penciled in the general melody and with a fountain pen make a new copy in black ink so it could be printed. They used a gold stub three prong flexible nib with a iridium point for hardness so you could get a fine line and when you pressed down the nib would spread apart to make the full note. I would adjust and custom the nib to their hand position. Times sure change and at 88 you can bet I have seen plenty. Now living in Costa Rica. 🌴😎🌴

[@larskars5835]

This is fascinating. Thank you.

[@mreale2811]

Hi, I’m a 76 year old granny & still have several “fountain pens” that I still use from time to time…Its so sad that young people don’t learn how to actually “ write” anymore…..IMO 🇨🇦✝️🇬🇧

[@larryboysen5911]

His gift was surly God given, right from birth! He accomplished his deep mission...the bring his art to the enjoyment of millions. Just imagine how his additional vast "store house" of compositions would have added so much more to "music for the millions"...if not cut short! Thank you, Ira, for your lyrical talents as well!

[@stevedimartino683]

Thank you for the great job you did, I love George Gershwin music, he was an extraordinary composer of the modern era.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Glad you enjoyed it.

[@JohnnyJBlairSingeratLarge]

This is the perfect short documentary on Gershwin. Thanks for doing this. Keep up the good work.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Glad you enjoyed it.

[@Pretermit_Sound]

God. That clarinet glissando at the beginning of Rhapsody gives me goosebumps every time no matter how many times I hear it 🥰

[@professorgraemeyorston]

I agree - I think that critic got it wrong!

[@robertmatch6550]

That was a great compliment from Ravel, himself one of the greats!

[@RobertDeMartin]

Thank you so much. So were the times in the early 20th Century. One point which the video makes is that regardless of a person's makeup and challenges in their life they can dedicate their lives to accomplishing amazing results particularly in the artistic world. Early in the video someone recognized his talent by calling him a genius. Yes, jealousy, business and politics aside, if one just listened and 'felt' his music more of the so called experts would agree and publicly say so. I wonder what George Gershwin would have done had he lasted beyond World War II. Of course, Broadway exploded in the 50's and movies more and more were featuring musical themes. He and his music will never be forgotten. It was nice to see the public show their respect to one of Country's greatest composers.

[@dianefrank3058]

When I think of l all the magnificent music he didn’t live to compose, my heart cries😢

[@singingbeach]

So very true...

[@51394547]

Not true at all. He might not have composed anything. The well might have been dry. One cannot comment on what a person didn't achieve.

[@dianefrank3058]

That's a very sad and negative outlook to me. I prefer to believe his talent would have continued uninterrupted had he lived longer, just like Ira’s.

[@analauraaznar1552]

Amazing! I first heard Blue Rhapsody in the cartoons. Then, my mother played us an LP called "Classics for Children" and there I identified Gershwin. I will always remember him with that same joy. Thanks Professor Yorston, great job as usual. :)

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Glad you enjoyed it.

[@SusanDrennon]

Thank you. Very informative & very interesting. Didn't look at my watch once. This is my first program of yours. Looks like I'm hooked. Good job.

[@beblader9]

A sad end for such a gifted man. Tragedy.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

And so multi-talented.

[@Sybil-RoxanneClemons]

Absolutely.

[@grantlawrence611]

A musical genius

[@mf-cv4ve]

​@@professorgraemeyorston Indeed! Thankyou so much for your beautiful channel. I'd love to discover his paintings ?

[@CarolLustgarten]

Very good video. Informative. Well researched. Loved the background information on him. Very talented creative. Loved his work. Died too young. Sad 😔. But we still have his music 🎶. 😊😊.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

We do indeed.

[@EastMontana1]

You are absolutely right. Addiction only destroys your brain and body. People confuse creativity with tripping on drugs. Both are two completely things. But today most of people think that tripping and high on substances is creating. lol Ignorance is blind and High as a kite ...

[@donnaemerson6278]

Thank you for this compassionate, thorough biography of George Gershwin. Had he lived today, his brain tumor would've likely been found early, and he may have survived. I will appreciate him all the more for what you have shared about his joyful spirit.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you.

[@bigbandsrock1]

Loved Mr. Gershwin so much! Knew much of his story, but had never heard that had his tumor been discovered earlier he might have survived! Heart wrenching to hear that! my admiration and fondness for him will live on, always!! ❤️🌹

[@professorgraemeyorston]

He was one of the greats.

[@davidstokle2259]

I'm epileptic and creative and rarely drink or take drugs other than for my condition. What I find is that physical motion is what most stimulates my ideas. The bulk of my ideas come about when I am walking or cycling. I can't explain why, but this is what happens. Brilliant documentary. Thank you.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Repetitive activity can induce an alpha state in which you are receptive to new ideas.

[@davidstokle2259]

@@professorgraemeyorston Thank you. I just read up on alpha state and learned quite a bit. I then realized Gershwin probably experienced an alpha state when you quickly composed Rhapsody in Blue.

[@leslieackerman4189]

Magnificent study. Does not warrant so many comments starting with…“I“. Full of details and superbly produced.

[@jbbevan]

I have studied Gershwin since 1958 when I saw Rhapsody in Blue (which was the beginning of my extensive classical collection) but this treatise told me things I did not know and put some other things into perspective I had not realized. My first live concert was February 12, 1958 and it was Paul Whiteman conducting an all-Gershwin program with the Utah Symphony in the Salt Lake Tabernacle (6,500 seats). This was also celebrating the USO's release of Rhapsody in Blue, American in Paris, and the Concerto in F on Westminster at the same time. Ira Gershwin got hold of these recordings and liked them so well that he offered Gershwin's "Original Suite from Porgy & Bess" to Maurice Abravanel to record. It was not published and the parts were borrowed by Ira from the Library of Congress. Abravanel and the USO recorded it in 1959 for Westminster. It received stronger reviews than expected and most critics liked it better than Robert Russel Bennett's prevailing "Symphonic Picture." So the "Original Suite" was then published as "Catfish Row" which has had many recordings since...including from the Berlin Philharmonic/Ozawa. But the first and pioneering recording was the Utah Symphony Orchestra under Abravanel.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you, I love Gershwin's music but didn't know how Catfish Row first saw light of day.

[@jbbevan]

@@professorgraemeyorston Maurice Abravanel and Ira became friends when Abravanel was Weill's "personal" conductor for a period.

[@denisehowland]

I love Gershwin’s compositions . Thank you for an unsensational, fact based and very interesting account of his life and illness.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you.

[@marianaovalle6205]

I loved watching your documentary. Thank you. I’m sure George Gershwin is happy in heaven, grateful you did this for him and everyone who loved and loves him still.

[@prototropo]

What a fantastic biographical essay. I learned so many new aspects of a man whose music and influence over American culture has meant so much to me. This was a huge treat, even if it describes a terrible loss for us all. The drama of his life is a bit reminiscent of several other, too many other, great composers whose lives were terribly abbreviated--Purcell, Mozart, Schubert, Chopin, Mendelssohn. One detail that felt out of place in such an intelligent, compassionate portrayal is the old descriptor of "illegitimate" to describe a child born to unwed parents. Obviously, no human being, whether squalling infant or intrepid migrant, is inherently illegal or invalid. A newborn baby entering, as we all do, a life not of its choosing and a world not of its making, is the least deserving soul imaginable of such a title. That adjective is instead a very unattractive indictment of a society's own insufficiencies.

[@ValeryFarrington]

Hi. What a splendid description of a much loved composer..love his music and his personality. ❤️. Valérie

[@grantlawrence611]

I wish i would have known this. My wife was diagnosed as schizoaffective disorder when in fact she had many of the symptoms of Gershwen. She had a massive undiagnosed brain tumor. The size of a grapefruit... Glioblastoma. By time it was found was during Covid tgey refused to operate because of restrictions of it being a matter of life and death within a few hours. After several months of waiting. It was determined the tumor had progressed too far. Who knows how many of these organic mental health issues are being overlooked because of failure to run brain scans.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thanks for sharing, I think a lot of things got missed during the pandemic because of telephone consultations and delays.

[@lindahughes2289]

So sorry for both your wife, you and your family.Life can be very unfair. Yes, unfair. Bless you all

[@grantlawrence611]

@@lindahughes2289 thank you

[@sanetteduplessis2048]

Q

[@OzzieJayne]

What a talent, I didn't know he also painted! Such a damn shame the tumour was danced around til too late. Aussie poet/writer Henry Lawson summed up his muse, - "Beer makes you feel how you ought to feel without beer"

[@jubalcalif9100]

I too never knew before now that he painted! What an incredibly talented man he was.

[@aspasiagravanis1724]

Thank you i really love his music and we’re missing him may he’s resting peacefully and knowing that he will live forever in our hearts ❤️ thank you 🙏 for your representation well done 👍 thank you 🙏 ❤️❤️❤️may his memory be eternal 💐❤

[@deborahorford854]

Beautifully done biography of this amazing musician!! Thank you!!!

[@franklinshouse8719]

Great video!!! Wonderful. I love Gershwin and his music, and the story of his short life is very interesting.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@gjs9366]

Excellent documentary about a great American genius, and his sad, tragic end.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you.

[@ronaldmartin4664]

This is excellent! Thank you so much! As a lifelong lover & student of Gershwin's music, I am deeply grateful. You nailed this genius's personality.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it.

[@walterbsprinks]

I heard Gershwins Rhapsody in Blue at 12years old. Gershwins Music has a certain Wonderful Magic that changes lives. His artistic interpretations were and still are sublime unique melodies. Your Doco was excellently written and balanced!

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you.

[@PhyllisFishman]

What does doco stand for?

[@marionpfander8752]

​@@PhyllisFishman It's probably " docu " for documentary , yes ?

[@elviramcintosh9878]

Great story well presented. Greetings from Australia.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@colleenrichards5662]

Hello from NSW….💙🇦🇺

[@joemahma9069]

Excellent effort, Prof. Yorston! The chromatic clarinet slur at the intro to Rhapsody in Blue should cement in the mind of ALL musicians the genius. Thanks much!

[@adougherty8869]

My mother was a concert pianist who loved, arranged and rearranged, and brilliantly played “Rhapsody in Blue” all her piano-playing years. It is such an extraordinary piece and brings back years of my young life! I tried to play it for years myself and was mesmerized by its complexity. And it made me understand my mother’s exceptional mind more every time I heard her play. The man who wrote that piece was genius itself. His too short life always broke my heart. This video is full of personal reminders of the music-filled life I was so fortunate to grow up with. Thank you.

[@Mrsplanetmaster9]

My sister and I were diehard Steely Dan fans in the 70's , my mom a Juliard educated pianist, sister violin and I a dancer...we grew up hearing mother say the Dan Bros are brilliant BUT I grew up with The Gershwin Bros; I win‼️And taking off on United Airlines flights to the sound of Rhapsody in Blue 💙..Thank you for these memories 👍🏻🌹

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Glad it has has brought back some memories.

[@katherinevallo2326]

My mom growing up would play classical music including Gershwin. I still love Gershwin because of my mom.

[@jayanthonywillis3048]

At last! Something on KZbin that was worth watching! Thank you so much! Let me compliment you on your compassionate and comprehesive approach to your subject; it made the story of Gershwin's life and artistic accomplishments all the more enthralling.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you.

[@reidx512]

Thank you for this... I knew I was grown up lol, when my teacher gave me his work, to leant . I love this very special man.... Wow...

[@sandramyer7081]

I Love George Gershwin composing and music since i was a kid- Rhapsody if Blue was my favorite on the piano

[@professorgraemeyorston]

He was a great composer.

[@dianethouin2825]

Merci pour ce superbe documentaire. J'en pleure de tristesse car si les médecins avaient fait un travail plus approfondi, j'imagine les oeuvres extraordinaires dont il était capable...

[@Dylonely_9274]

Il était plus qu’un génie, sa mort prématurée est une perte comme il n’y en a eu que très peu dans l’histoire de l’art… quand on sait ce qu’est son opéra (dernière grande œuvre classique) et ses dernières chansons, nous ne pouvons que témoigner indéniablement l’ampleur de la tragique.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Merci, c'est très triste qu'il ait été retiré du monde si jeune.

[@mrs.g.9816]

My mom, my husband Steve, and my husband's uncle George all loved Gershwin. Of course, I do, too. George was a New York City cop in the 1960's. Steve told me once that George was enjoying a concert in a park. He was sitting back against a tree with a blissful smile on his face while listening to "Rhapsody in Blue". After the piece was finished, George said, "That music definitely captured this city's spirit!"

[@mdsailmaster22]

Why do we need to preserve our culture of Brooklyn in order to survive this kind of situation in our country tenaciously! This is a lifelong dream of ours to share our culture with others who have been affected in Brooklyn generations since childhood by exposure to cultural memories of our ancestors! ❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹✝️🇺🇸Slk

[@gerikepler5160]

Thank you. As a jazz vocalist, I also appreciate classical music and show tunes, know many Gershwin tunes and compositions, and I thoroughly enjoyed the video.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you.

[@hank1519]

Thank you so much! Forty minutes jam packed with information about this wonderful artist.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@pshaio5442]

Wonderful work. THank you. I hope thgere will be more.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you very much! The next composer will be Erik Satie.

[@xjAlbert]

Thanks for creating this excellent biography of a brilliant composer. I've performed a fair amount of Gershwin's music, including "Let 'Em Eat Cake" and "Of Thee I Sing," but I didn't know many of these biographical details until seeing this video, May 19, 2024.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@karenshadle365]

Thank you.born in 1956, my parent had a Gershwin record.. Rhapsody in Blue on one side, American in Paris on the other. Ive heard it all my life. And as a rock snd roll teenager,l loved it so much! Mom must have know this because when i moved to my own place at age 18, she got me my own copy. And i continue to listen snd love it very much.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Nice memory, thank you.

[@paulazemeckis7835]

I remember my parents' 78's. And there was one album cover with a woman wrapped in whipped cream. I was a classically trained pianist from 6 through 15. Wish I didn't stop. Enjoyed this vid. I played some of his music. Hello from sunny and warm St. Petersburg, Florida 🌴.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you - I'm glad it inspired you to play his music.

[@faeriesmak]

It’s not too late! You can play again!

[@perrywise2188]

The woman covered in whip cream was an album by Herb Albert and the Tijuana Brass kzbin.info/www/bejne/j2GaipyKpbubnJo

[@shavewithdave5339]

Ha… that album, called “Whipped Cream” was the first album I bought 😂

[@paulazemeckis7835]

I wish. Unfortunately I have my mother's genes... Alzheimer's. I feel it now at 65. I've always remember "Fur Elise" by Beethoven throughout the years. Maybe I will be spared and will be able to play it in a senior living place! 😃

[@AlyraMoondancer]

Thank you very much for this video. I have been a Gershwin fan since I was in junior high school. In 1969 a piano-playing friend of mine played his Second Prelude in C# minor for me and I was hooked. I collected every piece of his that I could find, both records and sheet music; read books about him and Ira; and learned to play piano (sort of - I'm better at guitar and voice) just so I could play his music. I even got to see a live performance of _Porgy and Bess,_ which was awesome. I celebrate George's birthday every year, and his music often dances through my head. Despite all that familiarity, I still learned some new things from your video!

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you, high praise from such a fan!

[@richardshiggins704]

As usual fascinating . As I followed the video I felt like screaming "neurologist" please ! However access to the brain was very limited in terms of physical diagnosis at that time . I suppose psychology was the default approach when so little else could be done . The air encephalogram was quite a painful procedure and not without hazard . We are so lucky nowadays to have access to instantaneous diagnosis via MRI / CT imaging . Many thanks for the humane appraisal of this gifted man .

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Perhaps if he hadn't had so many people tell him his symptoms were psychological he might have agreed to the LP and ventriculogram.

[@richardshiggins704]

@@professorgraemeyorston I think at this stage he was beyond rational insight as to the gravity of his own deteriorating condition .

[@nicipeper5288]

I so enjoy your videos- thank you so much. Gershwin has been an inspiration to me as a pianist, a singer, and the whole reason I took up clarinet in school. I never knew about his life and love him now all the more.

[@mariaguzman1552]

What a remarkable man! He left his soul to humanity. ❤

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Nicely put.

[@lucindamoran8686]

Wonderful document ary history, of George Gershwin! Thank you!🎉 Rapsody in Blue is one of my most famous songs! What a charming and talented man he was! He left us beautiful music and paintings to remember him always.

[@jazznoteblue5393]

My fave song to sing is Embraceable You. He sure accomplished a lot for dying at 38! Rest in peace George!❤

[@professorgraemeyorston]

He did indeed.

[@briggsak05]

Thankyou for the AMAZING CONTEMPORY BACKGROUND.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@AwareLife]

Thank you very much. Tragic story really, but his positivity was remarkable as well of course his music. Smoking was bigger then and I wondered at its possible role of the development of the tumor? I lost a number of older family members (born in twenties) from various forms of cancer. All were heavy smokers from that era and before smoking was discouraged, rather than encouraged in ads. 😔🙄

[@professorgraemeyorston]

There is no clear association of smoking and bran tumours, unlike many other forms of cancer.

[@musiciankellett]

Thank you for a fascinating and richly detailed insight into a composer whose genius still moves and inspires. I had read that Gershwin wrote Rhapsody in Blue on the train because he had forgotten that he had agreed to write it and basically winged the piano part because he hadn't had time to score the piano part. It may not be true, but it's a great story.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

He was a great improviser so it may well be true.

[@rebloyola5048]

Tku much Dr Yorston Such a crisp, clean, clear presentstion of Somebody everybody loves 😢

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Glad you enjoyed it.

[@jackieclark2004]

Life like mist appears just for a day and disappears tomorrow . Such a talented musician gone too soon💐🙏🏾

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Very true.

[@baylorsailor]

Rhapsody in Blue is my favorite piece. It's soooo good listening with noise canceling headphones.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Mine too.

[@priscillawatson7049]

O M G! SO UNFAIR FOR HIM, HAVING TO LIVE WITH A LETHAL MIS- DIAGNOSIS I too had a benign? meningioma that had to be taken out when it grew so much that threatened my life, I survived it but Im now nearly blind, a bit deaf, balance problems....but the world will not miss a massive creative talent because I've none....! such an unfair thing to happen to Gershwin! RIP

[@glo1761]

Thank you...very interesting. I always felt that his Concerto in F expressed the pain, turmoil and struggle he was experiencing during that time. It also was an amazing composition. I miss all the music he would have gone on to compose. He had just scratched the surface of his talents. He was brillient ❤❤❤ Bravo Mr. GERSHWIN. RIP

[@mikenixon2401]

Very interesting and informative, not only musical, buy neurological as well. I have an extremely rare manifestation of leukodystrophy and am pushing 70 years. It is amazing how both science and music has changed in 90 years. Medically, I'll take my modern treatment. Musically, Gershwin remains a king.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Very wise!

[@sarahhearn-vonfoerster7401]

It is a gift to be able to have great researchers, doctors, and treatments at this point in time, so that we can continue to enjoy the great music and art of the past. Continue to enjoy your life.

[@rosarioneiramoir1616]

Thank you. By causality this YT dropped on my cellular ! I am very glad to hear the life history of someone that I admired since the first time I head his music. 🙏

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thanks for watching.

[@paulalb-n2f]

Rhapsody in Blue. Limpid? Trite? Silly critic. Its universally appealing for something so "vapid." And "The Man i Love"? And "Someone To Watch Over Me" makes me tear up. In the best kind of way. Thank you for this, Professor!

[@bobtaylor170]

The critics and theoreticians are so often nitwits or pedants. Consider the great American musicologist, Alec Wilder, who in his classic, American Popular Song, uses much of his long chapter on Gershwin to criticize him for his use of repeated notes! I've wanted to dig Wilder up, pry open the lid, and shriek at him, "Those repeated notes which you take him to such task for were intrinsic to his genius, you twit!"

[@professorgraemeyorston]

I agree, I'm not sure what planet the critic was on!

[@Iceland874]

I use to fall asleep aa a toddler to Rhapsody in Blue and An American in Paris. I love the Gershwin brothers’ songs. My favorite is the collection “Gershwin Plays Gershwin”. Thank you for the nice video and history.