Gershwin: Vocal Works

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Explore the complete catalog of Vocal compositions by Gershwin. This curated list includes composition years, historical Wikipedia context, and interactive audio to add specific tracks directly to your listening queue.

Title Year Actions
A Damsel in Distress

A Damsel in Distress is 2015 musical written by Jeremy Sams and Robert Hudson, with music and lyrics primarily by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin. A romantic comedy, the musical is based on the novel A Damsel in Distress by P. G. Wodehouse, the 1928 play adapted from the novel, and the 1937 musical comedy film A Damsel in Distress based on the novel and play. The musical ran from 30 May to 27 June 2015 at Chichester Festival Theatre.

By Strauss

"By Strauss" is a 1936 song composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin. It pays homage to the music of Johann Strauss, Sr. and Johann Strauss, Jr.

Delicious

Ira Gershwin (born Israel Gershovitz; December 6, 1896 – August 17, 1983) was an American lyricist who collaborated with his younger brother, composer George Gershwin, to create some of the most memorable songs in the English language of the 20th century. With George, he wrote more than a dozen Broadway shows, featuring songs such as "I Got Rhythm", "Embraceable You", "The Man I Love", and "Someone to Watch Over Me". He was also responsible, along with DuBose Heyward, for the libretto to George's opera Porgy and Bess. The success the Gershwin brothers had with their collaborative works has often overshadowed the creative role that Ira played. His mastery of songwriting continued after George's early death in 1937. Ira wrote additional hit songs with composers Kurt Weill, Jerome Kern and Harold Arlen. His critically acclaimed 1959 book Lyrics on Several Occasions, an amalgam of autobiography and annotated anthology, is widely considered an important source for studying the art of the lyricist in the golden age of American popular song.

Do It Again; Soon

Ira Gershwin (born Israel Gershovitz; December 6, 1896 – August 17, 1983) was an American lyricist who collaborated with his younger brother, composer George Gershwin, to create some of the most memorable songs in the English language of the 20th century. With George, he wrote more than a dozen Broadway shows, featuring songs such as "I Got Rhythm", "Embraceable You", "The Man I Love", and "Someone to Watch Over Me". He was also responsible, along with DuBose Heyward, for the libretto to George's opera Porgy and Bess. The success the Gershwin brothers had with their collaborative works has often overshadowed the creative role that Ira played. His mastery of songwriting continued after George's early death in 1937. Ira wrote additional hit songs with composers Kurt Weill, Jerome Kern and Harold Arlen. His critically acclaimed 1959 book Lyrics on Several Occasions, an amalgam of autobiography and annotated anthology, is widely considered an important source for studying the art of the lyricist in the golden age of American popular song.

Do It Again!

"Do It Again" is an American popular song by composer George Gershwin and lyricist Buddy DeSylva. The song premiered in the 1922 Broadway show The French Doll, as performed by actress Irène Bordoni.

Drifting Along with the Tide

This is a list of compositions by George Gershwin, a Broadway songwriter and a classical composer. His works are grouped thematically in this list, and in chronological order according to the dates of compositions in the same group.

He Loves, She Loves; Our Love Is Here to Stay

An American in Paris is a 1951 American musical romantic comedy film inspired by the 1928 jazz-influenced symphonic poem (or tone poem) An American in Paris by George Gershwin. Starring Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron (her film debut), Oscar Levant, Georges Guétary, and Nina Foch, the film is set in Paris and was directed by Vincente Minnelli from a script by Alan Jay Lerner. The music is by George Gershwin with lyrics by his brother Ira, with additional music by Johnny Green and Saul Chaplin, the music directors. The story of the film is interspersed with dance numbers choreographed by Gene Kelly and set to Gershwin's music. Following the death of George Gershwin in 1937, George's brother Ira sold the Gershwin musical catalog to MGM executive Arthur Freed in the late 1940s. Some of the tunes in this catalog were included in the film, such as "I Got Rhythm" and "Love Is Here to Stay". Other songs in the movie include "I'll Build A Stairway to Paradise" and "'S Wonderful". The climax of the film is "The American in Paris" ballet, a 17-minute dialogue-free sequence featuring Kelly and Caron set to Gershwin's An American in Paris, with sets designed in the styles of various French artists. The ballet sequence cost nearly half a million dollars and was filmed on 44 sets on MGM's back lot. In an interview from 2009 with Paul O'Grady, Leslie Caron said the film ran into controversy with the Hays Office over part of her dance sequence with a chair; the censor reviewing the scene called it "sexually provocative", which surprised Caron, who asked "What can you do with a chair?" An American in Paris was an enormous critical and financial success, garnering eight Academy Award nominations and winning six (including Best Picture), as well as earning other industry honors such as the inaugural Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. In 1993, the film was selected for preservation by the United States Library of Congress in the National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". It is ranked number nine among AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals.

I Got Rhythm, song

"I Got Rhythm" is a piece composed by George Gershwin with lyrics by Ira Gershwin and published in 1930, which became a jazz standard. Its chord progression, known as "rhythm changes", is the foundation for many other jazz tunes such as Charlie Parker's and Dizzy Gillespie's bebop standard "Anthropology (Thrivin' on a Riff)".

I Was So Young, You Were So Beautiful

Porgy and Bess ( PORG-ee) is an English-language opera by American composer George Gershwin, with a libretto written by author DuBose Heyward and lyricist Ira Gershwin. It was adapted from Dorothy Heyward and DuBose Heyward's play Porgy, itself an adaptation of DuBose Heyward's 1925 novel Porgy. Porgy and Bess was first performed in Boston on September 30, 1935, before it moved to Broadway in New York City. It featured a cast of classically trained African-American singers—a daring artistic choice at the time. A 1976 Houston Grand Opera production gained it a renewed popularity, and it is now one of the best known and most frequently performed operas. The libretto of Porgy and Bess tells the story of Porgy, a disabled black street beggar living in the slums of Charleston. It deals with his attempts to rescue Bess from the clutches of Crown, her violent and possessive lover, and Sportin' Life, her drug dealer. The opera plot generally follows the stage play. In the years following Gershwin's death, Porgy and Bess was adapted for smaller-scale performances. It was adapted as a film in 1959. Some of the songs in the opera, such as "Summertime", became popular and are frequently recorded. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the trend has been toward productions with greater fidelity to Gershwin's original intentions, though smaller-scale productions also continue to be mounted. A complete recorded version of the score was released in 1976; since then, it has been recorded several times.

I'll Build a Stairway to Paradise

"Stairway to Paradise", also known as "I'll Build a Stairway to Paradise", is a song composed in 1922 by George Gershwin with lyrics by Ira Gershwin (under the name Arthur Francis) and Buddy DeSylva (under the name of B. G. De Sylva) for the Broadway revue George White's Scandals. Popular recordings in 1922–23 were by Carl Fenton, Paul Whiteman, and Ben Selvin.

Liza, All the Clous'll
Love is Sweeping the Country/Land of the Gay Caballero

Manhattan is the original motion picture soundtrack to Woody Allen's 1979 film Manhattan with music by George Gershwin. It was performed by the New York Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra under Michael Tilson Thomas. It was nominated for Best Soundtrack in the 33rd British Academy Film Awards.

Manhattan

Ira Gershwin (born Israel Gershovitz; December 6, 1896 – August 17, 1983) was an American lyricist who collaborated with his younger brother, composer George Gershwin, to create some of the most memorable songs in the English language of the 20th century. With George, he wrote more than a dozen Broadway shows, featuring songs such as "I Got Rhythm", "Embraceable You", "The Man I Love", and "Someone to Watch Over Me". He was also responsible, along with DuBose Heyward, for the libretto to George's opera Porgy and Bess. The success the Gershwin brothers had with their collaborative works has often overshadowed the creative role that Ira played. His mastery of songwriting continued after George's early death in 1937. Ira wrote additional hit songs with composers Kurt Weill, Jerome Kern and Harold Arlen. His critically acclaimed 1959 book Lyrics on Several Occasions, an amalgam of autobiography and annotated anthology, is widely considered an important source for studying the art of the lyricist in the golden age of American popular song.

Medley: But Not For Me; Love Is Here To Stay; Embraceable You; Someone To Watch Over Me

Al Jolson (born Asa Yoelson, Yiddish: אַסאַ יואלסאָן; c. May 26, 1886 (O.S.) June 9, 1886 (N.S.) – October 23, 1950) was an American singer, comedian, actor, and vaudevillian. Self-billed as "The World's Greatest Entertainer", Jolson was one of the United States' most famous and highest-paid stars of the 1910s and 1920s. He was known for his "shamelessly sentimental, melodramatic approach" towards performing, along with popularizing many of the songs he sang. According to music historian Larry Stempel, "No one had heard anything quite like it before on Broadway." Stephen Banfield wrote that Jolson's style was "arguably the single most important factor in defining the modern musical." Jolson has been referred to by modern critics as "the king of blackface performers". Although best remembered today as the star of the first talking picture, The Jazz Singer (1927), he starred in a series of successful musical films during the 1930s. After the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, he was the first star to entertain troops overseas during World War II. After a period of inactivity, his stardom returned with The Jolson Story (1946), in which Larry Parks played the younger Jolson, but with sung vocals dubbed by Jolson himself. The formula was repeated in a sequel, Jolson Sings Again (1949). In 1950, he again became the first star to entertain GIs on active service in the Korean War, performing 42 shows in 16 days. He died weeks after returning to the U.S., partly owing to the physical exhaustion from the performance schedule. Defense Secretary George Marshall posthumously awarded him the Medal for Merit. With his dynamic style of singing, he became widely successful by extracting traditionally African-American music and popularizing it for White American audiences. Despite his promotion and perpetuation of Black stereotypes of the time, his work was often well regarded by Black publications, and he has been credited for fighting against Black discrimination on Broadway as early as 1911. In an essay written in 2000, music critic Ted Gioia remarked, "If blackface has its shameful poster boy, it is Al Jolson", showcasing Jolson's complex legacy in American society.

Medley: I Got Rhythm; 'S Wonderful; The Man I Love; Fascinatin' Rhythm
Medley: I've Got A Crush On You; A Foggy Day

Gershwin Live! is a 1982 live album by Sarah Vaughan, of music composed by George Gershwin, accompanied by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas. The album was arranged by Marty Paich. Vaughan's performance won her the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Female at the Grammy Awards of 1983.

Medley: Liza's Wonderful; I Love Porgy; Somebody Loves Me; Summertime; I Got Rhythm
Medley: Nice Work If You Can Get It; They Can't Take That Away From Me; 'S Wonderful; Swanee; Strike Up The Band

Gershwin Live! is a 1982 live album by Sarah Vaughan, of music composed by George Gershwin, accompanied by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas. The album was arranged by Marty Paich. Vaughan's performance won her the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Female at the Grammy Awards of 1983.

Medley: Of Thee I Sing, Who Cares?, Love is Sweeping the Country

Mel Tormé live at the Maisonette is a 1975 live album by Mel Tormé. Tormé had not released an album since 1969, and would not make any studio recordings until 1977, with the launch of Tormé: A New Album. This live album was recorded privately, and sold to Atlantic Records; Tormé subsequently claimed never to have received any money from this recording. For the Gershwin medley, Tormé was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) at the Grammy Awards of 1976.

Poppyland
Shall We Dance?

Shall We Dance is a 1937 American musical comedy film directed by Mark Sandrich. It is the seventh of the ten Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers films. The story follows a Russian-imposter ballet dancer (Astaire) who falls in love with a tap dancer (Rogers); the tabloid press concocts a story of their marriage, after which life imitates art. George Gershwin wrote the symphonic underscore and Ira Gershwin the lyrics, for their second Hollywood musical.

Somebody Loves Me

"Somebody Loves Me" is a popular song, with music written by George Gershwin, and lyrics by Ballard MacDonald and Buddy DeSylva. The song was published in 1924 and featured in George White's Scandals of 1924. This is not to be confused with the Southern gospel song written by W.F. & Marjorie Crumley. The first recordings of "Somebody Loves Me" were a number of popular versions in 1924 and 1925 by Paul Whiteman, Ray Miller, Marion Harris and Cliff Edwards (aka Ukulele Ike) with the Whiteman version being top-rated.

Swanee

"Swanee" is an American popular song from 1919 composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics written by Irving Caesar. It is most often associated with singer Al Jolson. The song was written for a New York City revue by Ned Wayburn called Demi Tasse, which opened on 24 October 1919 as part of the inaugural performance of the Capitol Theatre. Demi Tasse opened with "Swanee" and closed with another new song with George Gershwin's music, "Come to the Moon" (lyrics by Wayburn and Lou Paley). Caesar, who was then aged 24, claimed to have written the song in about ten minutes riding on a bus in Manhattan, finishing it at Gershwin's apartment. It was partly inspired by Stephen Foster's "Old Folks at Home", including that phrase in its lyrics. It was originally used as a big production number, with 60 chorus girls dancing with electric lights in their slippers on an otherwise darkened stage.

The Goldwyn Follies

The Goldwyn Follies is a 1938 Technicolor film written by Ben Hecht, Sid Kuller, Sam Perrin and Arthur Phillips, with music by George Gershwin, Vernon Duke and Ray Golden, and lyrics by Ira Gershwin and Sid Kuller. The film was the first Technicolor feature produced by Samuel Goldwyn. The film, which features Adolphe Menjou, Vera Zorina, Edgar Bergen (with Charlie McCarthy), Andrea Leeds, Kenny Baker, Ella Logan, Helen Jepson, Bobby Clark and the Ritz Brothers, depicts a movie producer who chooses a simple girl to be "Miss Humanity" and to critically evaluate his films from the point of view of the ordinary person. The style of the film is very similar to that of other musicals of its era, including the Gold Diggers series. George Gershwin had not completed the score before his death July in 1937; Vernon Duke finished the songs with Ira Gershwin and wrote the ballet music. The Goldwyn Follies was released in February 1938. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Score as orchestrated by Edward B. Powell under the musical direction of Alfred Newman, as well as for Best Interior Decoration.

The Shocking Miss Pilgrim

The Shocking Miss Pilgrim is a 1947 American musical comedy film in Technicolor written and directed by George Seaton and starring Betty Grable and Dick Haymes. The screenplay, based on a story by Ernest Maas and Frederica Maas, focuses on a young typist who becomes involved in the Women's Suffrage movement in 1874. The songs were written by George and Ira Gershwin.