I'll never forget what my late husband told me about his uncle George, who was a New York City foot patrol cop in the 1960s, and who grew up in NYC. George was at an outdoor concert, and had his eyes closed, a blissful expression on his face, as Rhapsody in Blue was playing. After the last note, George declared, "That was a beautiful love song to this wonderful city!"
The Story Of Gershwin's "Rhapsody In Blue" (1924) 23.1.25 1750pm if you enjoy weird renditions of such music then seek out the residents version of this tune. very odd if you have never heard the band before. but not that outre if you are aware of the music this band put out there... very obviously the residents when you hear it...
Good old Ferde Grofe not only orchestrated the piece but also edited it - much to it's musical detriment. I once heard the original piano version Gershwin had written before Grofe got his hands on it - the original was longer, taking more time to get from theme to theme, telling more of a cohesive story in music. It reminded me of Gershwin's Concerto in F, which George had the good sense not to let anybody touch.
Thank you for covering one of my favorite pieces of music! I've read that the version we heard most nowadays was arranged by Leonard Bernstein. The first recording is also available on TH-cam and sounds quite different. Even in the snippets you posted here you could hear the muted symbol in the 1924 recording that disappeared in the 1927 version. It is prominent in Woody Allen's 1979 movie Manhattan (The David Bruce video that streamed in after my watching this reminded me of that) and my favorite scene in Fantasia 2000.
So,Enid I learned about George Gershwin way back in the early 60s - and Rhapsody in Blue mist knocked me out! I bought the record sometime in the early 60s and left it with my Mom when I went to college. It was in her stereo console when she moved back to PA in 2001 and I lost track of it after that! It’s still an amazing piece of music!
Thanks for devoting this video to one of my all-time favourite pieces of music. I remember hearing this for the first time when I was about 5 or 6 years, and being immediately captivated by it's clarinet based introduction. At that moment, it was the most beautiful and exquisite piece of music I had ever heard. It took me many years to find the name of the composer and the title of this music. When I finally did, I felt relieved. Now I'm happy to learn about it's creation and development. ❤😊
The acoustic 1924 arrangement is different than the later, more popular and successful electric recording. I have both, I actually prefer the original acoustic recording. Modern equipment doesn't do it justice. Great video, nice details and information.
For those who may not know, Ferde Grofe also wrote "Grand Canyon Suite," which is a fine piece of music but is probably best known for the clunky tune we all associate with donkeys as they clamber down the Grand Canyon Trail. On most TH-cam videos, it starts at about the 12:00 mark.
I must say, 'Rhapsody in Blue' is my all time favorite American piece of music. From hearing it on the local radio to having a boxed set of CD's which included it. Playing it loud got my conductor arms moving. Haha
Supposedly Gershwin had not provided Whiteman with sheet music of his solo piano part; instead, he told Whiteman something like "I'll just nod when the orchestra should come in." Apocryphal? Perhaps. But given the hasty nature of the premiere, this could actually have happened! By the way, Victor Herbert's last composition, "A Suite of Serenades," was also introduced at this Aeolian concert.
Isador Goodman was a young (teens) South African pianist who studied at the RCM in London.He was brought to Berlin to play the Rhapsody in a two colour UFA film. Goodman moved to Sydney where he taught and composed a couple of movie scores. He was a victim, like Gershwin, of the overnight ban on music by Jewish composers and performers
I have no idea what happened to the UFA cine. Russian pianist Dmitri Tyomkin gave the first Paris performance: he became renowned for composing Hollywood film scores, many for Westerns like High Noon
People didn't require white musicians to take it up and bridge some psychological racial gap. White musicians taking a style add their own take to it and change it, and that changed music is what grabs a wider audience. Same goes if black people took a minority white traditional music and added their own flair to it, that could equally take off in popularity with all races. I think you're dismissing the musical input that whites (or whomever) added to jazz making it "mainstream". Elvis had obvious influences, but he sounded nothing like them really. He sounded like Elvis. And the Elvis sound is what people wanted.
EXACTLY. Your narrative is the correct one and the other narrative is born out of white guilt revisionist history and can't go away fast enough. Thank you for pointing out the obvious. Keep up the great work.
I actually prefer the rawness of the 1924 version. It's unfortunate that Victor, and later, RCA Victor, would never reissue this version always preferring the 1927, which I'm not in love with.
I can't stand your voice and it's Rachmaninoff, not Rach-a-maninoff !! I'll read the story in Wikipedia and get out of this at 2:03, another poorly told YT documentary !
Please excuse my (mis)pronunciation of Rachmaninoff. I misread it when reading off of my script.
Thanks as I thought I had been pronouncing it correct for many years! It’s very easy with some of these names😃
I'll never forget what my late husband told me about his uncle George, who was a New York City foot patrol cop in the 1960s, and who grew up in NYC. George was at an outdoor concert, and had his eyes closed, a blissful expression on his face, as Rhapsody in Blue was playing. After the last note, George declared, "That was a beautiful love song to this wonderful city!"
5:55 I didn't realize that this concert was done on my birthday exactly 40 years before I was born.
This is a fascinating episode! I went to my iTunes to listen to the piece after I watched this. Thank you so much!
One of the most interesting TH-cam posts I have seen and heard in a long time.
I knew a relative of the Gershwins growing up. Such an amazing timeless piece of music
The Story Of Gershwin's "Rhapsody In Blue" (1924) 23.1.25 1750pm if you enjoy weird renditions of such music then seek out the residents version of this tune. very odd if you have never heard the band before. but not that outre if you are aware of the music this band put out there... very obviously the residents when you hear it...
The most iconic 1920s song 💙
Good old Ferde Grofe not only orchestrated the piece but also edited it - much to it's musical detriment. I once heard the original piano version Gershwin had written before Grofe got his hands on it - the original was longer, taking more time to get from theme to theme, telling more of a cohesive story in music. It reminded me of Gershwin's Concerto in F, which George had the good sense not to let anybody touch.
Do you know where I can hear that? It sounds fantastic
By the time of the concerto, Gershwin had studied orchestration in Paris
Thank you for covering one of my favorite pieces of music! I've read that the version we heard most nowadays was arranged by Leonard Bernstein. The first recording is also available on TH-cam and sounds quite different. Even in the snippets you posted here you could hear the muted symbol in the 1924 recording that disappeared in the 1927 version. It is prominent in Woody Allen's 1979 movie Manhattan (The David Bruce video that streamed in after my watching this reminded me of that) and my favorite scene in Fantasia 2000.
So,Enid I learned about George Gershwin way back in the early 60s - and Rhapsody in Blue mist knocked me out! I bought the record sometime in the early 60s and left it with my Mom when I went to college. It was in her stereo console when she moved back to PA in 2001 and I lost track of it after that! It’s still an amazing piece of music!
Thanks for devoting this video to one of my all-time favourite pieces of music. I remember hearing this for the first time when I was about 5 or 6 years, and being immediately captivated by it's clarinet based introduction. At that moment, it was the most beautiful and exquisite piece of music I had ever heard. It took me many years to find the name of the composer and the title of this music. When I finally did, I felt relieved. Now I'm happy to learn about it's creation and development. ❤😊
The acoustic 1924 arrangement is different than the later, more popular and successful electric recording.
I have both, I actually prefer the original acoustic recording.
Modern equipment doesn't do it justice.
Great video, nice details and information.
The best channel!
The Story Of Gershwin's "Rhapsody In Blue" (1924) 23.1.25 23.1.25 "alwite tweakle!" is all i heard. sorry.
Thank you
For those who may not know, Ferde Grofe also wrote "Grand Canyon Suite," which is a fine piece of music but is probably best known for the clunky tune we all associate with donkeys as they clamber down the Grand Canyon Trail. On most TH-cam videos, it starts at about the 12:00 mark.
I must say, 'Rhapsody in Blue' is my all time favorite American piece of music. From hearing it on the local radio to having a boxed set of CD's which included it.
Playing it loud got my conductor arms moving. Haha
It insists upon itself.
;P
Supposedly Gershwin had not provided Whiteman with sheet music of his solo piano part; instead, he told Whiteman something like "I'll just nod when the orchestra should come in." Apocryphal? Perhaps. But given the hasty nature of the premiere, this could actually have happened!
By the way, Victor Herbert's last composition, "A Suite of Serenades," was also introduced at this Aeolian concert.
I thought Tom & Jerry arrainged that piece? You best double check your source.
Isador Goodman was a young (teens) South African pianist who studied at the RCM in London.He was brought to Berlin to play the Rhapsody in a two colour UFA film. Goodman moved to Sydney where he taught and composed a couple of movie scores. He was a victim, like Gershwin, of the overnight ban on music by Jewish composers and performers
I have no idea what happened to the UFA cine. Russian pianist Dmitri Tyomkin gave the first Paris performance: he became renowned for composing Hollywood film scores, many for Westerns like High Noon
We have lost something with technology and modern life. And I'm not sure we can ever go back.
Do we know what the original clarinet solo sounded like?
06:11 “Lack of melodic power”? Seriously? If I were around then, I’d be tempted to tell that reviewer to go themself!
Ravel ❤
Those music critics must have a tin ear to call that brilliant piece of music ‘lacking melody’
What?!😂
Big difference between acoustical and electric recording
People didn't require white musicians to take it up and bridge some psychological racial gap. White musicians taking a style add their own take to it and change it, and that changed music is what grabs a wider audience. Same goes if black people took a minority white traditional music and added their own flair to it, that could equally take off in popularity with all races. I think you're dismissing the musical input that whites (or whomever) added to jazz making it "mainstream". Elvis had obvious influences, but he sounded nothing like them really. He sounded like Elvis. And the Elvis sound is what people wanted.
EXACTLY. Your narrative is the correct one and the other narrative is born out of white guilt revisionist history and can't go away fast enough. Thank you for pointing out the obvious. Keep up the great work.
"Flaws"??? It became well known even with its "flaws"?!??!!! There are no "flaws" in Rhapsody in Blue!!!
The Story Of Gershwin's "Rhapsody In Blue" (1924) 1755pm 23.1.25 did gershwin have a face transplant, or something?
I actually prefer the rawness of the 1924 version. It's unfortunate that Victor, and later, RCA Victor, would never reissue this version always preferring the 1927, which I'm not in love with.
I can't stand your voice and it's Rachmaninoff, not Rach-a-maninoff !! I'll read the story in Wikipedia and get out of this at 2:03, another poorly told YT documentary !
Why are you such a meany? Does it make you feel so important?