Download George and Ira Gershwin

George and Ira
Gershwin
By Hannah Collins, Matt Peebles, and
Courtney Goodman
Early Life
George
• Born- September 26,
1898 in Brooklyn,
New York
• Son of Russian
Jewish immigrants
• Dropped out of school
at age 15 to pursue
piano
Ira
• Born- December 6,
1896 in Brooklyn,
New York
• Went to Townsend
Harris High School
• Worked as a cashier
in the Turkish baths
Life in Theatre
• George started
playing in Tin Pan
Alley
• George composed
music and worked as
a rehearsal pianist for
Broadway singers
• Ira frequented the
local Yiddish theaters
• 1921, Ira became
involved in theatre
• George was the
composer and Ira was
the lyricist
• George and Ira wrote
their first Broadway
show together, Lady
Be Good
Famous Contributions
• Porgy and Bess
• “Rhapsody in Blue”
• Let’s Call the Whole
Thing off
• Strike Up the Band
• Someone to Watch
Over Me
• “The Real American
Folk Song”
Impact
• Have an award
named after themThe George and Ira
Gershwin Lifetime
Achievement Award
• Wrote over 12
Broadway shows
• Started the evolution
of Jazz music
(Rhapsody in Blue)
Influences
George
• Teachers- Henry
Cowell, Wallingford
Riegger, Edward
Kilenye, Joseph
Shillinger
• Charles Hambitzer
was his piano teacher
Ira
• Yip Harburg was his
friend in school who
also went on to be a
musician
• Signed by Alex
Aarons
Awards
• 1938- Nominated for an Oscar for Best
Music/Original Song for “They Can’t Take that
Away From Me”
• 1998- Won a star on the Walk of Fame
• 1932- Ira won a Pulitzer Prize for Drama for “Of
Thee I Sing”
• Nominated for Academy Awards for best Original
Song
– “They Can’t Take that Away From Me”(1937)
– “Long Ago and Far Away”(1944)
– “The Man That Got Away”(1954)
Interesting Facts
• Both involved in school
newspapers and
magazines
• Winners of the George
and Ira Gershwin Lifetime
Achievement Award- Ray
Charles, Julie Andrews,
James Taylor, Quincy
Jones, Frank Sinatra,
Stevie Wonder, MC
Hammer
Works Cited
George & Ira Gershwin." Nonesuch Records Journal RSS. N.p., n.d.
Web. 10 Sept. 2013.
George Gershwin Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d.
Web. 10 Sept. 2013.
The Gershwin LegacyLibrary Celebrates Contributions of George and
Ira." The Gershwin Legacy (September 1998). N.p., n.d. Web. 10
Sept. 2013.
Home | Gershwin Music." Home | Gershwin
Music. Gershwin Enterprises, n.d. Web. 10 Sept. 2013.
Ira Gershwin Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web.
10 Sept. 2013.