George Gershwin (Yale Broadway Masters Series) [Hardcover]

Larry Starr (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 14, 2010 | Series: Yale Broadway Masters Series

In this welcome addition to the immensely popular Yale Broadway Masters series, Larry Starr focuses fresh attention on George Gershwin’s Broadway contributions and examines their centrality to the composer’s entire career. Starr presents Gershwin as a composer with a unified musical vision—a vision developed on Broadway and used as a source of strength in his well-known concert music. In turn, Gershwin’s concert-hall experience enriched and strengthened his musicals, leading eventually to his great “Broadway opera,” Porgy and Bess. Through the prism of three major shows—Lady Be Good (1924), Of Thee I Sing (1931), and Porgy and Bess (1935)—Starr highlights Gershwin’s distinctive contributions to the evolution of the Broadway musical. In addition, the author considers Gershwin’s musical language, his compositions for the concert hall, and his movie scores for Hollywood in the light of his Broadway experience.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An admirable effort to understand the key shows in Gershwin''s career and how the productions shaped him as a composer."--Eric Felten, The Wall Street Journal

(Eric Felten The Wall Street Journal )

“[A] probing, original study.”—Seattle Times

(Seattle Times )

About the Author

Larry Starr is a Professor of Music History, University of Washington. He lives in Seattle.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 216 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press (December 14, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300111843
• ISBN-13: 978-0300111842
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #405,166 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Illuminating Peek behind the Scene, March 14, 2011

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T. Margrave (David City, NE) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: George Gershwin (Yale Broadway Masters Series) (Hardcover)

The musical repertoire created by the Gershwin brothers has always mesmerized me with its unique blend of rhythm, melody, and lyrics. From this book I have learned a great deal of interesting detail about its composition, but I am still of the mind that their music is not wholly analyzable due to its intangible magic.