The Music of Gershwin (Composers of the Twentieth Century Serie) [Hardcover]

Steven E. Gilbert (Author)

Book Description

Series: Composers of the Twentieth Century Serie | Publication Date: October 25, 1995

This book is the first in-depth analysis of George Gershwin's entire compositional oeuvre, including his concert music. Written in a fluid, conversational style and illustrated with numerous musical examples, some of which have never before been published, it weaves biographical material with musical analysis and presents a chronological study of Gershwin's career.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

George Gershwin was an American original, but as Gilbert points out, "original" is often equated with "primitive" and deemed not worthy of serious consideration. With this book, Gershwin's music finally gets the attention it deserves. While previous books have included some analysis?Alec Wilder's American Popular Song (Oxford Univ. Pr., 1972) and more recently Deena Rosenberg's Fascinating Rhythm (LJ 10/15/91)?this is the first title to focus exclusively on Gershwin's music, with in-depth musical analysis in the Schenkerian method. Gilbert, coauthor of the prominent text Introduction to Schenkerian Analysis (Norton, 1982), is well suited to the task. He notes the influence of the composer's studies with Joseph Schillinger, as well as some parallels with the music of Stravinsky and other "serious" composers of the day. Gilbert's book is not for the casual reader, since it requires an understanding of music theory and notation. Recommended for all serious music collections.?Michael Colby, Univ. of California Lib., Davis
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 268 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press (October 25, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300062338
• ISBN-13: 978-0300062335
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,779,590 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #62 in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > Theory, Composition & Performance > Sheet Music & Scores > Composers > Gilbert

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Music of Gershwin, January 7, 2007

By 

D. Mesirow "Dolphin Songsmith" - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Music of Gershwin (Composers of the Twentieth Century Serie) (Hardcover)

This book is actually what its title purports it to be about. When you open this book, you'll find little biographical material about the life and times of Gershwin. Rather, as the title suggests, 'The Music of Gershwin' is about just that; the music. Containing interesting printed pieces of music as visual examples, 'The Music of Gershwin' contains visual examples of two types: 1) photocopies of actual hand-written music of George Gershwin 2) transcriptions of Gershwin's music based on the original written music. Both are intended to illustrate musical observations made by the authors.

In this book, there are forays into the informational substance surrounding the musical examples presented, and they are often done so in the context of classical music history or music theory nomenclature.