George Gershwin - Famous Works

George Gershwin at the piano, American composer and songwriter.

George Gershwin at the piano, shaping an unmistakably American musical voice that bridged jazz, Broadway, and the concert hall.

George Gershwin (1898–1937) was one of the most influential figures in twentieth-century American music, uniquely bridging classical tradition with jazz and popular idioms. His music is characterized by rhythmic vitality, memorable melodies, and an unmistakable urban energy, reflecting the spirit of New York and modern American life.

His output ranges from orchestral works and piano music to Broadway musicals, film scores, and songs, making him one of the most versatile composers of his time. The following is a representative selection of his most significant works.

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Orchestral Works

Rhapsody in Blue
Piano Concerto in F Major
An American in Paris
Second Rhapsody for piano and orchestra
Cuban Overture
Variations on "I Got Rhythm"

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Piano Works

Three Preludes

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Musicals

George White's Scandals
Primrose
Lady, Be Good!
Tell me More
Tip-Toes
Funny Face
Girl Crazy
Of Thee I Sing
The Rainbow
Oh, Kay!
La La Lucille

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Film Music

Shall We Dance?
A Damsel in Distress
The Goldwyn Follies
The Shocking Miss Pilgrim

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Opera

Porgy and Bess

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Songs:

Swanee
The Man I Love
Embraceable You
The Way You Look Tonight
I Got Rhythm
Oh, Lady Be Good!
It Ain't Necessarily So
Summertime

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🔎 Work Analyses of George Gershwin on MusiLLection

You can explore detailed analyses of selected works below:

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Robert Schumann - Träumerei, from Kinderszenen, Op. 15 No. 7 (Analysis)

The Woodman’s Child by Arthur Hughes — an image reflecting the quiet innocence and dreamlike atmosphere of Schumann’s Träumerei ℹ️ Work Information Composer: Robert Schumann Work Title: Träumerei from Kinderszenen , Op. 15, No. 7 Year of Composition: 1838 Collection: Kinderszenen (Scenes from Childhood) Duration: approximately 2–3 minutes Form: Short piano miniature Instrumentation: piano _________________________ Few piano works have managed to capture, with such simplicity and sensitivity, the world of memory as Schumann’s Träumerei . Among the thirteen pieces of Kinderszenen (1838), the seventh stands out not only for its popularity, but for its enduring poetic resonance. For Schumann, music was never merely form; it was an inner language. Kinderszenen does not depict childhood — it reflects upon it. It is the gaze of the adult toward a lost world of innocence. As Schumann himself suggested, these pieces are “recollections of a grown-up for the y...

Handel - Concerto for Organ and Orchestra No.13 in F Major, HWV 295, "The Cuckoo and The Nahtingale"

In this Organ Concerto, Handel famously imitates birdsong, a rare and charming example of musical pictorialism in his instrumental output. The characteristic calls of the cuckoo and the nightingale give the work its enduring subtitle and contribute to its immediate appeal. Like Handel’s other organ concertos, Concerto No. 13 was composed to be performed during the intervals of his oratorios. It was first presented on April 4, 1739, at the Royal Theatre in London, just two days after its completion, alongside the oratorio Israel in Egypt . Many of these concertos—including this one—contain extensive ad libitum passages. During these sections, the organist was expected to improvise freely, using the written material merely as a framework. Handel himself was a superb organist and astonished audiences with the brilliance and inventiveness of his improvisations. Movements: - Larghetto The concerto opens with a brief orchestral introduction presenting a gentle, expressive theme. The orga...

Johann Strauss II: Tritsch-Tratsch-Polka, Op. 214 in A major (Analysis)

ℹ️ Work Information Composer: Johann Strauss II Title: Tritsch-Tratsch Polka , Op. 214 Date: 1858 Premiere: Vienna, November 24, 1858 Genre: Polka (polka schnell) Structure: Introduction and successive thematic sections Duration : approx. 2–3 minutes Instrumentation: Orchestra ______________________________ Among the social dance works of Johann Strauss II , the Tritsch-Tratsch Polka holds a distinctive place, capturing with playful precision the social energy of 19th-century Vienna. Composed in 1858, shortly after Strauss’s highly successful tour in Russia—where he regularly performed in Pavlovsk near St. Petersburg—the work reflects a moment when Viennese music was expanding beyond its local context and becoming an international cultural language. Its Vienna premiere was met with immediate enthusiasm. Yet the piece goes beyond the function of dance music. It operates almost as a miniature social scene, where musical gestures mirror patterns of interaction, convers...

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