George Gershwin - The Tragic End of a Musical Prodigy | Biographical Documentary
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 16 май 2024
- One of the best loved composers and songwriters of all time, George Gershwin had no interest in music as a boy. But when he was 10 his parents bought a piano for his older brother, and to everyone’s surprise, he was able to pick out tunes he had learned by following the keys on a neighbour’s pianola.
He dropped out of school at 15 to work as a song plugger, pounding out ditties for people buying sheet music, but within three years his songs were being included in Broadway musicals.
The rest is history, he achieved worldwide fame with his musical theatre, movie scores and genre crossing jazz inspired classical music. He was intelligent, charming, witty, he painted, kept himself fit and had no secret vices.
But at the age of 38 he started behaving erratically, had an absence attack when playing at a concert and hallucinations of the smell of burning rubber. Tragically his symptoms were dismissed as psychological, and he was dead within six months.
Finding Out More
Edward Jablonski's biography, Gershwin, despite being quite old now, is still the most thorough of the numerous Gershwin biographies. I have listed this on my Amazon Store Page. www.amazon.com/shop/professor...
Academic References
Bagatti, D. (2016). Music and medicine: the tragic case of Gershwin's brain tumor and the challenges of neurosurgery in the first half of the 20th century. World Neurosurgery, 85, 298-304.
Dandy, W. E. (1919). Roentgenography of the brain after the injection of air into the spinal canal. Annals of surgery, 70(4), 397-403.
Leffert, M. (2011). The psychoanalysis and death of George Gershwin: An American tragedy. Journal of the American Academy of Psychoanalysis and Dynamic Psychiatry, 39(3), 421-452.
Sloop, G. D. (2001). What caused George Gershwin's untimely death? Journal of Medical Biography, 9(1), 28-30.
Teive, H. A., Germiniani, F., Cardoso, A. B., Paola, L. D., & Werneck, L. C. (2002). The uncinated crisis of George Gershwin. Arquivos de neuro-psiquiatria, 60, 505-508.
Copyright Disclaimer
The primary purpose of this video is educational. I have tried to use material in the public domain or with Creative Commons Non-attribution licences wherever possible. Where attribution is required, I have listed this below. I believe that any copyright material used falls under the remit of Fair Use, but if any content owners would like to dispute this, I will not hesitate to immediately remove that content. It is not my intention to infringe on content ownership in any way. If you happen to find your art or images in the video, please let me know and I will be glad to credit you.
Images
Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
Wellcome Collection
Library of Congress
Music
Gershwin: Swanee - Al Jolson - Public domain.
Gershwin: Piano transcription of "The Man I Love" - Constantin Stephan CC4.0
Gershwin: 1st Prelude - La Pianista CC3.0
Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue, orchestrated by Ferde Grofé, 1924 Jazz Band Version. Bramwell Tovey, piano soloist. United States Marine Band.
Gershwin: Do it again from The French Doll 1922 Paul Whiteman Orchestra - Public domain
Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue recording from 1924, by George Gershwin. Public domain
Gershwin: Rialto Ripples - Jeffrey Biegel -Fair Use
Gershwin: When You Want 'Em, You Can't Get 'Em, When You've Got 'Em, You Don't Want 'Em - Gershwin Piano Roll. Public Domain.
Stephen Foster: The Old Folks at Home -Takayuki Yamashita -CC0
Beethoven: Symphony No 5 in C Minor: Fulda Symphonic Orchestra, Simon Schindler. EFF: Open Audio License version 1.
Chopin: Prélude op. 28 n° 4 - Dorian Pâquet CC4.0
Maurice Ravel: Bolero Conducted by Ravel 1930 Public domain
Nadia Boulanger - Trois Pièces pour violoncelle et piano - Cheng² Duo
Gershwin: American in Paris: Ulyanovsk State Academic Symphony Orchestra: conductor - Ilya Derbilov. CCAttribution
Gershwin: Porgy & Bess: Teatro Regio Torino - 2019 Production CCAttribution
Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No 6 Wilhelm Furtwängler - Berlin Philharmonic
Claude-Paul Taffanel: Andante Pastoral et Scherzettino. Alex Murray (flute) and Martha Goldstein (piano) CC2.0
Gershwin: The Man I Love: Nethanya - Kibbutz Orchestra conducted by Yaron Gottfried Dan Gottfried piano CC Attribution.
Gershwin: Summertime Russian String Orchestra conducted by Misha Rachlevsky
Gershwin: 3 Preludes for Clarinet and Piano II. Clarinet: Byeon Gyu-ri, Piano: Kim Hwa-jeong CCAttribution
Gershwin: Piano Concerto in F soloist, Chris Reeves, Orchestra of the Pines directed by Gene Moon. CCAttribution
Video produced by Graeme Yorston and Tom Yorston.
I was 4 years old. My aunt had a recording of Rhapsody in Blue on a 78 if you can imagine! She played it for me and my world was never the same. No more kid songs for me. I wanted more.
There is nothing like Gershwin!
I too heard Rhapsody at a young age and was immediately attracted to it. I had heard other classical music, but this was different and touched me in a different way. Have been a fervent Gershwin fan since them. Have seen Porgy and Bess performed on stage several times and have a recording of the original production. John Bubbles who played Sportin’ Life was amazing.
Mr. Gershwin & Irving Berlin were two immensely talented musicians. Mr. Berlin enjoyed 101 years on this earth.
We too had a recording on a 78. I still have it.
When I was 10 I got chicken pox and my mom would play Gershwin records for me to help pass the time. Like you, it changed my life when it comes to music appreciation.
Thank you. I was a mental health nurse for 30 years so found it very interesting. I knew it was a brain tumour by his symptoms and have in the past nursed an individual who would always throw themselves on the floor. We where told to ignore their attention seeking behaviour until the patient was eventually scanned and found to have a brain tumour. Over time this changed thankfully and organic causes are ruled out first. Georges music reminds me of my father particularly "Rhapsody in Blue". George was very talented but I never knew he painted so will check them out.
Yes, nowadays he would have had a scan and an operation and if it wasn't the highly malignant tumour, he would have lived probably without any other problems.
My paternal grandfather died in the 1930s due to a brain tumor.
Not much could be done for them back then, and sadly, it was a source of family shame, and never discussed.
It's desperately sad that people going through such serious conditions are dismissed as neurotic and morally deficient.
It's quite horrible.
Uh
22:15 @@liviia305
George Gershwin was an exceedingly talented man. Gone before his time.
Very true.
All of those doctors could not find the the brain tumor? Shame on them. 😢😢😢😢
@@professorgraemeyorstonI want to know more about the trumpet player Tonni Kalash
I heartily concur!
An additional remark: Duke Ellington--a great jazz musician dislike the movie biography of Gershwin. He said it showed Gershwin being rude to people: "I knew George Gershwin, and I never saw him be rude to anyone" (MUSIC IS MY MISTRESS by Duke Ellington). That a pretty good epitaph for anyone.
He seems to have been a genuinely nice guy!
Ellington, himself, was an exceedingly talented and generous man, by all accounts. A wonderful comment in support of his friend.
Well said and well put!
I really like rhapsody in blue and concerto in F
À@@professorgraemeyorston
A great fan of Gershwin since age of 17, when played 3rd chair clarinet high school band. We played Rhapsody in Blue, songs from Porgy and Bess, and American In Paris. Fell madly in love with the music, and Gene Kelly. Very much enjoy your channel. ❤
Thank you, I'm glad you're enjoying the videos.
I was a HS Band teacher for 45 years. THIS is what HS band is for! Glad your HS BD did right by you!
So sad we lost him so soon!!! RIP Maestro Gershwin 💔 A really interesting biography although so very sad to hear the details of his illness, thank you for uploading
Glad you enjoyed it.
Very sad - so sad 😢
I'm 70 years old. My mom played classical music when I was a child, and I never lost my love for George Gershwin.
I have recorded/remastered old jazz music for more than thirty years, and the Gershwin brothers were a constant golden thread❤But then, all the Gershwin children were multi talented. Imagine growing up in those times, in that family.Wow! Love your view on Gershwin!
Thank you.
A sad end for such a gifted man. Tragedy.
And so multi-talented.
Absolutely.
Fascinating documentary. Like Mozart, Buddy Holly, Hank Williams, Robert Johnson, or any other musician who died young, what beautiful music we lost.
As I do when I take off my hat, you make a good point!
B by
Look at it differently! What if he had not been born? Like Elvis, Mozart etc.(died young) aren't we lucky we had them AT ALL ??????
Never get enough of these videos. Always great
Thank you.
Thank-you so much for emphasizing that creative artists don't have to be deranged or an addict of some kind to be any good.
It's a common misperception.
My god this was sad-- and so very good. Ill need to watch it again tonight.
So young. So much music yet to be written.
A real tragedy.
@@professorgraemeyorston I love I've Got a Crush on You, Do Do Do, Embraceable You, Walking The Dog. I am a Gershwin-A-Holic
Thank you Professor Graeme Yorston. I was diagnosed with brain cancer/GBM survivor 18 years and counting.--👨🏽🦽👏👏👏🥇🥇🥇
Thank you Professor! Very interesting biography of George Gershwin. He certainly was an American treasure. Sad that he died so young from a brain tumor.
I wonder what he would have gone on to do if he'd lived another 30 years.
@@professorgraemeyorstonthis is a question which seems to particularly haunt us in regard to composers. It's said about Mozart, about Schubert, about Jimi Hendrix, about Charlie Parker. ( Now, there's a case for you, Doctor. ) But I've never really heard it said about Aubrey Beardsley, whose short of yours from earlier in the week I enjoyed. I know people have speculated about Keats, and rightly so, but it's hard for me to think of anyone else who wasn't a composer whom people have wondered about in that regard.
You may be familiar with the great American popular song from circa 1940, "East of the Sun, West of the Moon." It's a stunning piece of work, but it's not by Kern, Rodgers, Berlin, or Arlen. It was written for a college show by a 22 year old senior from an Ivy League college. One of the Hollywood studios was so taken with his talent that they offered, and he accepted, a lucrative contract to write exclusively for them. However, "East of the Sun, West of the Moon" is the only song we have from him, because on his cross country trip to California, he was killed in an auto accident.
Now, that's a haunting one.
@@professorgraemeyorston I'm sure amazing, liberating music!
I have only just discovered this fascinatjng channel.
I can't believe it hasn't been recommended sooner. The quality, intelligence, compassion and knowledge of these is wonderful.
It deserves wider recommendation by RUclips, so I urge anyone who enjoyed one of them to subscribe.
Excellent presentation. George Gershwin would be delighted to know that his music is still loved by so many. I love playing jazz piano myself and also compose a few tunes. The Gershwin songs I enjoy playing include Summertime, Lady Be Good,
Nice Work If You Can Get It, A Foggy Day, Fascinating Rhythm, They Can't Take That Away From Me, Strike Up The Band, I Was Doing Alright, The Man I Love, I Got Rhythm and Our Love Is Here To Stay. I think he really captured the spirit of bustling, optimistic mid-20th century America. I wonder if the type of brain tumour he had would be survivable today ? Presumably it would be if detected early enough.
If it was a Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) - the most common type of primary malignant brain tumour in adults - it is the most aggressive and lethal with less than 1% of all patients surviving for more than ten years, even today - but if it was a less aggressive type then it would have been treatable.
I used to experience severe migraines and it was sheer hell, I can only imagine what poor Mr. Gershwin was going through. I come from a musical family and the Gershwin's music was much cherished in our house. Another great video, well done 💜
George Gershwin gave us some of the most beautiful music ever heard especially Rhapsody in Blue and sad that we lost such a great talent so young at 39 Mozart and Chopin also died in their '30s but we were lucky to just have the music we have of them.
How tragic and such a loss... Thank you for pointing out his genius was uncomplicated by substance abuse or mental health disorders.
Indeed!
Loved George Gershwin's music and Ira Gershwins lyrics! God seems to gift great talented people to the world for a very short time. ❤😢❤
Especially His chosen people, the jews. As He promised to Abraham and the blessings. ❤
The psychiatric and medical community truly failed this man. What a shame. Thanks George for all the smiles your music and art continue to bring us, year after year! What a gifted artist ❤
I know it seems he was let down, but without an LP or ventriculogram, the diagnosis would not have been clear.
If you want the medical community to be perfect you'll be waiting forever.
Excellent documentary about a great American genius, and his sad, tragic end.
Thank you.
What a talent, I didn't know he also painted! Such a damn shame the tumour was danced around til too late. Aussie poet/writer Henry Lawson summed up his muse, - "Beer makes you feel how you ought to feel without beer"
I too never knew before now that he painted! What an incredibly talented man he was.
Thanks for running the biography of George Gershwin. I am a long time fan, and have been in orchestras playing his music. I think he was one of the greatest American composers of all time.
I agree!
George Gershwin is the first person I think of if someone asks who would you like to meet past or present. His music is so captivating no matter if it's a love song, rhapsody, lighthearted, etc., they all steal my heart. I am so saddened that his life was cut so short. What a wonderful man! ❤❤❤
I guess I have a special empathy since I have had epilepsy for 65 years, primarily myoclonic.
Thank you for this wonderful video! ❤❤❤
Glad you enjoyed it.
A landmark production that not only contributes importantly to the biography of Gershwin but also to the condition of man.
He truly was a musical genius. Not right that he died so young. Very sad.
A real tragedy.
Amazing! I first heard Blue Rhapsody in the cartoons. Then, my mother played us an LP called "Classics for Children" and there I identified Gershwin. I will always remember him with that same joy. Thanks Professor Yorston, great job as usual. :)
Glad you enjoyed it.
Thank you. Very informative & very interesting. Didn't look at my watch once. This is my first program of yours. Looks like I'm hooked. Good job.
Thank you, Doctor, for this wonderful documentary. His music had and always will have an inestimable impact on the lives of so many millions. We still need much more research into brain illness and dysfunction. RIP George!
You are absolutely right. Addiction only destroys your brain and body. People confuse creativity with tripping on drugs.
Both are two completely things. But today most of people think that tripping and high on substances is creating. lol
Ignorance is blind and High as a kite ...
Great story well presented. Greetings from Australia.
Glad you enjoyed it
An absolute favourite of mine. Such a genius! Such a musician! Such a joy! Such an original! So sad to learn that his life, too, was tragic.........undeserved............ one bit. Wonderful music. Thank you, George Gershwin - I LOVE your talent, creativity and work.
That's very enthusiastic for a cynic!
I have studied Gershwin since 1958 when I saw Rhapsody in Blue (which was the beginning of my extensive classical collection) but this treatise told me things I did not know and put some other things into perspective I had not realized. My first live concert was February 12, 1958 and it was Paul Whiteman conducting an all-Gershwin program with the Utah Symphony in the Salt Lake Tabernacle (6,500 seats). This was also celebrating the USO's release of Rhapsody in Blue, American in Paris, and the Concerto in F on Westminster at the same time. Ira Gershwin got hold of these recordings and liked them so well that he offered Gershwin's "Original Suite from Porgy & Bess" to Maurice Abravanel to record. It was not published and the parts were borrowed by Ira from the Library of Congress. Abravanel and the USO recorded it in 1959 for Westminster. It received stronger reviews than expected and most critics liked it better than Robert Russel Bennett's prevailing "Symphonic Picture." So the "Original Suite" was then published as "Catfish Row" which has had many recordings since...including from the Berlin Philharmonic/Ozawa. But the first and pioneering recording was the Utah Symphony Orchestra under Abravanel.
Thank you, I love Gershwin's music but didn't know how Catfish Row first saw light of day.
@@professorgraemeyorston Maurice Abravanel and Ira became friends when Abravanel was Weill's "personal" conductor for a period.
Peter Klein, my husband, toured Porgy and Bess around the world from 1992 to 2013. He learned from Leopold, the son of Frances, that George named the opera Porgy and Bess after an intimate relationship with Ann Brown, the first Bess. We also learned from Liza Minelli that Judy Garland was with the family when they received the fatal news and were all in shock! I'm a psychoanalyst very appreciative of the attention you gave to the tragedy of George's misdiagnosis.
Fascinating, thank you.
Thank you so very much for your video. He was a great composer and a wonderful man who passed away far too young. It's so nice to see him honored 💕
Glad you enjoyed it.
Thankyou for the AMAZING CONTEMPORY BACKGROUND.
Glad you enjoyed it!
His gift was surly God given, right from birth! He accomplished his deep mission...the bring his art to the enjoyment of millions. Just imagine how his additional vast "store house" of compositions would have added so much more to "music for the millions"...if not cut short! Thank you, Ira, for your lyrical talents as well!
Watching Gershwin using a pencil to fill in notes reminded me when I worked in my fathers fountain pen store on Hollywood Blvd. repairing and selling fountain pens. Music copyist’s who at that time would take sheets of music that composers had penciled in the general melody and with a fountain pen make a new copy in black ink so it could be printed. They used a gold stub three prong flexible nib with a iridium point for hardness so you could get a fine line and when you pressed down the nib would spread apart to make the full note. I would adjust and custom the nib to their hand position. Times sure change and at 88 you can bet I have seen plenty. Now living in Costa Rica. 🌴😎🌴
I heard Gershwins Rhapsody in Blue at 12years old. Gershwins Music has a certain Wonderful Magic that changes lives. His artistic interpretations were and still are sublime unique melodies. Your Doco was excellently written and balanced!
Thank you.
What does doco stand for?
Thank you so much for this fascinating film. I have always loved Gershwin's music. My brother, a cardiologist, died of Glioblastoma within a span of 2 yrs. He went through long periods of not saying anything. It was heartbreaking. At least, we are still left with Mr. Gershwin's beautiful music and it was apparent that while he lived, he was very good at it.
I'm really sorry you lost your brother. Your post caught my eye because within a few recent years, I lost both my doctor and my dentist to brain tumors. Beyond my sadness it made me wonder about the environmental risks to health workers.
@@prototropo Thank you. I don't know really. My brother was health-conscious his entire life. He never smoked, drank wine in moderation, ate healthy food. He rode his bike, gardened, rowed (skulling) to his office. And yes, he loved music -- played piano for relaxation. An all-around popular guy, beloved by patients and friends alike. I share in your sadness at having lost both your doctor and dentist to this brutal disease...like being rudderless. You remember them forever. 🙏
@@prototropo
By
Suggestion: Cole Porter.
That would be de-lovely.
Thanks, I'll look into him.
Loved Mr. Gershwin so much! Knew much of his story, but had never heard that had his tumor been discovered earlier he might have survived! Heart wrenching to hear that! my admiration and fondness for him will live on, always!! ❤️🌹
He was one of the greats.
That was a great compliment from Ravel, himself one of the greats!
Thank you so much. So were the times in the early 20th Century. One point which the video makes is that regardless of a person's makeup and challenges in their life they can dedicate their lives to accomplishing amazing results particularly in the artistic world. Early in the video someone recognized his talent by calling him a genius. Yes, jealousy, business and politics aside, if one just listened and 'felt' his music more of the so called experts would agree and publicly say so.
I wonder what George Gershwin would have done had he lasted beyond World War II. Of course, Broadway exploded in the 50's and movies more and more were featuring musical themes. He and his music will never be forgotten. It was nice to see the public show their respect to one of Country's greatest composers.
Great video!!! Wonderful. I love Gershwin and his music, and the story of his short life is very interesting.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Excellent effort, Prof. Yorston! The chromatic clarinet slur at the intro to Rhapsody in Blue should cement in the mind of ALL musicians the genius. Thanks much!
I'd no idea he was so young when he died. It's incredible what he accomplished in that time. Such gifts! It's disconcerting to think of how long he suffered without any medical diagnosis or direction. I can't imagine the fear and frustration he dealt with trying to figure out how and why he was "doing this to himself" when the whole time he was trying to make a brain tumor go away. Honestly, that poor man has my heart for that reason. Well, Dr. Yorston, you've produced yet another excellent video. Your work is so easy to follow and everything I watch is engrossing. Thanks!
Thank you, glad you're enjoying them.
Magnificent study. Does not warrant so many comments starting with…“I“. Full of details and superbly produced.
As usual fascinating . As I followed the video I felt like screaming "neurologist" please ! However access to the brain was very limited in terms of physical diagnosis at that time . I suppose psychology was the default approach when so little else could be done . The air encephalogram was quite a painful procedure and not without hazard . We are so lucky nowadays to have access to instantaneous diagnosis via MRI / CT imaging . Many thanks for the humane appraisal of this gifted man .
Perhaps if he hadn't had so many people tell him his symptoms were psychological he might have agreed to the LP and ventriculogram.
@@professorgraemeyorston I think at this stage he was beyond rational insight as to the gravity of his own deteriorating condition .
I remember my parents' 78's. And there was one album cover with a woman wrapped in whipped cream. I was a classically trained pianist from 6 through 15. Wish I didn't stop. Enjoyed this vid. I played some of his music. Hello from sunny and warm St. Petersburg, Florida 🌴.
Thank you - I'm glad it inspired you to play his music.
It’s not too late! You can play again!
The woman covered in whip cream was an album by Herb Albert and the Tijuana Brass ruclips.net/video/Y07YiTpVhf8/видео.html
Ha… that album, called “Whipped Cream” was the first album I bought 😂
My mom, my husband Steve, and my husband's uncle George all loved Gershwin. Of course, I do, too. George was a New York City cop in the 1960's. Steve told me once that George was enjoying a concert in a park. He was sitting back against a tree with a blissful smile on his face while listening to "Rhapsody in Blue". After the piece was finished, George said, "That music definitely captured this city's spirit!"
Why do we need to preserve our culture of Brooklyn in order to survive this kind of situation in our country tenaciously! This is a lifelong dream of ours to share our culture with others who have been affected in Brooklyn generations since childhood by exposure to cultural memories of our ancestors! ❤️🩹❤️🩹✝️🇺🇸Slk
So sad to have lost this genius at such a young age, but god what a legacy he left us.
My mom growing up would play classical music including Gershwin. I still love Gershwin because of my mom.
I love Gershwin’s compositions . Thank you for an unsensational, fact based and very interesting account of his life and illness.
Thank you.
Thanks for creating this excellent biography of a brilliant composer. I've performed a fair amount of Gershwin's music, including "Let 'Em Eat Cake" and "Of Thee I Sing," but I didn't know many of these biographical details until seeing this video, May 19, 2024.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you i really love his music and we’re missing him may he’s resting peacefully and knowing that he will live forever in our hearts ❤️ thank you 🙏 for your representation well done 👍 thank you 🙏 ❤️❤️❤️may his memory be eternal 💐❤
Rhapsody in Blue. Limpid? Trite? Silly critic.
Its universally appealing for something so "vapid."
And "The Man i Love"? And "Someone To Watch Over Me" makes me tear up. In the best kind of way.
Thank you for this, Professor!
The critics and theoreticians are so often nitwits or pedants. Consider the great American musicologist, Alec Wilder, who in his classic, American Popular Song, uses much of his long chapter on Gershwin to criticize him for his use of repeated notes!
I've wanted to dig Wilder up, pry open the lid, and shriek at him, "Those repeated notes which you take him to such task for were intrinsic to his genius, you twit!"
I agree, I'm not sure what planet the critic was on!
At last! Something on RUclips that was worth watching! Thank you so much! Let me compliment you on your compassionate and comprehesive approach to your subject; it made the story of Gershwin's life and artistic accomplishments all the more enthralling.
Thank you.
That was an excellent documentary!
Thank you.
Thank you. As a jazz vocalist, I also appreciate classical music and show tunes, know many Gershwin tunes and compositions, and I thoroughly enjoyed the video.
Thank you.
Brilliant as usual. I did keep thinking “brain tumour” as I watched, as my husband had a GBM. It’s a pity they didn’t keep tissue samples back then for future reference or study as they do now.
We just have the photomicrograph of his tumour which has been interpreted in different ways by modern pathologists.
@@professorgraemeyorston thank you for replying. 😊🇦🇺
Excellent video, Professor Yorston!
Many thanks!
Hi. What a splendid description of a much loved composer..love his music and his personality. ❤️. Valérie
Many thanks for a calm and measured narrative, with none of the tricksy moves that docu makers are addicted to today.. Fascinating story very well told.
Great art is timeless. That first glissade of Rhapsody in Blue...epic
Thank you for a lovely, balanced presentation. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
This is the perfect short documentary on Gershwin. Thanks for doing this. Keep up the good work.
Glad you enjoyed it.
This is excellent! Thank you so much! As a lifelong lover & student of Gershwin's music, I am deeply grateful. You nailed this genius's personality.
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it.
Absolutely fascinating
Thank you.
I so enjoy your videos- thank you so much. Gershwin has been an inspiration to me as a pianist, a singer, and the whole reason I took up clarinet in school. I never knew about his life and love him now all the more.
Thank you.
I loved watching your documentary. Thank you. I’m sure George Gershwin is happy in heaven, grateful you did this for him and everyone who loved and loves him still.
What a great story!
Thank you for sharing it.
Thank you for sharing such a moving story.
Thank you doctor for giving us one of the most outstanding biographies of one of the greatest composers of all time. Expertly researched and extremely balanced presentation. I look forward to watching more of your work.
Very interesting and informative, not only musical, buy neurological as well.
I have an extremely rare manifestation of leukodystrophy and am pushing 70 years.
It is amazing how both science and music has changed in 90 years.
Medically, I'll take my modern treatment. Musically, Gershwin remains a king.
Very wise!
It is a gift to be able to have great researchers, doctors, and treatments at this point in time, so that we can continue to enjoy the great music and art of the past. Continue to enjoy your life.
Thank you for this exceptional doccie on George Gershwin. Was riveted! and so sad that no one diagnosed his condition. Have always loved his music!❤
Thank you for this full length video. The short had me curious.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you for this very interesting and insightful biography of George Gershwin. I am a great fan of the music of George and Ira Gershwin, as well as George's classical/jazz pieces. His music will last forever.
Excellent mini-doc. Thanks!
Thank you very much for this video. I have been a Gershwin fan since I was in junior high school. In 1969 a piano-playing friend of mine played his Second Prelude in C# minor for me and I was hooked. I collected every piece of his that I could find, both records and sheet music; read books about him and Ira; and learned to play piano (sort of - I'm better at guitar and voice) just so I could play his music. I even got to see a live performance of _Porgy and Bess,_ which was awesome. I celebrate George's birthday every year, and his music often dances through my head. Despite all that familiarity, I still learned some new things from your video!
Thank you, high praise from such a fan!
Most outstanding dear Sir!! 👏👏👏
Fantastic!!! Thank you for this!!
You're very welcome!
Brilliant Professor Yorston! Thanks for a fascinating story and also a very tragic one.
Glad you enjoyed it.
I use to fall asleep aa a toddler to Rhapsody in Blue and An American in Paris. I love the Gershwin brothers’ songs. My favorite is the collection “Gershwin Plays Gershwin”. Thank you for the nice video and history.
Gosh, thanks for putting so much effort into making this video. You must have done an enormous amount of research on him. Thank you 🩷🩷🩷🩷
Thank you for this excellent presentation, Professor.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Very informative and enjoyable - thank you!
Thank you.
Thank you so much! Forty minutes jam packed with information about this wonderful artist.
Glad you enjoyed it!
That was incredibly interesting and informative. I knew none of this about George Gershwin. I just discovered your channel and have subscribed. I can't wait to watch more of your lectures!
Welcome aboard!
Thank you for your documentary. Well presented and very interesting. I learned many of his tunes at my piano lessons when I was young. I loved his music then and I still like to rattle the ivories in his memory. Best wishes from an Irish pensioner. 🇮🇪
Thank you for this wonderful video. A sensible, well researched work that doesn’t dish dirt on a superbly talented man
Thank you.
Thank you.
By causality this YT dropped on my cellular !
I am very glad to hear the life history of someone that I admired since the first time I head his music. 🙏
Thanks for watching.
great video , thanks. how about a video of Franz Liszt?
Great suggestion!
@@professorgraemeyorston thank you! He’s one of my favorites especially when played by Vladimir Horowitz. Horowitz would also make a great video!
ThankYou professor!!!!! What a pleasant saturday morning surprise. Will llisten emmediately.
Hope you enjoy it!
I love the music of George Gershwin. This documentary is excellent. Thank you
Thank you.
Thank you, Professor Yorston. I'd been hoping you'd do a video about Gershwin.
Glad to oblige.
This is absolutely fascinating story of amazing person’s life. Thank you.
This was absolutely wonderful. Thank you very much!!
Glad you enjoyed it.
Excellent. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you.