That's my grandpa Rowland "Rolly" Furnas playing the Trombone solo in the first 30 seconds of this film. He was the only Trombone player in the orchastra and I am so proud of this solo. I have the Trombone he is playing and I remember as a little girl, how he used to go into the guest room every evening before dinner a play his trombone for like an hour then sit down for dinner. He's played with the best of them during his career in a Dixieland Jazz Band, Louie Armstrong, Gershwin, and he came to Hollywood back in 1946 when there were dirt roads, to start a family. 22 years later I was born. He was in Head of Maintenance for the Musicians Union Local 47 on Vine St. just North of Melrose in Hollywood for 30 years and my Mom worked there in for 25 years. Thank you to all his peers and all of the musicians out there that make my life worth living because music is the only thing I CANNOT live without. Sincerely, Amy Armijo-Eberly
Repent and trust in Jesus. We all deserve Hell for our sins, such as lying lusting coveting and more. We can't save ourselves, but Jesus can save us. He died on the cross to save us for our sins and rose from the grave defeating death and Hell. You must put your faith in him only. He is the only way to Heaven. Repent and trust in Jesus. Romans 6:23 John 3:16❤❤
@christianweatherbroadcasti3491 Why did you comment this? You are making Christians look bad. Read the verse right after John 3:16, verse 17. * Also read (Eph 4:15) (2 Tim 2:25) Romans is also a great book about the grace(love) of God. The better way to share the salvation that you've found is by loving, not condemning. Imitate Christ! He came to show His love, grace, and mercy, not his wrath!
My brother played this in high school. He would practice it day and night on his clarinet till he had it perfect. We shared a bed room till I was 18. Just hearing this song takes me back....I am 61 now. How I miss those days....
Ken Hymes I often wondered when watching this back in the 80s if it was hard for Oscar Levant to play himself in the movie. He had to announce during a concert that Gershwin has passed away, and then he had to recreate that very scene on a movie set a decade later. Actually, recreate his LIFE as Gershwin’s musical peer on a set.
@@patricialopez-qi3xk 100% Agree. Perhaps it might even be that each song is the perfect representation of its specific year? I sorta wish I could have experienced it.
He wrote it in 3 weeks, after initially turning down the request to contribute a new piece to an all jazz performance. He only took the request when he found out he would be replaced with one of his rivals. The melody came to him while riding the train from NYC to Boston, and it's meant to capture the raucous sounds and movements of modern day city life. Also, something not captured in this film was that people were getting bored of the other performances and started leaving, but this song stopped everyone in their tracks.
Totally agree. This piece of music will stand out as iconic no matter how much time goes by or who the people are listening to it. Modern day people are extraordinarily unappreciative of the contributions of great artists such as George Gershwin. To repeat your words he was a true genius.
That opening note on the clarinet takes so agonizingly long to reach, you almost think it won't make it. When it does, it's like a great relief mixed with melancholy washes over you. Genius
Gershwin himself, who did not orchestrate or arrange the song but only wrote the piano score, did not conceive that opening clarinet glissando. Neither did Ferde Grofe, who was Paul Whiteman's orchestral arranger. It was conceived and played originally by Whiteman's excellent clarinetist, Ross Gorman, who was sort of just clowning around at the original rehearsal. Gershwin liked it so much he decided to leave it in with a little more "wail." Ross Gorman.
@@walmartsellssoup4309 - Who? George Gershwin the composer of this song you’re listening to - Mozart and Chopin also died young, but were born about 80-100 years earlier when most people died much younger -
If you EVER have the opportunity to hear this piece performanced by an orchestra, run don't walk to get a ticket. You can't imagine the power and energy generated by Gershwin's music. By the musicians playing it. By the audience hearing it. You will remember it for the rest of your life.
I did I was home on leave from Germany. I go r dressed in my dress uniform and went downtown foe the performance. I was a young 21 year old soldier and was in tears by end.
Hay gente para todo gusto, principalmente la gente joven que se rie de todo y no sabe ni donde tiene el trasero para limpiarselo bién. Leí mas arriba unas respuestas que daban lástima. Vi la pelicula y me enamoré hasta el dia de hoy de esa música exquisita.
My dad was a jazz piano player, little combos and big bands like this. When they recorded or played back then, there were no overdubs, no multitracks. The entire group had to play it perfectly, every single instrument, all the way through. He said they way they did it was, all they did was practice. All day every day.
@Peter Grahame gershwin was a classical composer and mixed rhythmic elements of jazz with classical in this piece, as a ten second google search will show.
Actually, Rhapsody In Blue debuted in 1924. This clip is from the 1945 film bio of George Gershwin. I fell in love with it the very first time I heard it as a child. I get the same emotion every time I hear it all these many years later. The same with his Concerto in F and of course, Porgy and Bess.
My father used to play this on our old piano in our house for his three children. In the meantime, both my parents and also my twin sister is long gone. Only the memories remain. Still, after all these years, I am listening to THE Rhapsody with a few tears in my eyes.
The world spins faster and faster ,until it becomes a blur. And one day we look around ,and our friends have been replaced with strangers. It’s sad the way that time gets on so fast. I wish we could live our lives over again. 🥲 I miss the old days.
The name of the banjo player is Mike Pingatore. He was with the Whiteman orchestra from the beginning as far as I know, which would be before 1920 when it was a much smaller ensemble. Also, as far as I know, he stayed right to the end, unlike most of Whiteman's famous musicians who came and went (most of the originals left during the 1930s). And yes, Mike was a hunchback. (I'm sure there's a more politically correct term for that nowadays.)
Perfect. I'm always amazed how a person can hear all these sounds in their head, put it on paper and create music magic. Genius seems to simple a word, but it's all we have.
Of course the music is wonderful but the camera movements and editing it took to let us get up close and personal with the musicians was amazing. The guys behind the cameras pulled off an incredible cinematic feat when you think about how many "takes" they must have shot in order to create this seamless experience. Right down to the dramatic use of the performer's shadows towards the end. This was truly the golden age of film making and Warner Bros. is giving us a master class with this production.
I agree. It was eye catching, notable & breathtaking for me also (even if I hadn't been in the "industry" for many years). Love black & white...so dramatic !
I read that the opening clarinet slide was something Gershwin heard a clarinet player do to warm up--just goofing around. He liked the effect, and wrote it as the opening note for this piece.
I read the same story. I also read that the clarinetist said he couldn't do whatever Gershwin wanted but said he could do a "glissando" and Gershwin liked it and kept it in.
I (still) live in The Bronx. I'm 75 years old. Born here in 1944. This IS my music. This IS everything I feel and think about NEW YORK CITY of my growing up years here in this Irish, Jewish, Italian, Mixed-everything-else neighborhood of Fordham Road & University Ave. also with relatives in Woodlawn, The South Bronx, The Grand Concourse, and now on Long Island. And my deceased father told us about hearing this live once at now demolished Lewisham Stadium at City College where George Gershwin himself played it. So all the praise-worth words written here are all soo, soo, soo true. This great masterpiece SPEAKS of New York City, SINGS of New York City, CRIES OUT from and for New York City. And along with West Side Story, IS New York City's National Anthem. (My real name before Peace Corps Turkey was and is Francis Leo Hogan, III)
I couldn't agree more. Am also a 1944 baby and on my visits to NYC I can feel the GG beat in the air and I ŕevel in his music and that of the other greats of that first 70 years of last century. Can sing them, can dance to them and can play my flute by ear to them they all cone so naturally to my psyche and soul. Imagine if I'd nevér heard such conposers and loved their music motley Gershwin'!s! 🇦🇨
Thank you for sharing this. Brought tears to my eyes. I live in Scranton, Pa. and still get such a thrill visiting NYC. My kids have all participated in the Arts (theater, drama, chorus, voice, ballet, jazz, modern, etc) because of NYC. My 2 oldest children performed piano and sang at Carnegie as part of a recital. NYC is the heart and soul of American Music.
The fact that so many decades, generations (and probably centuries) later we’re still listening to and loving this wonderful sound speaks volumes of the genius, dedication and sheer quality of Gershwin and his craft. I might wonder what the world will be listening to in 80 years time from today’s music, but for now I don’t care, I’m just happy listening to this, now and tomorrow too.
Soren Akatsuki That’s what I always want to do when playing clarinet in jazz! When you are in the song, just bring out the jazz from the soul inside. It’s so much like worship!
The man seen leaning on the balcony rail tapping his fingers is Oscar Levant, an accomplished pianist, friend of G. Gershwin and his foremost interpreter.
I loved his performance of Gershwin's Concerto in F in the movie American in Paris. I also loved his salty, sardonic 'self portrayal' in that performance.
This is not the actual debut of this piece, but the debut of this piece in this biographical movie of the composer-George Gershwin, so the title of this post can really be confusing. The first performance of this piece was played by George Gershwin himself in 12 February 1924, but with the same orchestra at the same concert hall as appeared in this clip.
The original performance was with the Paul Whiteman orchestra. This too is indicated to be the Whiteman orchestra. They use a conductor who looks like Paul Whiteman but they never show the face, as it is not Whiteman. I don't know if Whiteman used that many violins. Also in the video here, the piece has been cut short.
Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys first heard this song as a toddler and listened to it non-stop, then learned to play it on piano with no formal training. It's safe to say that without this song, there'd probably be no Beach Boys! It's amazing how one song can influence generations that follow, like a domino effect! I personally always loved this one.
This is my own personal speculation, but this song may be a keystone for understanding Brian Wilson's key modulations. I have read that this song modulates around a circle of fourths aka a reversed circle of fifths, and many of Brian Wilson's key changes are modulated in that way as well. Brian has managed to pick out some very abstract aspects of this tune.
Concerto In F For Piano And Orchestra stands with Grieg's A minor Concerto for composers with a single concerto under their belt. I would consider myself blessed to write a piano concerto half fine as either. Fortune smiles on posterity to have works such as these to enjoy.
Taken at a fairly fast lick, unlike latter-day performances by symphonic players which slow it down too much. This was shot only 20 years after the premiere, and memories of Gershwin's spirited playing in his Hollywood Bowl concerts were fresh.
George Gershwin’s music was so clean and new and was delightful. My dad would start his piano practice every evening with Rhapsody in Blue. I’ll always love Gershwin because of my dad.
This is a really good piece of filmmaking. It makes the personality of the instruments and the players vibrant and present, and makes the music vital. It serves and embellishes the music, never distracting.
I love how it's being celebrated by profession and amateur artist using all manner of instruments to show how truly well composed this piece its makes you want dance and fall in love then that painful violin represents the heartbreak, its still do fresh and i loved hearing this all year. I pity people who dont have music in their lives. To me is medicine i like it all. Every kind from everywhere!!❤❤❤❤
I watched this wonderful movie when I was ten! My parents, but especially my dear dad, loved this music. And me too! nevertheless my age. I always remember my dearest father when I listen to Rhapsody in Blue (or "blues"?) and always will. Regards from Argentina. Amelia.
Oscar Levant has the most Gershwin accurate recording thus far (and is playing the piece in this clip) check out ruclips.net/video/YiI5WmiIVrY/видео.html - I mean, as someone who worked with George he did his best to match the tone, cadence and performance style of the original performance.
Many movie critics gave credit to Robert Alda for memorizing correct positions for the fingers on the piano keys when in fact he was using a “dummy” keyboard.
Len Hummel: Levant was one of the few, according to Irving Caesar (Gershwin’s lyricist for “La, La, Lucille,” “Swanee” and others), who could say to Gershwin publicly, not just on film, “If you had your life to re-live, George, would you fall in love with yourself all over again?”
Both Irving Caesar and arranger/composer Robert Russell Bennett told me in interviews that the Van Vechtens, whose Manhattan musical soirees were a treasured invitation, had invited the great Sergei Rachmaninoff to one of their parties. When Rachmaninoff was ushered into the foyer and saw and heard Gershwin at the piano, he said to his hosts, “Unless Mr. Gershwin is told to stop his saloon piano-playing of what he persists in calling ‘music,’ I shall leave at once!” Bennett said that Rachmaninoff didn’t give the hosts even a moment to speak to Gershwin. He left anyway.
That's the great Al Gallodoro playing the clarinet solo however that's not Al in the movie. He was not present for the filming of this movie. He was with Whiteman for about 30 years starting in the late 30's. Al was one of the greatest sax/clarinet virtuoso's of all time 1913-2008 He played right up to the time he passed away in 2008 at age 95. It was my pleasure and delight to have spoken to him on several occasions and email correspond with him on a regular basis. Al really raised the bar for all the rest of us sax/clar players. Thank you Al
That I believe is recognised by another clarinettists of that age I have spoken with , as the longest and finest glissando on the clarinet in that same recording with the Paul Whiteman orchestra .
Mr. Biondi, I have a great Al Gallodoro story told to me by my musician father who was born in 1913 as was Al. Al was famous here in our town when he was only 13 years old and played at the Lyric Theatre before his family went to New Orleans where Al became famous. I tried to get AG inducted into our Jazz Hall of Fame and after I told his grandson who had been his manager what I was trying to do, the grandson was willing to bring musicians down and put on a performance and even donate AG's "C Melody Sax" to the museum. I hand carried all of the paperwork involved in the induction but needed proof of Al's Birmingham connection. I knew that the Gallodoro family had attended a formerly Italian catholic church at the time his family lived here and I got in touch with the pastor. I told him what I wanted the info for but he said that "The Church" was afraid that it might be sued. I suppose the Pastor knew how much the Church was having to pay out in damages to all of the now old victims of priests who molested them when they were children! This pastor was from South America and it seemed that all he wanted to do was "bad mouth" Donald Trump. The church is now predominately Hispanic and I felt that the pastor wanted every illegal alien to be able to cross over the border and be taken care of by our citizens even though we have so many Veterans and others who need taking care of. I knew that my father would have loved it if I had been able to get Al Gallodoro recognized as I wanted but sadly, it was not to be, basically because of "the Church".
@@joanschilleci7564 All i can say in response is 'wow' i'm not surprised and it's a shame, but thanks so much for your efforts . I know Al would have been grateful and humbled by such an honor. Thanks for sharing the story
I'd have to qualify this a bit. I heard a rendition of "Rhapsody in Blue" with Paul Whiteman conducting, and Leonard Pennario at the piano. It felt exciting and lively. Another rendition by Leonard Bernstein seemed more somber, respectful. I'd hear Bernstein's interpretation and imagine Humphrey Bogart looking out at the New York skyline some night.
Very perceptive. If you check out Disney's 2000 redone version of "Fantasia," (entitled, imaginatively enough, "Fantasia 2000") the animators included this piece, and that's exactly how they portrayed the music. Would you like a gold star, a pat on the pack, or a hearty "Atta boy?"
This piece IS Manhattan in the 1920s. It starts in the pre-dawn, with a few late night partiers and the horse drawn milk wagon ... rush hour, people jamming the sidewalks going to work ... the Spanish quarter ... you can hear the entire city in the piece. It's one of my favorites, though often butchered. My favorite arrangements are those of Michael Tilson Thomas, and the piano rolls where we hear George Gershwin playing it himself.
As a 'hack' piano player, I have sat down and murdered this brilliant piece on many occasions! I will (hopefully) get it right before my demise.... Thank You George Gershwin for the inspiration.
That's Robert Alda playing the piano in the movie. Alan Alda's dad. My top 5 piece of music. I played the last 14 pages of this masterpiece on the piano to a standing ovation.
That's Robert Alda pretending to play the piano. It's actually George and Ira Gershwin's friend, Oscar Levant. He's brilliant in his own right, a great actor, and Oscar was close enough to have sat and watched George play in person prior to his untimely death.
I ALWAYZ GET TEARY EYED AND STAND UP AT THE END. 2. Reasons. 1. It’s sooooo Beautiful. 2. I wish it didn’t have to end. ( Feels like you’re just floating around effortlessly. )
George Gershwin was incredible. Certainly a musical genius. So sad he passed so young. Just think of all the great music that was never composed so very sad
I really like it - Paul Whiteman had a smaller jazz band that the banjo player was part of which is prolly why he was included in the original performance.
Kristine Joy Bracamonte Grofé, wo orchestrated the piece, created several arrangements, at least 4 including the original band arrangement I believe, each time for a successively larger orchestra. Nowadays the later arrangements from the 40s are usually performed, so there's no banjo.
@@TheOfficialChannelOfChannels no, it’s so the sound is projected better, since they didn’t have microphones. had to make sure the sound carried all the way through the theatre
This is the number my accordion teacher played for me so that I could hear what she was capable of. I remembered it for many years, and when I had finally achieved a certain level of proficiency I tried to learn this masterpiece. I spent months learning just a few passages of it, but it is still one of my favorites of all time.
Never have I heard the interpretation of this piece more appropriate to the jazz era. The orchestral players added nuances only musicians who understood speakeasy, jazz hot, and the club era ha festrede big bands. One hears Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman accents and no nonsense American energy of the times. Thanks so much for uploading!
Wow! What a wonderful performance of this classic. When the violins come in towards the end it almost brings a tear to your eye just because the song is so beautiful. Thanks for posting.
Yes, it a recreation of that 1923 event in the 1945 film biography of the composer, Gershwin. It's explained in the text above. But I agree the video's title is misleading.
My FAVORITE piece ... EVER. This coming from a metal head and punker. What is astounding, is that Gershwin wrote this piece in 24 hours!!! He'd forgotten that he promised to write a piece for a jazz review his friend was putting on, he was asked several months earlier. He remembered because his friend called him to ask if the piece was ready. He sat down and wrote - Rhapsody in Blue (his original title was American Rhapsody but his brother Ira convinced him to change the title). I'd have LOVED to be at the debut of this piece - it must have been absolutely amazing. I wonder if people in the audience realized just how special the piece they were listening to is/was.
I played the clarinet and I tell you the opening is unbelievable- the clarinet slurs upwards at least 3 scales is impossible but he did it. I'm in awe every time I hear that opening
When I was a kid in the early 1950's, the first piece of music I fell in love with was Rhapsody In Blue. My father was a music lover and played the 78rpm record of the original recording, especially when I would beg him to repeat it. I think it changed my young life.
Warner Bros has the best sounding orchestra to me. I guess it's all the music they included in Looney Tunes. Genius move using orchestras for cartoons. It helped foster a love of classical music from a very early age. Thank you Warner Bros for sharing this great video.
Ahh, Looney Tunes. The best Saturday cartoons ever. You are so right about how the music that was such a big part of watching them seeped into our little unformed sub-conscious brains and led us on a journey of appreciating that style of music for a lifetime. Thanks for the memory.
Ah thanks for clearing that up. Do you know which orchestra Carl William Stalling was using for all those Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies?@@TomSpeaks-vw1zp
Best version of Rhapsody in Blue! When we were kids growing up in NYC, my mom gave my brother and me a vinyl copy of it with Gershwin's other rhapsodic composition, American in Paris on the B side. This music was created decades before I was born but nailed so much of the vibe of what the city was, is, and will always be - the immense energy, the jazz/blues, the ethnicities. When I hear Rhapsody in Blue I still feel so connected to that city, even though I moved away from NYC just before my teens.
1:34 That man is Oscar Lavante, who was a friend of Gershwin and championed his work. Also a complete character and wit. Just look up some of his quotes
Oscar Levant wrote several very witty books including "Memoirs of an Amnesiac" . He was the 2nd person to record Rhapsody in Blue. Jack Parr had him on his program in the 1960's.He was a brilliant pianist and an incredible wit but had terrible performance anxiety that overwhelmed him at times
He was the highest paid concert pianist in the country for a time. AND he hoofed a bit with Fred Astaire, Nanette Fabray and Jack Buchanan in 'The Band Wagon', which is more than Jose Iturbi or Stokowski ever did. Quite a combination, but poor Oscar was a champion neurotic and hypochondriac. You get the full gamut of his talents and vulnerabilities in an extraordinary episode of the Jack Benny Program, on YT.
I lost count how many times I've listen to Rhapsody In Blue. I used to play the record in high school study hall in 1968 and played it countless times since!
When you're a clarinet but will never reach this level of excellence Edit: guys this was just a joke, chill out! I know I can get better with practice! I practice almost every other day after school and I've seen my own improvement All I was saying is that that level of mastery is incredible, something that most amateur clarinet players who aren't going to continue with music in college will probably never reach
If you practice "Almost Every other day, after school" does that mean something like 2-3 hours a week? Bump that up to something like 8 hours per day and you'll laugh at how simple playing any instrument is. I learned the smear when I was 8 years old on a plastic clarinet with a Rico 2 reed. Took about 30 minutes to master. EVERYTHING becomes stupidly simple if you practice the rudiments.
I remember the first time I watched this movie on TV. What really impressed me was the rhapsody itself, it made me feel something strange and wishing to know much about who the composer was. It led me to the one of the most amazing music ever. Probably Gershwin is the most iconic of American composers in the XX century. He got the jazz music entered into classical auditoriums for its own.
This is the piece of music that brought me to jazz, blues, classical, when I was about 10 or 11 I think. The break at 3:00 always made me imagine people rushing through the streets of New York in the 20s. I was born and grew up in suburbs of London, England, in the 70s. Imagine writing something like aged 24. Mind blowing.
After the opening wail on the clarinet, I think most people recognize the cakewalk the best. It's fun to play, and you actually feel like you're on the train. This is a very American (Americana) piece of music. Always have loved it.
So many stars in this movie, but really noticed Oscar Levant peering over from balcony... he was one of the best Gershwin interpreters....serious and funny guy.....
I remember sitting aside of Dad, who loved Jack Parr. Oscar Levant was his quest a couple of times. I think he was very depressed. or had some kind of mental illness, but he was always a very good guest.
A celebration of excellence. This film reminds me of the beauty Americans are capable of when we focus on our talents through hard work and disciplined dedication.
Brash, audacious, towering - the cultural and economic capital of a civilization the likes of which the world had never seen before. Rooted in Europe and Africa (with a little bit of everything else thrown in for good measure), its reach extends to the Moon, Mars and beyond. It was a real challenge for Gershwin to render its spirit musically, but I think he came close.
That's my grandpa Rowland "Rolly" Furnas playing the Trombone solo in the first 30 seconds of this film. He was the only Trombone player in the orchastra and I am so proud of this solo. I have the Trombone he is playing and I remember as a little girl, how he used to go into the guest room every evening before dinner a play his trombone for like an hour then sit down for dinner. He's played with the best of them during his career in a Dixieland Jazz Band, Louie Armstrong, Gershwin, and he came to Hollywood back in 1946 when there were dirt roads, to start a family. 22 years later I was born. He was in Head of Maintenance for the Musicians Union Local 47 on Vine St. just North of Melrose in Hollywood for 30 years and my Mom worked there in for 25 years. Thank you to all his peers and all of the musicians out there that make my life worth living because music is the only thing I CANNOT live without.
Sincerely,
Amy Armijo-Eberly
nice.
What a great story. Thanks for sharing, Amy.
Repent and trust in Jesus. We all deserve Hell for our sins, such as lying lusting coveting and more. We can't save ourselves, but Jesus can save us. He died on the cross to save us for our sins and rose from the grave defeating death and Hell. You must put your faith in him only. He is the only way to Heaven. Repent and trust in Jesus.
Romans 6:23
John 3:16❤❤
What an incredible story!
@christianweatherbroadcasti3491 Why did you comment this? You are making Christians look bad. Read the verse right after John 3:16, verse 17.
* Also read (Eph 4:15) (2 Tim 2:25) Romans is also a great book about the grace(love) of God.
The better way to share the salvation that you've found is by loving, not condemning. Imitate Christ! He came to show His love, grace, and mercy, not his wrath!
My brother played this in high school. He would practice it day and night on his clarinet till he had it perfect. We shared a bed room till I was 18. Just hearing this song takes me back....I am 61 now. How I miss those days....
Je ressens l' envie de dormir
@@priscacadet-petit4199What does that even mean?
My dude sait "I am 61 now" and I was surprised I don't know why.
@@edisonsworld6872 It means "I feel the desire to sleep"
You have spelling off, your brother is Bi not By, are you outing your brother?
Just in case anyone is misled by the title. This is the recreation of the 1924 debut as portrayed in the 40s movie Rhapsody in Blue.
Very helpful comment, thank you.
The title made me think of Vintage (70s/80s) Nurnburgring Crash Compilations titled "Rhapsodie in Blech" (Rhapsody in sheetmetal(?))
Thank you!
It’s fairly accurate to the debut
Ken Hymes I often wondered when watching this back in the 80s if it was hard for Oscar Levant to play himself in the movie. He had to announce during a concert that Gershwin has passed away, and then he had to recreate that very scene on a movie set a decade later. Actually, recreate his LIFE as Gershwin’s musical peer on a set.
no piece of music has ever more accurately captured the vibe of an era, time and place in the history of the world than this piece.
Apt and eloquently stated! Bless
So true! Time and Place!
Yes!
Second place would be Sing, sing, sing.
@@patricialopez-qi3xk 100% Agree. Perhaps it might even be that each song is the perfect representation of its specific year? I sorta wish I could have experienced it.
George Gershwin was 24 when he wrote this. A GENIUS
INDEED !
This MOSTLY DEFINITELY IS MY FAVORITE CLASSICAL SONG EVER ! EVER !
He wrote it in 3 weeks, after initially turning down the request to contribute a new piece to an all jazz performance. He only took the request when he found out he would be replaced with one of his rivals. The melody came to him while riding the train from NYC to Boston, and it's meant to capture the raucous sounds and movements of modern day city life. Also, something not captured in this film was that people were getting bored of the other performances and started leaving, but this song stopped everyone in their tracks.
@@davep1103 Mine too!
Totally agree. This piece of music will stand out as iconic no matter how much time goes by or who the people are listening to it. Modern day people are extraordinarily unappreciative of the contributions of great artists such as George Gershwin. To repeat your words he was a true genius.
Wow A young genius
That opening note on the clarinet takes so agonizingly long to reach, you almost think it won't make it. When it does, it's like a great relief mixed with melancholy washes over you. Genius
Gershwin himself, who did not orchestrate or arrange the song but only wrote the piano score, did not conceive that opening clarinet glissando. Neither did Ferde Grofe, who was Paul Whiteman's orchestral arranger. It was conceived and played originally by Whiteman's excellent clarinetist, Ross Gorman, who was sort of just clowning around at the original rehearsal. Gershwin liked it so much he decided to leave it in with a little more "wail." Ross Gorman.
Esa intro de clarinete es el bello toque Judío. Los Gershwimg fueron genios. Saludos desde Ecuador.
and the way the trumpet picks up the last note it's genius it's so perfect
@@ralphalopez Thanks for sharing that! I never knew!
Yep.
He died at only 38 years old - brain tumor. Imagine how much more music he would have composed - incredible talent.
who
maybe the tumor helped
Mozart died at 36. What are you talking about?
@@walmartsellssoup4309 - Who? George Gershwin the composer of this song you’re listening to - Mozart and Chopin also died young, but were born about 80-100 years earlier when most people died much younger -
And Bill Chase, too.
If you EVER have the opportunity to hear this piece performanced by an orchestra, run don't walk to get a ticket.
You can't imagine the power and energy generated by Gershwin's music. By the musicians playing it. By the audience hearing it.
You will remember it for the rest of your life.
I have. It was the last concert I went to before the lockdowns. It's hard to watch and listen with dry eyes.
I did I was home on leave from Germany. I go r dressed in my dress uniform and went downtown foe the performance. I was a young 21 year old soldier and was in tears by end.
same for Ferde Grofe
I have, and you're quite right.
I would love to for this one, as well as for An American In Paris.
How can anyone give this a thumbs down, Gershwin was a genius. It's an incredible piece of music.
Because they are socialists and your not allowed to enjoy anything.
Hay gente para todo gusto, principalmente la gente joven que se rie de todo y no sabe ni donde tiene el trasero para limpiarselo bién. Leí mas arriba unas respuestas que daban lástima.
Vi la pelicula y me enamoré hasta el dia de hoy de esa música exquisita.
People who do have no idea what real and good music sounds like.
Goofy liberals
Because the original version is like 17 minutes long, and this version does it no justice.
that transition into the trumpet solo is SEAMLESS! GAH
Joshua Chang no orchestra can do that
Natheniel Becker: Until 1945?
My dad was a jazz piano player, little combos and big bands like this. When they recorded or played back then, there were no overdubs, no multitracks. The entire group had to play it perfectly, every single instrument, all the way through. He said they way they did it was, all they did was practice. All day every day.
Trumpet go quack with perfect timing
It's a Clarinet.
Almost certainly THE GREATEST FUSION of jazz and classical EVER composed or performed.
By the greatest American composer to date. Someone better may come along, but I have my doubts.
This brings out raw emotions, buetiful piece of music.
@Peter Grahame gershwin was a classical composer and mixed rhythmic elements of jazz with classical in this piece, as a ten second google search will show.
@Peter Grahame Plenty to do with Classical! Most of these musicians were classically trained
I absolutely agree with You. It blends them both beautifully. But this was the pure Genuis of George and IRA Gershwin
Actually, Rhapsody In Blue debuted in 1924. This clip is from the 1945 film bio of George Gershwin. I fell in love with it the very first time I heard it as a child. I get the same emotion every time I hear it all these many years later. The same with his Concerto in F and of course, Porgy and Bess.
Jehosaphat--Next year is the centennial of Rhapsody in Blue.
What's the name of the Gershwin bio?? This is the best 20th century composition.
WONDERFUL film!!! Such awe-inspiring music‼️🎵‼️
Thanks
@@cherylcouch-thomas8250 The Bio is also called Rhapsody in Blue rather confusingly 😆
My father used to play this on our old piano in our house for his three children. In the meantime, both my parents and also my twin sister is long gone. Only the memories remain. Still, after all these years, I am listening to THE Rhapsody with a few tears in my eyes.
Bravos 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏!!!!
i feel you. i'm the last of my family. i still play imo my late brother
The world spins faster and faster ,until it becomes a blur. And one day we look around ,and our friends have been replaced with strangers.
It’s sad the way that time gets on so fast. I wish we could live our lives over again. 🥲 I miss the old days.
@@danmeadows3859So very true.
Sounds like you are a writer.
Probably the greatest piece of music ever written for clarinet & an absolutely sublime orchestral concerto. Genius indeed.
You’ve heard of the Mozart clarinet concerto, I presume?
Nope. I do not want to hear Mozart types. My artwork fights his types of proud.😮
@@carolcunningham7646 that’s really interesting.. care to elaborate?
I'm surprised no one is talking about the solo banjo player sitting right in the middle like a total badass.
I was thinking the same, he looks extremely weird.
The name of the banjo player is Mike Pingatore. He was with the Whiteman orchestra from the beginning as far as I know, which would be before 1920 when it was a much smaller ensemble. Also, as far as I know, he stayed right to the end, unlike most of Whiteman's famous musicians who came and went (most of the originals left during the 1930s). And yes, Mike was a hunchback. (I'm sure there's a more politically correct term for that nowadays.)
Good point!
Hahaha I saw this comment as soon S they did the close up hahaha
It's because he wasn't welcome in any of the groups 😉
Perfect. I'm always amazed how a person can hear all these sounds in their head, put it on paper and create music magic. Genius seems to simple a word, but it's all we have.
Pray, allow me a little correction of your correctedness: Man in His head.
Bible
God lay the Spirit of Art in some People...
Soo true..Thank God...Amen..
Of course the music is wonderful but the camera movements and editing it took to let us get up close and personal with the musicians was amazing. The guys behind the cameras pulled off an incredible cinematic feat when you think about how many "takes" they must have shot in order to create this seamless experience. Right down to the dramatic use of the performer's shadows towards the end. This was truly the golden age of film making and Warner Bros. is giving us a master class with this production.
What an interesting comment. This is something the average person never thinks about. This piece has been a life long favorite of mine.
The quality of the film too!
I agree. It was eye catching, notable & breathtaking for me also (even if I hadn't been in the "industry" for many years). Love black & white...so dramatic !
Observant, astute. Enjoyed this very much.
It truly was masterful camera work! I was actually very impressed and surprised!
I read that the opening clarinet slide was something Gershwin heard a clarinet player do to warm up--just goofing around. He liked the effect, and wrote it as the opening note for this piece.
I'd heard it was originally a pure glissando.
dk6024 I heard that it was a mistake and he meant to play a scale but then the conductor told him to play it like that every time
Give listen to klezmer music and listen for the similarity in the clarinet intro.
It was actually a famous clarinet player messing around with the opening Bb scale, Gershwin liked it, and he inadvertantly wrote it into the song.
I read the same story. I also read that the clarinetist said he couldn't do whatever Gershwin wanted but said he could do a "glissando" and Gershwin liked it and kept it in.
I (still) live in The Bronx. I'm 75 years old. Born here in 1944. This IS my music. This IS everything I feel and think about NEW YORK CITY of my growing up years here in this Irish, Jewish, Italian, Mixed-everything-else neighborhood of Fordham Road & University Ave. also with relatives in Woodlawn, The South Bronx, The Grand Concourse, and now on Long Island. And my deceased father told us about hearing this live once at now demolished Lewisham Stadium at City College where George Gershwin himself played it. So all the praise-worth words written here are all soo, soo, soo true. This great masterpiece SPEAKS of New York City, SINGS of New York City, CRIES OUT from and for New York City. And along with West Side Story, IS New York City's National Anthem. (My real name before Peace Corps Turkey was and is Francis Leo Hogan, III)
Very interesting..thank you for the information!! Would live to visit new York...ive heard about it all my life...lol...im 71!
Koylu. Thank you for your beautiful words! I am from the Bronx and share your feelings for NYC! Best wishes
I couldn't agree more. Am also a 1944 baby and on my visits to NYC I can feel the GG beat in the air and I ŕevel in his music and that of the other greats of that first 70 years of last century. Can sing them, can dance to them and can play my flute by ear to them they all cone so naturally to my psyche and soul. Imagine if I'd nevér heard such conposers and loved their music motley Gershwin'!s! 🇦🇨
Koylu Hasan you are blessed to have lived this
Thank you for sharing this. Brought tears to my eyes. I live in Scranton, Pa. and still get such a thrill visiting NYC. My kids have all participated in the Arts (theater, drama, chorus, voice, ballet, jazz, modern, etc) because of NYC. My 2 oldest children performed piano and sang at Carnegie as part of a recital. NYC is the heart and soul of American Music.
The fact that so many decades, generations (and probably centuries) later we’re still listening to and loving this wonderful sound speaks volumes of the genius, dedication and sheer quality of Gershwin and his craft. I might wonder what the world will be listening to in 80 years time from today’s music, but for now I don’t care, I’m just happy listening to this, now and tomorrow too.
When you play the clarinet like a trumpet
Looking at it, it appears to be an Albert System clarinet.
If I'm not wrong, Albert System is usually used to play jazz and is quite common in eastern europe
This is how I was taught clarinet because I was a former trumpet player
and then it sounds better than a trumpet
Soren Akatsuki That’s what I always want to do when playing clarinet in jazz! When you are in the song, just bring out the jazz from the soul inside. It’s so much like worship!
The man seen leaning on the balcony rail tapping his fingers is Oscar Levant, an accomplished pianist, friend of G. Gershwin and his foremost interpreter.
And one of the worst memoir writers ever born.
@@donreed But one of the best pianists ever and that is how he is judged.
I loved his performance of Gershwin's Concerto in F in the movie American in Paris. I also loved his salty, sardonic 'self portrayal' in that performance.
@@3dbadboy1 I, too, saw that movie and remember.
I love Levant's summation of King Kong (1933). "A concert of Max Steiner's music with visual accompaniment".
This camera work is so amazing wow.
The staging, the shot and especially the lighting - just amazing.
This is a work of art all by itself 😋
these old movies are the stuff man
Sounds good even in mute
Jester it’s better than modern camera work
Can you imagine seeing this live ? The unparalleled talent in the room just for this song.
Spare no expense..
This is not the actual debut of this piece, but the debut of this piece in this biographical movie of the composer-George Gershwin, so the title of this post can really be confusing. The first performance of this piece was played by George Gershwin himself in 12 February 1924, but with the same orchestra at the same concert hall as appeared in this clip.
I was totally confused. Thinking, "Wow, all of the crowd sure looks glamorous. Sure seems like a movie."
Glad you said it! Even some of the orchestration was different than this one on its first run.
The original performance was with the Paul Whiteman orchestra. This too is indicated to be the Whiteman orchestra. They use a conductor who looks like Paul Whiteman but they never show the face, as it is not Whiteman. I don't know if Whiteman used that many violins. Also in the video here, the piece has been cut short.
thats very good to know. THis is one of my most favorites. ~ tuba Maddy
Thanks. The relativism really gets me down.
Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys first heard this song as a toddler and listened to it non-stop, then learned to play it on piano with no formal training. It's safe to say that without this song, there'd probably be no Beach Boys! It's amazing how one song can influence generations that follow, like a domino effect! I personally always loved this one.
It is no wonder Brian is such a perfectionist.
This is my own personal speculation, but this song may be a keystone for understanding Brian Wilson's key modulations. I have read that this song modulates around a circle of fourths aka a reversed circle of fifths, and many of Brian Wilson's key changes are modulated in that way as well. Brian has managed to pick out some very abstract aspects of this tune.
For those of you to young to remember, the pianist is Alan Alda's (Mash) father.
Wow! Thanks for that!
I at first thought it was Liberace ! 😊😊
Robert Alda. Handsome guy.
I'm sitting thinking that that guy looks SO familiar. Thank you.
Robert Alda the actor? Wow.
I love Gershwin music. It's so full of life. Regards from the Netherlands.
Imagine if he hadn't left this earth at 38. What else would he have created?
aircanuck Wow. So young....
aircanuck if only he had made more than one piano concerto. the fact that he only made one is simply unacceptable
Rhapsody in Blue 2.
Concerto In F For Piano And Orchestra stands with Grieg's A minor Concerto for composers with a single concerto under their belt. I would consider myself blessed to write a piano concerto half fine as either. Fortune smiles on posterity to have works such as these to enjoy.
9UWEEO NCBMD there’s already a second rhapsody that Gershwin wrote but this one is his most popular piece
That clarinet playing is absolutely amazing. The whole arrangement brilliant!
Gershwin wrote the music, but the orchestration is by Ferde Grofé.
LOTS of takes. All masterfully EDITED together to play in sync to a musical track.
@Tuff Bud now imagine it live, as it was played.
I will never forgive them for conscripting such an incredible piece of music! I swore I'd never fly on them again!
Taken at a fairly fast lick, unlike latter-day performances by symphonic players which slow it down too much. This was shot only 20 years after the premiere, and memories of Gershwin's spirited playing in his Hollywood Bowl concerts were fresh.
George Gershwin’s music was so clean and new and was delightful. My dad would start his piano practice every evening with Rhapsody in Blue. I’ll always love Gershwin because of my dad.
just fabulous to still listen to it in 2023 and it still sounds as good as when it first come out in 1945.
...wasn't this written in 1924?...
@@terrybrowning5143 yup. But this clip is from the 1945 movie about George Gershwin's life.
This is a really good piece of filmmaking. It makes the personality of the instruments and the players vibrant and present, and makes the music vital. It serves and embellishes the music, never distracting.
Except, tje sax doesn't sound anything like a trombone! Otherwise, brilliantly done. Bravo! throm
That is a HUGE baton
huge baton for huge band I guess
Well the musicians are sitting 500 feet away from the director, it needs to be huge so they can see it!
I thought he was just pleased to see us
Well you know what they say, count softly and carry a huge baton. Hmm..
Sam Hackenson hundreds of years ago they would just use giant staffs and would tap the beat instead of conducting the ensemble!
This song will give me chills and goosebumps for the rest of my life every time I hear it
Hello Kathy, How are you doing?
When the movie was made I, as a little kid, went every day!! I was thrilled then, I am thrilled now!!
My mom was a piano teacher and one of my fondest memories was of her playing this.
Wonderful music a living soul in every note tone and feeling expressed in a life long space time will never forget
Ah, I see this man is a student of the Squidward Tentacles school of holding a clarinet.. Very refined.
avant le lettre !!
That’s genius
Show-Biz. It allows theatrics because the soundtrack is added after the photography.
nice
He must’ve attended Squidward Community College.
100 years later, and this never gets old
I love how it's being celebrated by profession and amateur artist using all manner of instruments to show how truly well composed this piece its makes you want dance and fall in love then that painful violin represents the heartbreak, its still do fresh and i loved hearing this all year. I pity people who dont have music in their lives. To me is medicine i like it all. Every kind from everywhere!!❤❤❤❤
I remember seeing this movie and hearing George Gershwin Rhapsody In Blue for the first time. Magnificent!
Shell0517nj what movie is this?
Danny Boy it’s called “Rhapsody In Blue”
I watched this wonderful movie when I was ten! My parents, but especially my dear dad, loved this music. And me too! nevertheless my age. I always remember my dearest father when I listen to Rhapsody in Blue (or "blues"?) and always will. Regards from Argentina. Amelia.
Returning to this video on Monday Feb. 12th to commemorate the 100th anniversary of this piece and it's legendary premiere
The control on that piano soloist though....
Oscar Levant has the most Gershwin accurate recording thus far (and is playing the piece in this clip) check out ruclips.net/video/YiI5WmiIVrY/видео.html - I mean, as someone who worked with George he did his best to match the tone, cadence and performance style of the original performance.
Both Oscar and his dear friend, George G, were genius. this is truly a classic film and music.
Many movie critics gave credit to Robert Alda for memorizing correct positions for the fingers on the piano keys when in fact he was using a “dummy” keyboard.
Len Hummel: Levant was one of the few, according to Irving Caesar (Gershwin’s lyricist for “La, La, Lucille,” “Swanee” and others), who could say to Gershwin publicly, not just on film, “If you had your life to re-live, George, would you fall in love with yourself all over again?”
Both Irving Caesar and arranger/composer Robert Russell Bennett told me in interviews that the Van Vechtens, whose Manhattan musical soirees were a treasured invitation, had invited the great Sergei Rachmaninoff to one of their parties. When Rachmaninoff was ushered into the foyer and saw and heard Gershwin at the piano, he said to his hosts, “Unless Mr. Gershwin is told to stop his saloon piano-playing of what he persists in calling ‘music,’ I shall leave at once!” Bennett said that Rachmaninoff didn’t give the hosts even a moment to speak to Gershwin. He left anyway.
The dirtiest opening clarinet solo I've ever heard - what a player!
Barry Poupard RIGHTTTTT.....
Isn’t it hot?
Watch this ruclips.net/video/2haZJ0yx4e8/видео.html father and son play this
👏🎶🎶🎶dirty and fantastic 😉😅
@@ellinachname9018 Can anyone tell me who played the glissando in the film?
I only fly on United Airlines because they had the good taste to pick this music as their theme song. Love it!
Me too. This song accounts for a lot of my brand loyalty to United
I remember the commercial
C'était le morceau préféré de ma maman quand elle avait 20 ans. J'ai pris la relève et je trouve que Gershwin est un génie.
I hope this piece is played on February 2024
It will have been exactly 100 years since then
It will be!!
I'll take note of this 😀
Unfortunately, the auditorium it debuted in was torn down, but I'm sure it'll be played throughout NYC on its centennial
Does listening to it everyday in February 2024 count? That’s what I’m doing
Happy 100th, RiB 🎵🕶️🎵🌬💕
That's the great Al Gallodoro playing the clarinet solo however that's not Al in the movie. He was not present for the filming of this movie. He was with Whiteman for about 30 years starting in the late 30's. Al was one of the greatest sax/clarinet virtuoso's of all time 1913-2008 He played right up to the time he passed away in 2008 at age 95. It was my pleasure and delight to have spoken to him on several occasions and email correspond with him on a regular basis. Al really raised the bar for all the rest of us sax/clar players. Thank you Al
thanks for the share, Brother Al
That I believe is recognised by another clarinettists of that age I have spoken with , as the longest and finest glissando on the clarinet in that same recording with the Paul Whiteman orchestra .
Mr. Biondi, I have a great Al Gallodoro story told to me by my musician father who was born in 1913 as was Al. Al was famous here in our town when he was only 13 years old and played at the Lyric Theatre before his family went to New Orleans where Al became famous. I tried to get AG inducted into our Jazz Hall of Fame and after I told his grandson who had been his manager what I was trying to do, the grandson was willing to bring musicians down and put on a performance and even donate AG's "C Melody Sax" to the museum. I hand carried all of the paperwork involved in the induction but needed proof of Al's Birmingham connection. I knew that the Gallodoro family had attended a formerly Italian catholic church at the time his family lived here and I got in touch with the pastor. I told him what I wanted the info for but he said that "The Church" was afraid that it might be sued. I suppose the Pastor knew how much the Church was having to pay out in damages to all of the now old victims of priests who molested them when they were children! This pastor was from South America and it seemed that all he wanted to do was "bad mouth" Donald Trump. The church is now predominately Hispanic and I felt that the pastor wanted every illegal alien to be able to cross over the border and be taken care of by our citizens even though we have so many Veterans and others who need taking care of. I knew that my father would have loved it if I had been able to get Al Gallodoro recognized as I wanted but sadly, it was not to be, basically because of "the Church".
@@joanschilleci7564 All i can say in response is 'wow' i'm not surprised and it's a shame, but thanks so much for your efforts . I know Al would have been grateful and humbled by such an honor. Thanks for sharing the story
Aw, I hate when they don't show the actual musicians in scenes like this. Al Gallodoro was an incredible saxophone player as well.
*Who still appreciates these old classics, I do, enjoy!*
An d what would Tom and Jerry have done without it ...
I do
Boomer
@@shishbish9489 bruh
Ralphie_Boy I’m in middle school and I like these even though no one else at my school really does
This kind of music still _really_ still holds up today. Had I been in WW2 for example, this might be one of my top favorites. Seriously, it's great.
Most likely would have been a pre-war song as it was released in the mid-20s, so more of a swingin' 20s song than a WW2 song.
If New York City has a theme song, this is it.
Not Sinatra's "New York, New York"???
I'd have to qualify this a bit. I heard a rendition of "Rhapsody in Blue" with Paul Whiteman conducting, and Leonard Pennario at the piano. It felt exciting and lively. Another rendition by Leonard Bernstein seemed more somber, respectful. I'd hear Bernstein's interpretation and imagine Humphrey Bogart looking out at the New York skyline some night.
OldsVistaCruiser i agree, but will state that while New York New York is the Theme SONG, this is definitely the SCORE!
OldsVistaCruiser no, thissssss
They use it as New York’s theme in Fantasia 2000, I think, though it might be another big city that they used to accompany the piece, I’m not too sure
It sounds as a symphonic interpretation of the different rythms of a busy town, down in the 1920s and 1930s. A sort of beautiful homage to urban life.
Very perceptive. If you check out Disney's 2000 redone version of "Fantasia," (entitled, imaginatively enough, "Fantasia 2000") the animators included this piece, and that's exactly how they portrayed the music. Would you like a gold star, a pat on the pack, or a hearty "Atta boy?"
Fun fact: Gershwin drew inspiration for the majority of this piece whilst listening to the rattle-ty sounds of a train he was on
Good ear.
Perhaps that's why Woody Allen used it at the start of "Manhattan".
This piece IS Manhattan in the 1920s. It starts in the pre-dawn, with a few late night partiers and the horse drawn milk wagon ... rush hour, people jamming the sidewalks going to work ... the Spanish quarter ... you can hear the entire city in the piece.
It's one of my favorites, though often butchered. My favorite arrangements are those of Michael Tilson Thomas, and the piano rolls where we hear George Gershwin playing it himself.
As a 'hack' piano player, I have sat down and murdered this brilliant piece on many occasions!
I will (hopefully) get it right before my demise.... Thank You George Gershwin for the inspiration.
Your tombstone: He got it right, hence his demise.
That's Robert Alda playing the piano in the movie. Alan Alda's dad. My top 5 piece of music. I played the last 14 pages of this masterpiece on the piano to a standing ovation.
That's Robert Alda pretending to play the piano. It's actually George and Ira Gershwin's friend, Oscar Levant. He's brilliant in his own right, a great actor, and Oscar was close enough to have sat and watched George play in person prior to his untimely death.
Thank you.
@@nitab1971He (Alda) must have been an accomplished pianist himself because he's doing a great job faking it.
I ALWAYZ GET TEARY EYED AND STAND UP AT THE END.
2. Reasons.
1. It’s sooooo Beautiful.
2. I wish it didn’t have to end.
( Feels like you’re just floating around effortlessly. )
George Gershwin was incredible. Certainly a musical genius. So sad he passed so young. Just think of all the great music that was never composed so very sad
Opening clarinet is sick. Love the trombone as well.
Intenta hacer un glissando así po aweoná
The pianist's technique, though.. phenomenal.
Oscar Levant
Don't forget to give credits to Ferde Grofe, who orchestrated the Rapsody in Blue. Gershwin wrote it for piano.
I have a recording of The Grand Canyon Suite by Ferde Grofe - another great instrumental piece is Canadian Sunset.
I wish I could've been there for the premier of this beautiful masterpiece. Gives me chills every time I hear it
Langley Bryant problem is you would not be around to tell us about it btw
John Bob Yes, he could be, if he was a child at the time.
I think this is the most accurate interpretation of the piece!!! And that banjo... how adorable! 😊😊😊
That is the actual banjo player that played the Rhapsody in Blue the first time it was performed...playing himself: his name was Mike Pingitore.
It's nice that there's a banjo in its debut but the thing now is orchestras do not include banjos in the performance. T.T
I really like it - Paul Whiteman had a smaller jazz band that the banjo player was part of which is prolly why he was included in the original performance.
Kristine Joy Bracamonte Grofé, wo orchestrated the piece, created several arrangements, at least 4 including the original band arrangement I believe, each time for a successively larger orchestra. Nowadays the later arrangements from the 40s are usually performed, so there's no banjo.
A BANJO!!!
Beautiful music, full of love, soul and serenity. I enjoy every note. Lovely.
George Gershwin was one of the greatest composers of all time.
How the hell is he holding the clarinet like that?
Burgundy Flush probably to project
Turner Sugg Yeah, but how is he doing it without totally screwing up his tone?
Burgundy Flush uh.. well... uh.. that’s a great question... all I can say is that he’s a pro...
Burgandy Flush, if you check out YT's 'New Orleans March 2014 - House of The Rising Sun' - Doreen Ketchens will show you how it is possible.
jan labij Will do, thanks.
Rhapsody in Blue was Al Capone’s favorite tune. Cab Calloway played at Capone’s clubs in the 1920’s.
Al had good taste.
Italians generally know fashion and style better than most.
Nice to know a murderous thug liked it. I'm told that Hitler liked small children and dogs.
and mine
Capone also had Fats Waller 'kidnapped' to play at his birthday. He did pay him though!
Back when everyone was playing at a 45 degree angle!
great comment 👍🏽
Cause they're necks weren't Effed up due to Cell Phones
@@TheOfficialChannelOfChannels no, it’s so the sound is projected better, since they didn’t have microphones. had to make sure the sound carried all the way through the theatre
@@grat3553 wow no microphones, no wonder, thanks for the info
Miles put an end to that! 🆒
A Day in A Life and Rhapsody in Blue each highlighted the best of each era in music.
This is the number my accordion teacher played for me so that I could hear what she was capable of. I remembered it for many years, and when I had finally achieved a certain level of proficiency I tried to learn this masterpiece. I spent months learning just a few passages of it, but it is still one of my favorites of all time.
Not many songs can bring one to tears and be smiling at the same time.
Alan Alda looks so much like his dad, those eyes. I've watched this movie countless times. Love it, thanks for posting.
Half the genes from dad to make his body...
Never have I heard the interpretation of this piece more appropriate to the jazz era. The orchestral players added nuances only musicians who understood speakeasy, jazz hot, and the club era ha festrede big bands. One hears Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman accents and no nonsense American energy of the times. Thanks so much for uploading!
Wow! What a wonderful performance of this classic. When the violins come in towards the end it almost brings a tear to your eye just because the song is so beautiful. Thanks for posting.
In case anyone wasn't sure, this was NOT the premiere of the piece!
Yes, it a recreation of that 1923 event in the 1945 film biography of the composer, Gershwin. It's explained in the text above. But I agree the video's title is misleading.
@@ChrisMaxfieldActs feb 12 1924
ok
Yeah and Gershwin had been dead about 8 years prior to this.
Like a lifetime movie!
My FAVORITE piece ... EVER. This coming from a metal head and punker.
What is astounding, is that Gershwin wrote this piece in 24 hours!!! He'd forgotten that he promised to write a piece for a jazz review his friend was putting on, he was asked several months earlier. He remembered because his friend called him to ask if the piece was ready. He sat down and wrote - Rhapsody in Blue (his original title was American Rhapsody but his brother Ira convinced him to change the title).
I'd have LOVED to be at the debut of this piece - it must have been absolutely amazing. I wonder if people in the audience realized just how special the piece they were listening to is/was.
I played the clarinet and I tell you the opening is unbelievable- the clarinet slurs upwards at least 3 scales is impossible but he did it. I'm in awe every time I hear that opening
When I was a kid in the early 1950's, the first piece of music I fell in love with was Rhapsody In Blue. My father was a music lover and played the 78rpm record of the original recording, especially when I would beg him to repeat it. I think it changed my young life.
Warner Bros has the best sounding orchestra to me. I guess it's all the music they included in Looney Tunes. Genius move using orchestras for cartoons. It helped foster a love of classical music from a very early age.
Thank you Warner Bros for sharing this great video.
Ahh, Looney Tunes. The best Saturday cartoons ever. You are so right about how the music that was such a big part of watching them seeped into our little unformed sub-conscious brains and led us on a journey of appreciating that style of music for a lifetime. Thanks for the memory.
Actually this is the Paul Whiteman Orchestra
Ah thanks for clearing that up. Do you know which orchestra Carl William Stalling was using for all those Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies?@@TomSpeaks-vw1zp
Best version of Rhapsody in Blue! When we were kids growing up in NYC, my mom gave my brother and me a vinyl copy of it with Gershwin's other rhapsodic composition, American in Paris on the B side. This music was created decades before I was born but nailed so much of the vibe of what the city was, is, and will always be - the immense energy, the jazz/blues, the ethnicities. When I hear Rhapsody in Blue I still feel so connected to that city, even though I moved away from NYC just before my teens.
If it isn't already, this should be the official anthem of NYC!
"Rapsody In Blue" paints the picture of NYC waking up every morning to its cacophony of life. It's Home!
I immediately fell in love with George Gershwin when my piano teacher handed me this sheet music. A true genius 🎹💕
I dont care if its staged! how does a human mind compose such wonderful music? The pleasures God gave us even before we get to heaven!
1:34 That man is Oscar Lavante, who was a friend of Gershwin and championed his work. Also a complete character and wit. Just look up some of his quotes
Oscar Levant wrote several very witty books including "Memoirs of an Amnesiac" . He was the 2nd person to record Rhapsody in Blue. Jack Parr had him on his program in the 1960's.He was a brilliant pianist and an incredible wit but had terrible performance anxiety that overwhelmed him at times
@@Merlinemryys You'd be an insomniac too if you drank sixty cups of coffee a day. *Paar*
Oscar Levante played lots of Gershwin in Gene Kelly’s An American in Paris. 1951. An eye opener.
He was the highest paid concert pianist in the country for a time. AND he hoofed a bit with Fred Astaire, Nanette Fabray and Jack Buchanan in 'The Band Wagon', which is more than Jose Iturbi or Stokowski ever did.
Quite a combination, but poor Oscar was a champion neurotic and hypochondriac. You get the full gamut of his talents and vulnerabilities in an extraordinary episode of the Jack Benny Program, on YT.
His friend, Harpo Marx, wrote about him in HARPO SPEAKS.
Let us not forget about the banjo that is front and center in this piece
Poor banjo people, barely get any respect.
I lost count how many times I've listen to Rhapsody In Blue. I used to play the record in high school study hall in 1968 and played it countless times since!
When you're a clarinet but will never reach this level of excellence
Edit: guys this was just a joke, chill out! I know I can get better with practice! I practice almost every other day after school and I've seen my own improvement
All I was saying is that that level of mastery is incredible, something that most amateur clarinet players who aren't going to continue with music in college will probably never reach
Meghan D same I did my solo and ensemble today and almost died
Training will make you to be in excellence trust me
I play clarinet
Meghan D space x
vibrantZebra1 Let me tell you something: *its a joke.*
If you practice "Almost Every other day, after school" does that mean something like 2-3 hours a week? Bump that up to something like 8 hours per day and you'll laugh at how simple playing any instrument is. I learned the smear when I was 8 years old on a plastic clarinet with a Rico 2 reed. Took about 30 minutes to master. EVERYTHING becomes stupidly simple if you practice the rudiments.
Al Gallodoro - clarinet; Henry Busse - trumpet;
Oscar Levant dubbing Robert Alda's playing
While he (Oscar) sits in the balcony watching. LOL
Gracias Warner. Acá en el 2023, seguimos disfrutando de esta maravilla!!!🎉❤ Desde Chile, 🇨🇱.
The cinematography works here is just awesome.
I’ve only heard bits of this and never just sat down and really paid attention. Amazing.
2:54 he's wondering how he can get more pictures of spiderman
It's Me you are amazing
LOL perfect
Hes going back to see if the music can tell him how to get pictures of Spiderman.
Ha! Awesome.
Looks more like Salvador Dali to me
I remember the first time I watched this movie on TV. What really impressed me was the rhapsody itself, it made me feel something strange and wishing to know much about who the composer was. It led me to the one of the most amazing music ever. Probably Gershwin is the most iconic of American composers in the XX century. He got the jazz music entered into classical auditoriums for its own.
This is the piece of music that brought me to jazz, blues, classical, when I was about 10 or 11 I think. The break at 3:00 always made me imagine people rushing through the streets of New York in the 20s. I was born and grew up in suburbs of London, England, in the 70s.
Imagine writing something like aged 24. Mind blowing.
After the opening wail on the clarinet, I think most people recognize the cakewalk the best. It's fun to play, and you actually feel like you're on the train. This is a very American (Americana) piece of music. Always have loved it.
I just want new york city to rise up again with all its vigor and Valor, and with this victory music in the background..
@orionh3000 his time's comin to an end
New Yorks not going anywhere, it will always be great.
The absolutely Genuis of George and IRA Greshwin. Blinding of Classical music with The Blues. Produced this master piece
My father had 45, and I was only 10 years old, and now I'm 63 and still know the whole song by heart.
I meant the 45 record
Is that *V I B R A T O*
No, its A S S P A R A U S
No, it's despacito
Bling-Bling Boy gyr
Played the clarinet for three years, hated it. BUT, learned how difficult it was to play. Can now appreciate this talent.
No, G L I S S A N D O
So many stars in this movie, but really noticed Oscar Levant peering over from balcony... he was one of the best Gershwin interpreters....serious and funny guy.....
Others would say a pain the backside!
I remember sitting aside of Dad, who loved Jack Parr. Oscar Levant was his quest a couple of times. I think he was very depressed. or had some kind of mental illness, but he was always a very good guest.
A celebration of excellence. This film reminds me of the beauty Americans are capable of when we focus on our talents through hard work and disciplined dedication.
I was 9 years old when I heard this. I am 73 feel the same way when I listen to this. Brings back memories of my nan and mam.
I always think of New York City when I hear this classic...
Me, too. As a native New Yorker I think of it as the city's theme song.
Thanks to Woody Allen maybe?
Actually, prior to Woody Allen. I remember hearing it when I was a little girl in the 1950's.
I think of United Airlines. Commercials introducing classical music to a new generation.
Brash, audacious, towering - the cultural and economic capital of a civilization the likes of which the world had never seen before. Rooted in Europe and Africa (with a little bit of everything else thrown in for good measure), its reach extends to the Moon, Mars and beyond. It was a real challenge for Gershwin to render its spirit musically, but I think he came close.
Old but gold
5:04 tho
Alex Phipps Gershwin was GOAT.
Old and gold 😀
gOLD
That clarinet intro is soooooooooooo sexy... always, always gives me goosebumps.
Ikr. The sexiest bit ever 🔥
Watching this exact same scenario live in 2021 would still be awesome and breathtaking. This is so TIMELESS!!!