Evening star., 1925-11-29

player, one who could read notes read
lily, TO play over songs to be tried out
| got the job at SIS week and stayed
there two years. All the time how
ever. l was working at my compost
tionS. | have written over 900 songs,
but, of course, some of them were
good and others weren't. | left the
Remick Co. to go with "A musical
comedy show that took some of my
songs and within eight months of
leaving the other publishing house,
got an offer from Harms & Co to
take position with them as a COM
poser. | had wanted. of course TO
get with this company, because Victor
Herbert and many other of the leading
writer's of music for musical comedy
and operetta works were associated
with them. | was 20 years old when
my first complete score for a musical
comedy was put on" 1t was La, La.
Lucille and on the night of it's
eighty performance Mr.. Gershwin
celebrated his twenty-first birthday
Since then he has written many in
creaSingly original works of the musi-
cal comedy type. gradually breaking
away from old ruts and bringing new
and better grade musical effects into
his work. In "Tip-toes' he reaches
climax of triumph in his conlbina-
ton. In Lady. Be Good" he showed
evidences here and there in the score
of this trio of fine effects. but in the
new show, "Tip-toeS." he sustains
these effects successfully all the way
through the score. The dance steps
elaborations and adaptations Of the
Charleston, show many new "kinkS,
and the music of the entire score Is
based upon the minor chords and
plaintive melodies native to the South
land, home of the Charleston. The
singing, too, is syncopated, so that
singers, dancers and instrumentalistS
in the pit" combine to make a per-
reCtly harmonious whole. with faSci-
mating effects. Ira Gershwin, Is
months older than the gifted George,
shows a fine talent for lyrics in the
words for his brothers songs The
two collaborated in working out words
and music in a manner that is typi-
cally American, using American eX-
pressions and phrases that are SO
much better than the stilted artifciali-
ties of the pseudo English songs of
the musical comedy of the period be
tween Gilbert and Sullivan and Gersh.
win.
For all the musical comedies he has
written, Mr.. Gershwin points sig
when he said:
'I have only written three 'opuses'
so far-'The Blue Monday Opera
(Which will be heard in Washington
for the first time December u, with
the Whiteman Concert Orchestral,
The Rhapsody in Blue theard here
twice with that jazz concert orches-
tra) and the Concerto, to be played
here the S'h. 1 have devoted much
time to these works, but they are, of
course, not my regular work. They
are seXperimentS-labora work in
American music, and I tell you that
it requires real bravery to write
works like those and know that one is
breaking rules and set forms and that
much adverse comment will probably
be aroused. However, 1 feel they are
we'll worth the attempt. / haven't
decided just what my next effort along
this line will be. 1t may be an opera
for negro singers based upon native
melodies. / think there is a wide
field in this work.
It does indeed require bravery and
initiative to attempt such works and
Mr.. Gershwin has the sincere inter
est of leaders in musical thought in
America behind him. II. o. Osgood
of the Musical Courier says in the
November issue of American Mer.
curry.
George Gershwin is a real COM
poser-'The Rhapsody in Blue re-
mains the sole, only and unique work
to win serious consideration for the
new music of America-the best and
only good example of the only dis
tinct musical style this country has
eve. originated and developed" II. F.