George Gershwin: A New Biography
*Starred Review* In this in-depth, well-researched biography, Hyland (Richard Rodgers[1998]) explores Gershwin's complex personality and his pioneering music. He begins with chapters on the legendary composer's youth ("He was, frankly, a bad child who might have become a gangster"), his early days as a song plugger, his musical influences, and his composing and performing ofRhapsody in Blue(first performed by Paul Whiteman's orchestra with Gershwin as the solo pianist in 1924 in New York's Aeolian Hall). Hyland provides fresh insights on how Gershwin forged a link between jazz and the concert hall, new musical trends on Broadway in the 1920s, the composer's life and work in Hollywood, and his place in the pantheon of American music. The author also writes knowledgeably about such famous Gershwin shows asLady Be Good; Tip Toes; Oh, Kay; Strike up the Band; andFunny Face, among others, and the operaPorgy and Bess. Hyland explains how Gershwin became the first composer to apply popular music to classical forms and how his compositions reflected the restlessness of our country during the Jazz Age. With 14 pages of black-and-white photographs, this is a scrupulous portrait of a musical genius.George CohenCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved