The Versatile George Gershwin, with Marc Strauss
Zoom class Wednesday evenings from 7-9 p.m.
October 19, 26, November 2, 9, 16.
George Gershwin (né Jacob Gershwine; 1898 – 1937) packed multiple skills and accomplishments into his brief thirty-eight years of life. Most famous for the songs he wrote with his older brother Ira (1896 – 1983), these appeared in classic Broadway shows such as Lady, Be Good! (1924), Funny Face (1927), Of Thee I Sing (1931), and the opera Porgy and Bess (1935), as well as in Hollywood films such as Shall We Dance (1937), The Goldwyn Follies (1938) and, posthumously, An American in Paris (1951). Gershwin also wrote classical and contemporary compositions as a secondary but no less influential genre with works such as Rhapsody in Blue (1924), Concerto in F (1925), and An American in Paris (1928). A true polymath who could play piano with two hands better than most duos with four--he was also an accomplished painter--Gershwin forwarded the art of show, jazz, classical, and contemporary music in ways that continue to be popular and influential nearly ninety years after his death.
For this Fall 2022 Open University of Wellfleet course, Marc Strauss, Ph.D., will introduce, examine, and lead discussion on dozens of George Gershwin compositions through the playing of songs and dances on DVDs and via YouTube. Come revisit the Gershwin you know and learn about many songs and the personal history you may not know about this most unique 20th century composer.