George Gershwin

George Gershwin (1898–1937) was an American composer and pianist who bridged the worlds of popular music and classical concert music like no other. Born in Brooklyn to a family of Russian-Jewish immigrants, he began his career as a song plugger in Tin Pan Alley before becoming one of Broadway's most successful composers, creating enduring standards with his brother, lyricist Ira Gershwin.

His concert works — Rhapsody in Blue, the Piano Concerto in F, An American in Paris, and the opera Porgy and Bess — fuse jazz, blues, and classical forms into a distinctly American idiom. His Preludes for piano, infused with jazz harmonies and rhythms, show his mastery of the miniature form. Gershwin died tragically young at 38, leaving a legacy that continues to define American music.