Ethel Merman "GEORGE GERSHWIN MEMORIAL CONCERT" Todd Duncan 1937 Program

Description: This is a rare August 8th, 1937 combined program from the PHILHARMONIC SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Stadium Concerts at the Lewisohn Stadium in New York City ..... On Monday evening, August 9th, 1937, the Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra presented for one-night, the GEORGE GERSHWIN MEMORIAL CONCERT with soloists ETHEL MERMAN, ANNE BROWN, RUBY ELZY, TODD DUNCAN and pianist HARRY KAUFMAN with the EVA JESSYE CHOIR. The orchestra was conducted by ALEXANDER SMALLENS and FERDE GROFE. The concert included performances of Gershwin's "Piano Concerto in F", "An American in Paris" and "Rhapsody in Blue" and selections from the Gershwin musicals "Porgy and Bess", "Of Thee I Sing", "Strike Up the Band" and "Girl Crazy" ..... Biography: GEORGE GERSHWIN (1898 – 1937) dropped out of school at age fifteen and found his first job as a performer, "song plugger" for Jerome H. Remick and Company, a publishing firm on New York's Tin Pan Alley, where he earned $15 a week. Gershwin played newly published songs for prospective customers and soon began to write his own. He then decided he wanted to move on to work in musical theatre on Broadway, first working as a rehearsal pianist and soon becoming recognized as a composer. In 1919 he scored his first big national hit with the song "Swanee" with words by Irving Caesar. The same year he wrote his first Broadway score ("La, La, Lucille") and had a contract with a music publisher with many songs in print. He was not yet twenty-one years old. In the early 1920's Gershwin frequently worked with the lyricist Buddy DeSylva. Together they created the experimental one-act jazz opera Blue Monday set in Harlem, which is widely regarded as a forerunner to the groundbreaking Porgy and Bess. In 1924, George and his brother Ira Gershwin collaborated on a musical comedy Lady Be Good, which included such future standards as "Fascinating Rhythm" and "Oh, Lady Be Good!". This was followed by Oh, Kay! (1926); Funny Face (1927); Strike Up the Band (1930); Girl Crazy (1930), which introduced Ethel Merman and the standard "I Got Rhythm"; and Of Thee I Sing (1931), the first musical comedy to win a Pulitzer Prize. In 1924, Gershwin composed his first major classical work, Rhapsody in Blue for orchestra and piano. It was orchestrated by Ferde Grofé and premiered by Paul Whiteman's concert band in New York. It proved to be his most popular work. His most ambitious composition was Porgy and Bess (1935). Gershwin called it a "folk opera," and it is now widely regarded as one of the most important American operas of the twentieth century. Based on the novel Porgy by DuBose Heyward, Porgy and Bess contains some of Gershwin's most sophisticated music. Even the "set numbers" (of which "Summertime", "I Got Plenty o' Nuttin'" and "It Ain't Necessarily So" are well known examples) are some of the most refined and ingenious of Gershwin's output. Throughout the 1930's, Gershwin was a featured soloist in symphony orchestra concerts when his schedule allowed. Early in 1937, Gershwin began to complain of blinding headaches and doctors discovered he had developed a type of cystic malignant brain tumor. He began to suffer "musical blackouts" during his final concert performances. It was in Hollywood, while working on the score of The Goldwyn Follies, that he collapsed. He died on July 11th, 1937 at the age of 38 at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital following surgery for the tumor. A memorial concert was held at the Hollywood Bowl on September 8th, 1937 at which Otto Klemperer conducted his own orchestration of the second of Gershwin's Three Piano Preludes. Gershwin received his sole Academy Award nomination, for Best Original Song, at the 1937 Oscars, for "They Can't Take That Away from Me" written with his brother Ira for the 1937 film Shall We Dance. The nomination was posthumous; Gershwin died on July 11th, 1937 from a brain tumor, two months after the film's release. (Reprinted in part from Wikipedia.) ..... DETAILS: The 32 page program measures 6" X 9 1/8" inches and includes the performance credits for the Gershwin Memorial Concert as well as the Philarmonic Symphony Orchestra concerts on August 8th and 10th, 1937. Also includes program notes for all three concerts, schedule of upcoming performances and wonderful vintage advertising, but no photos or bios ..... CONDITION: With the exception of light creasing along the inside seam and minor edge wear, this rare program is in excellent condition and will make a wonderful addition to the collection of any musical theatre aficionado or historian. This item will be carefully packaged in a protective sleeve and backed by stiff cardboard.

Price: 300 USD

Location: Cannon Beach, Oregon

End Time: 2024-12-12T22:22:00.000Z

Shipping Cost: 7.95 USD