George Gershwin

George Gershwin is one of America's most popular and widely performed composers * Brought up by immigrant parents on Manhattan's lower east side, he left school at 14 to work as a pianist for Tin Pan Alley * Incorporated jazz elements into his music and won first success with songs including Swanee recorded by Al Jolson * Reputation as a serious composer advanced when Paul Whiteman commissioned and performed Rhapsody in Blue (1924) * During the 1920s and 1930s wrote music for concert hall and for musicals and films * Songs mainly composed to lyrics by his brother Ira Gershwin * Music performed by legendary stars including Fred Astaire, Gertrude Lawrence, Ethel Merman and Ginger Rogers

Works by George Gershwin include:
Three Preludes for Piano (1926)