George gershwin biography musicals

(1898-1937)

Who Was George Gershwin?

George Gershwin dropped out of school and began playing piano professionally at age 15.

Within a few years, he was one of the most sought after musicians in the United States. A composer of jazz, opera, and popular songs for stage and screen, many of his works are now standards.

George gershwin cause of death

Gershwin died immediately following brain surgery on July 11, 1937, at the age of 38.

Early Life

Gershwin was born Jacob Gershowitz on September 26, 1898, in Brooklyn, New York. The son of Russian-Jewish immigrants, Gershwin began his foray into music at age 11 when his family bought a secondhand piano for Gershwin’s older sibling, Ira.

A natural talent, it was Gershwin who took it up and eventually sought out mentors who could enhance his abilities.

He eventually began studying with the noted piano teacher Charles Hambitzer, and apparently impressed him; in a letter to his sister, Hambitzer wrote, “I have a new pupil who will make his mark if an