7 The 100 Most Influential Musicians of All Time 7returns, rondo-like, to the themes of the first. Although
not as well received at the time as Rhapsody in Blue, the
Concerto in F eventually came to be regarded as one of
Gershwin’s most important works.
An American in Paris (1928), Gershwin’s second-most
famous orchestral composition, was inspired by the com-
poser’s trips to Paris throughout the 1920s. His stated
intention with the work was to “portray the impressions
of an American visitor in Paris as he strolls about the city,
listens to various street noises, and absorbs the French
atmosphere.” It is this piece that perhaps best represents
Gershwin’s employment of both jazz and classical forms.
The harmonic structure of An American in Paris is rooted
in blues traditions, and soloists are often required to bend,
slide, and growl certain notes and passages, in the style of
jazz musicians of the 1920s.
Gershwin’s other major orchestral compositions have
grown in stature and popularity throughout the years. His
Second Rhapsody (1931) was featured, in embryonic form, as
incidental music in the film Delicious (1931). Gershwin’s
Cuban Overture (1932), employed rhumba rhythms and
such percussion instruments as claves, maracas, bongo
drums, and gourds, all of which were generally unknown
at the time in the United States.
Porgy and Bess
Throughout his career, Gershwin had major successes
on Broadway with shows such as Lady, Be Good! (1924),
Strike Up the Band (1930), and, especially, the political
satire Of Thee I Sing (1931), for which Ira and librettists
George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind shared a Pulitzer
Prize. These shows, smash hits in their time, are (save for
Gershwin’s music) largely forgotten today; ironically, his