Exploring the Jazz Fusion: Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue with Michelle Cann
Rhapsody in Blue was composed in 1924 by George Gershwin for solo piano and jazz band. Commissioned by band director Paul Whiteman, it combines jazz and classical music. It premiered in a concert titled An Experiment in Modern Music with Gershwin playing the piano with Whiteman’s band.
The opening of Rhapsody in Blue is a clarinet trill and is often referred to as the Glissando theme. One critic has observed that the famous opening clarinet glissando has become as instantly recognizable to concert audiences as the opening of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony.
The work combines several different kinds of rhythms and instruments usually not found in a symphony orchestra, such as accordion, banjo, and saxophone. It was composed in less than five weeks and orchestrated by Ferde Grofé in 10 days. Gershwin said that he was inspired when he was riding on a train:
It was on the train, with its steely rhythms, its rattle-ty bang, that is so often so stimulating to a composer. I frequently hear music in the very heart of the
noise. And there I suddenly heard, and even saw on paper, the complete construction of the rhapsody, from beginning to end. No new themes came to
me, but I worked on the thematic material already in my mind and tried to conceive the composition.
He also observed that it represented the diversity of America:
I heard it as a sort of musical kaleidoscope of America, of our vast melting pot, of our unduplicated national pep, of our metropolitan madness. By the
time I reached Boston, I had a definite plot of the piece, as distinguished from its actual substance.
Although some critics objected to Gershwin’s lack of traditional formal discipline, audiences loved the piece. Cranky critics observed that “how trite and feeble and conventional the tunes are,” another called it “circus music. … It stands vaporous with its second-hand ideas and ecstasies,” adding that the rhapsody was “not so much music, as jazz dolled up.” However, the critics’ views were easily debunked, and Rhapsody in Blue is considered a true American gem.
George Gershwin (1898–1937) was one of America’s most dynamic and influential composers, a musical innovator whose work combined jazz, popular song, and classical composition. Born in Brooklyn, New York, to Jewish immigrant parents, he rose quickly from a Tin Pan Alley song plugger to a nationally celebrated composer whose music captured the energy and spirit of modern America.
Among his best-known works are the popular songs Swanee, Fascinating Rhythm, and I Got Rhythm, as well as concert pieces like Rhapsody in Blue and An American in Paris. These compositions helped define a distinctly American sound. His opera Porgy and Bess, which includes the iconic aria Summertime, remains one of the most significant and ambitious works in American musical history.
In collaboration with his brother, lyricist Ira Gershwin, Gershwin also made a lasting impact on Broadway. Their musical Of Thee I Sing was the first musical to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, marking a major milestone in the recognition of musical theater as a serious art form.
Later in his career, Gershwin moved to Hollywood, where he composed for films and continued to expand his musical style. Even there, his work retained the same inventive spirit and unmistakable voice that had made him famous.
Gershwin’s life was cut tragically short when he died at the age of 38 from a brain tumor. His untimely death stunned the musical world and left critics, musicians, and audiences alike wondering what further innovations he might have achieved. Despite his brief life, his legacy endures. His music remains a cornerstone of American culture, celebrated for its originality, vitality, and enduring appeal.
References:
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Hidalgo, N. (n.d.). Trains – Noel Hidalgo’s web notes. Retrieved [2026, March], from https://blog.noneck.org/tag/trains/
Koshgarian, R., & Koshgarian, R. (2016). Symphony merging jazz, Broadway, Bernstein. The Hutchinson News.
Weos.org. (2024, February 12). Rhapsody in blue: After a century, Gershwin’s musical melting pot still resonates. https://www.weos.org/2024-02-12/rhapsody-in-blue-after-a-century-gershwins-musical-melting-pot-still-resonates
DelMonico Books. (n.d.). Wild things are happening: The art of Maurice Sendak. Retrieved March 2026, from https://delmonicobooks.com/book/wild-things-are-happening-the-art-of-maurice-sendak/