George Gershwin A New Biography

Subjects:

• The Arts » Music (General)
• The Arts » Classical Music
• The Arts » Opera

Reviews:

• Starred Review Previously, Gershwin biographers have been either hagiographic or unflattering. Hyland takes the middle of the road, and the Gershwin who emerges is both more complicated and more fascinating....This fresh and well-researched biography of one of America's great composers is highly recommended for all libraries.
  —Library Journal August 2003
• [H]yland brings the scholar's approach. His documentation is superb, and he probes and assesses his sources, attempting to determine what actually happened: for example, the conflicting accounts of Gershwin's final illness. Hyland furnishes details of the life--personal and professional--and does a good job placing Gershwin's achievements in the context of his time....For comprehensive collections serving upper-division undergraduates through faculty.
  —Choice March 2004
• [J]oins the ranks of several fine and industrious authors who have produced estimable efforts....[w]ritten in an accessible style that addresses a wide readership....[i]s a work of significant ambition
  —Book Reviews September 2004
• William G. Hyland's biography ofsongwriter and composer George Gershwin is a detailed and very thorough one....William G. Hyland's biography of George Gershwin is clearly meant to eclipse the early biographies of the songwriter and to be the definitive one. He corrects the myths and errors about Gershwin in the earlier biographies and replaces them with facts.
  —Magill Book Reviews 2004
• [A]nyone curious about the new Gershwin scholarship will find this book to be an efficient starting point for further exploration.
  —The New York Times Book Review November 2, 2003
• Starred Review In this in-depth, well-researched biography, Hyland explores Gershwin's complex personality and his pioneering music....Hyland provides fresh insights on how Gershwin forged a link between jazz and the concert hall, new musical trends on Broadway in the 1920s, the composer's life and work in Hollywood, and his place in the pantheon of American music....Hyland explains how Gershwin became the first composer to apply popular music to classical forms and how his compositions reflected the restlessness of our country during the Jazz Age....a scrupulous portrait of a musical genius.
  —Booklist October 15, 2003

• Endorsement From Thomas Hischak
  Professor of Theatre, State University of New York College, Cortland: It did not take me long to realize that this was not 'just another' Gershwin biography [due to] the book's originality, its very up-to-date information, its careful but readable analyses, and its overview of everything yet written about Gershwin. The book is meticulously researched, very thorough, and well written. . . . I find it to be an excellent addition to the field.
• Endorsement From Michael Feinstein: This new biography of George Gershwin is well researched and most interesting. Mr. Hyland has carefully combined old and new information to present an evenhanded and fresh look at the composer.
• Endorsement From Steve Ross: Another Gershwin biography? Yes--and a very good one at that. It includes a fascinating overview of many of the other works on the subject, as well as being easy and enjoyable to read. And besides--its got rhythm!

Table of Contents:

• Preface
• Introduction
• Youth
• Song Plugging
• Musical Influences
• Rhapsody in Blue
• Jazz
• Broadway
• Lady Be Good and The Concerto
• An American in Paris
• Of Thee I Sing
• Porgy and Bess
• Hollywood
• Personality
• Keeping the Flame
• American Music
• Bibliography
• Index