Rhapsody in Blue

Lore & Background

Gershwin initially declined due to insufficient time, but after a newspaper article falsely declared he had begun work on a jazz concerto, and after Whiteman warned that a rival planned to steal the idea, Gershwin agreed. With only five weeks until the premiere, Gershwin hurriedly composed the piece, later stating that the thematic seeds germinated during a train journey to Boston, where he heard 'a sort of musical kaleidoscope of America.' He tentatively titled it American Rhapsody, but his brother Ira suggested Rhapsody in Blue after seeing paintings by James McNeill Whistler.

Reader's Guide

Gershwin partially improvised his piano solo, and the exact original sound remains unknown as he did not write the solo piano section until after the concert. Music critics gave mixed reviews, with some praising it as 'highly original' and others noting it 'made an honest woman out of jazz.' The piece became Whiteman's theme song and remains one of the most popular concert works.

Did You Know?

• The famous opening clarinet glissando was created by accident during rehearsals when clarinetist Ross Gorman added a jazzy, humorous touch, which Gershwin asked him to keep.
• Gershwin initially declined Whiteman's commission, but agreed after a newspaper falsely reported he was already working on a jazz concerto.
• The piece was originally titled American Rhapsody; Ira Gershwin suggested Rhapsody in Blue after seeing James McNeill Whistler paintings.
• The premiere concert featured 26 musical movements, with Rhapsody in Blue as the penultimate piece before Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1.

The Commission: A Billiard Parlor and a Stolen Idea

Gershwin politely refused, citing insufficient time and the likelihood that the score would need revision. The situation changed on a January evening at the Ambassador Billiard Parlor on Broadway and 52nd Street, where Gershwin and lyricist Buddy DeSylva were playing pool. His brother Ira interrupted to read a New-York Tribune article that falsely announced George had already begun a 'jazz concerto' for Whiteman. The next morning, Whiteman called, warning that rival bandleader Vincent Lopez was poised to steal the concert concept. Under that competitive pressure, Gershwin agreed. The commission was ultimately born from a misprinted headline and a bandleader's urgency rather than a straightforward artistic invitation.

Composition: Five Weeks, a Train Ride, and a Whistler Painting

With only five weeks until the premiere, Gershwin began work on January 7, sketching on a two-piano manuscript and tentatively calling the piece 'American Rhapsody.' He later told biographer Isaac Goldberg that the work's architecture crystallized during a train journey to Boston, where the steely rhythms and rattle-ty bang of the rails inspired what he described as a 'musical kaleidoscope of America.' By the time he reached Boston, he had a definite plot for the composition, though not its finished substance. The final title arrived from an unexpected source: after visiting a gallery exhibition of James McNeill Whistler paintings with titles like Nocturne in Black and Gold, his brother Ira suggested 'Rhapsody in Blue' in that spirit. Gershwin completed the score and passed it to Ferde Grofé, Whiteman's arranger, who finished orchestrating on February 4—just eight days before the concert. The entire process was a compressed sprint driven by a fixed calendar date and a bandleader's impatience.

The Premiere: A Snowy Tuesday and a Joke That Became a Signature

Whiteman's manager Hugh C. Ernst framed the program as 'purely educational,' and the schedule was enormous: 26 movements across two parts and 11 sections. Gershwin's rhapsody sat as the penultimate item, just before Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1. Many earlier numbers underwhelmed, the hall's ventilation system malfunctioned, and some audience members had already departed by the time Gershwin made his quiet entrance. The crowd was irritable and restless until the clarinet glissando struck. That famous opening slide was actually born from a rehearsal prank: Ross Gorman, Whiteman's clarinetist, had 'stretched' the notes as a humorous, jazzy touch. Gershwin loved the effect and asked him to keep it. A joke became the most instantly recognizable musical gesture of the Jazz Age.

Legacy: A Melting Pot That Outlived Its Moment

Rhapsody in Blue did more than introduce a single composition; it inaugurated a new chapter in American musical history and cemented Gershwin's standing as an eminent composer. It grew into one of the most popular concert works in the repertoire and a defining artifact of the Jazz Age. Frederic D. Schwarz, writing in American Heritage, argued that the opening clarinet glissando is as instantly recognizable to concertgoers as the first four notes of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony.