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1[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/a434d7c0_f164_4774_8540_713089d147f5.jpg]]
2->''"I like to think of music as an emotional science."''
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4George Jacob Gershwin (September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer of both jazz and classical music remembered mainly for creating ''Music/RhapsodyInBlue'', best known nowadays as the theme song of United Airlines. He's also known for the {{opera}} ''Theatre/PorgyAndBess'', source of such famous songs as "Summertime" and "It Ain't Necessarily So," and for writing many other songs that have become standards, usually with his brother Ira Gershwin as his lyricist. The Gershwins' biggest Broadway hit was the UsefulNotes/PulitzerPrize-winning play ''Theatre/OfTheeISing''.
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6His estate was known for its aggressive advocacy of extending copyright protections, as many of his popular works, including ''Rhapsody in Blue'', were composed in the mid-1920s and were always on the cusp of falling out of copyright protection prior to the terms being extended. In 2020, the ''Rhapsody'', composed in 1924, finally entered the public domain. ''Porgy and Bess'' will follow in 2031, and his entire catalog by 2033.
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8----
9!! Tropes present in Gershwin's life and work:
10* ArtisticLicenseHistory: In "They All Laughed." People didn't laugh at Columbus for saying the world was round; they laughed because he'd grossly underestimated its size.
11* BigApplesauce: Although Gershwin intended his [[{{Jazz}} jazz]] style concerto ''Music/RhapsodyInBlue'' to be reflective of America, the song is associated with UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity above all. See Creator/WoodyAllen's ''Film/{{Manhattan}}'' or ''WesternAnimation/Fantasia2000''.
12* BlahBlahBlah: [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin "Blah, Blah, Blah"]]
13* {{Biopic}}: ''[[TitledAfterTheSong Rhapsody in Blue]]''
14* DramaticTimpani: In the opening of the first movement of the Concerto in F.
15* DrugsAreBad: Seen in ''Theatre/PorgyAndBess''. Any character who gets addicted to "[[UnusualEuphemism Happy Dust]]" is going to have their life take a turn for the worse. Sportin' Life, a drug dealer / pimp, is portrayed as TheCorrupter.
16* EverythingHasRhythm: "I Got Rhythm."
17* EverythingIsAnInstrument: Gershwin's orchestral tone poem ''Music/AnAmericanInParis'' includes automobile horns in its percussion section. The composer brought back four Parisian taxi horns to use in the premiere performance.
18* FamilyBusiness: Though they originally started out working with other people, Ira became his lyricist in the early 1920s, and the two worked together almost exclusively until George died of a brain tumor.
19* AFoggyDayInLondonTown: He was the TropeNamer because he wrote a song with that title.
20* {{Jazz}}: His ClassicalMusic compositions were heavily influenced by [[{{Jazz}} jazz]] and Broadway musicals.
21* LimitedLyricsSong: "A Foggy Day In London Town," again.
22* LoveTriangle: The rivalry between Porgy and Crown for Bess's affections is the primary plot focus of ''Theatre/PorgyAndBess''.
23* MonochromeCasting: All of the singing roles in the opera ''Theatre/PorgyAndBess'' are Black characters.
24* NameAndName: Applies to the title of the opera ''Theatre/PorgyAndBess''.
25* NobodyThinksItWillWork: "They All Laughed" is about a couple who goes through this, and is actually the TropeNamer.
26* OddFriendship: Gershwin and serial composer Music/ArnoldSchoenberg became close friends. They painted each others portraits and regularly played tennis together.
27* SelfDeprecation: In the beginning of the song "By Strauss": "...and Gershwin keeps pounding on tin."
28* {{Sequel}}: The Second Rhapsody for piano and orchestra has this relationship to the more famous ''Music/RhapsodyInBlue''.
29* SillyLoveSongs: "Blah, Blah, Blah"
30* SongOfSongTitles: "Bidin' My Time" lists off several 1920s pop songs.
31* TravelogueShow: Or travelogue piece in the case of the tone poem ''Music/AnAmericanInParis'' and the concert overture ''Music/CubanOverture''.
32* WomenPreferStrongMen: "The Man I Love", which is overall about SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan in TorchSong form, specifies that the singer's longed-for man will be "big and strong."

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