Bibliograph

Type

Label

Arranging Gershwin, Rhapsody in blue and the creation of an American icon, Ryan Raul Bañagale

Language

eng

Bibliography note

Includes bibliographical references (pages 196-200) and index

Illustrations

illustrations

Index

index present

Literary Form

non fiction

Main title

Arranging Gershwin

Nature of contents

bibliography

Oclc number

872562066

Responsibility statement

Ryan Raul Bañagale

Sub title

Rhapsody in blue and the creation of an American icon

Summary

In Arranging Gershwin, author Ryan Bañagale approaches George Gershwin's iconic piece Rhapsody in Blue not as a composition but as an arrangement -- a status it has in many ways held since its inception in 1924, yet one unconsidered until now. Shifting emphasis away from the notion of the Rhapsody as a static work by a single composer, Bañagale posits a broad vision of the piece that acknowledges the efforts of a variety of collaborators who shaped the Rhapsody as we know it today. Arranging Gershwin sheds new light on familiar musicians such as Leonard Bernstein and Duke Ellington, introduces lesser-known figures such as Ferde Grofé and Larry Adler, and remaps the terrain of this emblematic piece of American music. At the same time, it expands on existing approaches to the study of arrangements--an emerging and insightful realm of American music studies--as well as challenges existing and entrenched definitions of composer and composition. Based on a host of newly discovered manuscripts, the book significantly alters existing historical and cultural conceptions of the Rhapsody. With additional forays into visual media, including the commercial advertising of United Airlines and Woody Allen's Manhattan, it moreover exemplifies how arrangements have contributed not only to the iconicity of Gershwin and Rhapsody in Blue, but also to music-making in America--its people, their pursuits, and their processes [Publisher description]

Table Of Contents

Introduction : arranging an icon -- Complex compositional origins : Ferde Grofé and Rhapsody in blue -- Living legends : George Gershwin and Rhapsody in blue -- From camp to Carnegie Hall : Leonard Bernstein and Rhapsody in blue -- Rearranging concert jazz : Duke Ellington and Rhapsody in blue -- "It ain't necessarily so" : Larry Adler and Rhapsody in blue -- Selling success : visual media and Rhapsody in blue -- Epilogue : arranging on multiple levels

Classification