The Life of George Gershwin George Gershwin was a popular and successful American pianist and composer. He has composed music for film, Broadway musicals, opera and concert hall. He combined classical music and jazz to create his style and was well known for his composition, "Rhapsody in Blue". As a result of George Gershwin's composition which included adding jazz elements to classical music, this classical music became popular. George Gershwin was born on September 26, 1898 in Brooklyn, New York. His original name was Jacob Gershwin. He was the son of Russian immigrants. His father, Morris (Moishe) Gershowitz, changed his last name to Gershwin when he came to the United States from Russia. His mother, Rosa Bruskin, was also a Russian immigrant. His parents were poor and lived in New York under harsh conditions due to their poverty, often struggling to find enough food for the family. George Gershwin had three brothers and they all had musical talents. Ira Gershwin was the older brother of George Gershwin and later wrote the lyrics for George Gershwin's famous songs, including Strike Up The Band, Shall We Dance, and A Foggy Day. Frances Gershwin, his younger sister, also had musical talents. Arthur Gershwin was his younger brother and was also a composer. George Gershwin began piano lessons in 1910, when he was 12 years old. His family had bought a piano for his older brother Ira. Before that he had already learned to play some songs, created by his friend Max Rosenzweig. Gershwin's first teacher was Charles Hambitzer. Hambitzer wrote a letter to his sister and said: “I have a new student who will make his mark if anyone does. The guy is a genius." (A+E Television Networks, 2013) George Gershwin reported that Charle......center of paper......rshwin. http://www.atencionsanmiguel.org/2013/08/16/a-special-concert-tribute-to-george-gershwin/National Center of the Arts. 2013. George Gershwin. http://www.artsalive.ca/en/mus/greatcomposers/gershwin.htmlPaul Helm. 2013. George Gershwin. http://www.52composers.com/gershwin.htmlSchiff, D. 1997. Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue. Cambridge University Press. 10 Stamford Road, Oakleigh, Melbourne 3166, Australia.Schwarz, Frederick D. (1999). Time Machine: 1924 Seventy-five years ago: Gershwin's Rhapsody. American Heritage 50(1), February/March 1999. Retrieved February 17, 2007. Thomsen, C. 2013. George Gershwin An analysis of his style and influence on music through Rhapsody in Blue. http://prezi.com/m23drmpkgbcp/george-gershwin-an-analysis-of-his-style-and-influence-on-music-through-rhapsody-in-blue/Wikipedia. 2013. Rhapsody in Blue. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhapsody_in_Blue