George Gershwin, 1898-1937: One of America's Greatest Composers

Source: Voice of America Special English

Source: www.manythings.org/voa/people 

I'm Barbara Klein. And I'm Steve Ember with PEOPLE IN AMERICA in VOA Special English.  Today we tell about the life and music of one of America's greatest composers, George Gershwin.

(MUSIC: "Rhapsody in Blue")

That was the opening of "Rhapsody in Blue," composed by George Gershwin. Gershwin lived only thirty-nine years. Yet, in that short time, he wrote hundreds of unforgettable popular songs. He wrote

some concert works, such as "Rhapsody in Blue," that are still performed today. And he wrote what many consider to be the most beautiful American opera, "Porgy and Bess. "

George Gershwin was born in New York City in eighteen ninety-eight. His parents were Russian Jews who had immigrated to the United States. George and his two brothers and sister had a close, happy family life. George liked playing games on the streets of New York. He liked exploring the city. He did not like school or studying.

While exploring the city, George heard jazz and blues music spilling out of public drinking places. However, he did not become seriously interested in music until he heard another boy playing the violin in a concert at his school.  George began to take piano lessons. His teacher was a fine classical musician. He immediately recognized George's unusual ability. The teacher wrote about him to a friend: "I have a student who will make his mark in music, if anybody will. The boy is a genius, without doubt. "

George studied classical piano. But his strongest interest continued to be jazz and popular music. At the age of fifteen, he left school and went to work in the music business. The New York City street where most music publishers had their offices was called "Tin Pan Alley."

The phonograph and radio had been invented in the late eighteen hundreds. But it would be many years before there were musical recordings or regular radio broadcasts. Tin Pan Alley publishers needed another way to sell new songs. So, they employed people to play the piano to do this.

The piano players played the songs all day long to interested singers and other performers. George Gershwin was one of the youngest piano players in Tin Pan Alley. Soon, he was considered one of the finest there. He was already writing his own songs. He succeeded in getting one published when he was only eighteen years old. It had a long title: "When You Want 'Em, You Can't Get 'Em, When You've Got 'Em, You Don't Want 'Em."

George Gershwin was now a real composer. The rest of his life was an unbroken record of success. He wrote song after song. His ideas were so endless that he was not even troubled when he once lost some music he had been writing. "There is plenty more where that came from," he said.

George Gershwin had his first big hit in nineteen nineteen, when he was twenty-one years old.  It was a song called "Swanee." A popular entertainer, Al Jolson, sang the song. "Swanee" was made into one of the first musical recordings. George Gershwin was suddenly famous.  Here is Al Jolson singing what became his trademark song, "Swanee."

(MUSIC)

Music critics note that "Swanee" is not like most of George Gershwin's music. Later, he wrote true love songs. Some were light and funny. Some were full of intense feeling. Many of these songs were written for the popular musical theater. One of his most emotional love songs never became part of a musical play, however. It is called "The Man I Love." Here is a modern recording by Maureen McGovern.

(MUSIC)

George Gershwin's older brother, Ira, wrote the words to that song.  As George became famous, Ira wrote the words to more and more of his songs. The two brothers were very different. Ira, the writer, was quiet and serious. George, the musician, was outgoing -- the life of any party. But George wrote better songs with Ira than with anyone else.  It is impossible to imagine many of George's songs without Ira's perfectly chosen, often surprising words.

One of many examples is the song "They Can't Take That Away From Me."  The Gershwins wrote the song for dancer and actor Fred Astaire for the film "Shall We Dance." That was George and Ira Gershwin's first movie musical.   Here is Fred Astaire, followed by a later version sung by Ella Fitzgerald.

(MUSIC)

This program was written by Shelley Gollust.  It was produced by Lawan Davis.  I'm Steve Ember. And I'm Barbara Klein.  Join us again next week as we continue the story of the music of George Gershwin on PEOPLE IN AMERICA in VOA Special English.

George Clooney

BY GEORGE

Source: www.speakup.com.br
Speaker: Chuck Rolando
Standard: American accent
Language level: Proficiency





George Clooney is a man who needs no introduction. In addition to being considering “one of the world’s sexiest men,” he is also an actor who invariably chooses interesting movies. He also spends a lot of time and energy raising money for – and bringing attention to – charity causes. And so, at the Emmys, when other actors received prizes for their work in television, Clooney was given the “Bob Hope Humanitarian Award” for his, quote unquote, “determined commitment and efforts to increase awareness of human rights issues and spark constructive response to international crises. “When he met with the press, he talked about the charity work.

George Clooney

(Standard American accent)

I don’t particularly do more than anybody else and the position I’m in. I try to pick subjects that I can learn about and then focus on and then try to do as much as I can and, if you have a tremendous amount of heat from the spotlight, then you’re able to shine a little bit more of a light in a different direction. It’s just deflecting. My dad calls it a celebrity credit that you just try to cash in on in other places. And people were asking me about Haiti expert, you know, more than anything, but you could name dozens of people on the music industry, in my industry and in a millions of other industries, by the way, they’re…they’re doing the same thing. I think if you’re in this position, you should do it.

BERNAD AND BRAD

He was then asked whether there was a public figure whom he personally admired:

George Clooney

There are people that I’ve worked with personally that I’ve found…the French Foreign Minister, Bernard Kouchner, has been pretty amazing. He sort of started Doctors Without Borders, but he’s always very involved in other events. I know him personally and I’ve stumbled onto him in the Congo, in tiny villages, and I always find him to be sort of amazing in…in that way. He wouldn’t have to be doing that at this point in his life and…but there’s in terms of well-known celebrities, I mean, you know, Brad’s in (Brad Pitt), you know, New Orleans right now and he’s done a tremendous job of trying to bring focus and build houses. He’s hit u all up for dough on building houses, and he’s really good at that. I’m impressed, but there’s a lot of people doing a lot of really good stuff out there right now.

BONO

And he was asked whether there was anyone had inspired him:

George Clooney

You learn from people who do it really well. I mean, Bono was very good at that idea of…so many of our friends have…they’re people that have been doing this for ever. You know, this is not something new, from the War bonds during World War II! We’re not reinventing the wheel here. All we’re trying to do is say that, if there’s going to be a tremendous amount of attention placed on us, it’s too much, then we should try and deflect some of it onto some people who could really use it. That’s all it is and, if you can do it effectively and do it without harming people along the way, then it’s a good thing, that’s all.

BUT…

Yet, even though celebrities like Clooney do a lot of charity work, the money doesn’t always reach the victims. Clooney was asked how closely he and his colleagues monitored the money thy raised:

George Clooney

In all of these fundraisers we’ve been incredibly responsible with because every one of the places…for instance, we had seven and, at sometimes, eight different places that we gave the money to: the Red Cross, Oxfam, World Food Program, and, you know, every one of them at one point or another have had financial troubles. They’ve gotten themselves in a little dutch. W make it our responsibility to make sure that the money is used in the

right way, for all of them. And we’ve done that in all of these, you know, fundraisers and have always done it. We keep close tabs on them. It’s important to do.

WHAT ABOUT BOB?

He was also asked about Bob Hope, the great late comedian who gave his name to the humanitarian award.

George Clooney

Well, first of all, he did it so effortlessly. It wasn’t just the USO show. That’s the thing that everybody remembers him for, that he did for 50 years, but he did so many tremendous actors. He did it all. And it was…also very quit, but he always did it with a great sense of humor.