Ira Gershwin
| Ira Gershwin | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Israel Gershowitz |
| Also known as | Israel Gershvin Arthur Francis |
| Born |
December 6, 1896 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | August 17, 1983 (aged 86) Beverly Hills, California, U.S. |
| Genres |
Popular Classical |
| Occupation(s) | Lyricist |
| Years active | 1910s–1980s |
Ira Gershwin (December 6, 1896 – August 17, 1983) was an American lyricist who collaborated with his younger brother, composer George Gershwin, to create some of the most memorable songs of the 20th century.
With George he wrote more than a dozen Broadway shows, featuring songs such as "I Got Rhythm", "Embraceable You", "The Man I Love", and "Someone to Watch Over Me". He was also responsible, along with DuBose Heyward, for the libretto to George's opera Porgy and Bess.
The success the brothers had with their collaborative works has often overshadowed the creative role that Ira played. However, his mastery of songwriting continued after the early death of George. He wrote additional hit songs with composers Jerome Kern ("Long Ago (and Far Away)"), Kurt Weill and Harold Arlen.
His critically acclaimed book Lyrics on Several Occasions of 1959, an amalgam of autobiography and annotated anthology, is an important source for studying the art of the lyricist in the golden age of American popular song.
Gershwin was born Israel Gershowitz in New York City, the oldest of four children of Morris (Moishe) and Rose Gershovitz. He was followed by George (Jacob) in 1898, Arthur in 1900 and Frances in 1906. Morris changed the family name to "Gershwine", or alternatively "Gershvin" well before their children rose to fame (it was not spelled "Gershwin" until later). Shy in his youth, he spent much of his time at home reading, but from grammar school through college he played a prominent part in several school newspapers and magazines. He graduated from Townsend Harris High School in 1914, where he met Yip Harburg, with whom he enjoyed a lifelong friendship, and a love of Gilbert and Sullivan. He attended the City College of New York but dropped out.
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