Ira Gershwin

American lyricist (1896–1983)

Ira Gershwin

Gershwin in 1925

Born|

Israel Gershovitz

(1896-12-06)December 6, 1896

Manhattan, New York, US

Died| August 17, 1983(1983-08-17) (aged 86)

Beverly Hills, California, US

Other names| Israel Gershvin
Arthur Francis
Occupation| Lyricist
Years active| 1910s–1950s

Ira Gershwin (born Israel Gershovitz; 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 in the English language of the 20th century.[1] 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 Gershwin brothers had with their collaborative works has often overshadowed the creative role that Ira played. His mastery of songwriting continued after George's early death in 1937. Ira wrote additional hit songs with composers Kurt Weill, Jerome Kern and Harold Arlen. His critically acclaimed 1959 book Lyrics on Several Occasions, an amalgam of autobiography and annotated anthology, is widely considered an important source for studying the art of the lyricist in the golden age of American popular song.[2]

## Early life

[edit]

Gershwin was born at 60 Eldridge Street in Chinatown, Manhattan, the oldest of four children of Morris (Moishe) and Rose Gershovitz (née Rosa Bruskin), who were Russian Jews from Saint Petersburg and who had immigrated to the United States in 1891. Ira's siblings were George (Jacob, b. 1898), Arthur (b. 1900), and Frances (b. 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, Ira 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 in 1914 from Townsend Harris High School, a public school for intellectually gifted students, 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.[3][4]

The childhood home of Ira and George Gershwin was in the center of the Yiddish Theatre District in the East Village, on the second floor at 91 Second Avenue, between East 5th and 6th streets. They frequented the local Yiddish theatres.[5][6][7]

While George began composing and "plugging" in Tin Pan Alley from the age of 18, Ira worked as a cashier in his father's Victorian-style Turkish baths.[8] He was a joyous listener to the sounds of the modern world. "He had a sharp eye and ear for the minutiae of living." He noted in a diary: "Heard in a day: An elevator's purr, telephone's ring, telephone's buzz, a baby's moans, a shout of delight, a screech from a 'flat wheel', hoarse honks, a hoarse voice, a tinkle, a match scratch on sandpaper, a deep resounding boom of dynamiting in the impending subway, iron hooks on the gutter."[9]

## Career beginnings

[edit]

Ira's first published lyric was a parody, published in the New York Sun in 1917. He began writing lyrics for a few of his brother George's songs, and for other composers as well. To maintain his independence from his successful brother, Ira wrote under the pseudonym Arthur Francis, after their younger siblings' given names. 'Arthur' and George's "The Real American Folk Song (is a Rag)" was their first song used in a show, Ladies First (1918), though it was cut early in the show's New York run. Ira wrote his first published and recorded song, "Waiting for the Sun to Come Out", with George for The Sweetheart Shop in 1920; it made them a substantial amount of money. In 1921 they wrote five songs together for A Dangerous Maid, but it closed out of town.[10]

Later that year, Ira did his first successful musical, Two Little Girls in Blue, not with his brother but with composers Paul Lannin and (in his Broadway debut) Vincent Youmans. Having established himself, he wrote the lyrics for Be Yourself (1924) under his own name.[10]

## Success with George

[edit]

Ira and George's combined talents soon became one of the most influential forces in the history of American musical theatre. In 1924 they wrote their first Broadway hit, Lady, Be Good. "When the Gershwins teamed up to write songs for Lady, Be Good, the American musical found its native idiom."[11] They wrote songs for thirteen musicals together. The most celebrated was Girl Crazy (1930): it was the stage debut of both Ginger Rogers and Ethel Merman;[12] several of its songs became hits, including "Embraceable You";[13] and it was adapted into film three times[14][15][16] and rewritten into the 1992 musical Crazy for You.[17] Ira also supplemented DuBose Heyward's libretto for the opera Porgy and Bess, composed by George, with lyrics for several songs, notably "It Ain't Necessarily So".[18]

During their Broadway years together, the brothers also wrote songs for one film, Delicious,[19] and Ira contributed songs to several revues.

When Porgy and Bess was a commercial disappointment, the Gershwins moved to Hollywood, where they wrote the songs for three films in quick succession: Shall We Dance and A Damsel in Distress, both released in 1937, and The Goldwyn Follies, released in 1938. Though the films themselves met with mixed commercial and critical reception, an unprecedented number of the Gershwins' songs for them were hits, including "They All Laughed", "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" and "They Can't Take That Away from Me" from Shall We Dance, "Nice Work If You Can Get It" and "A Foggy Day" from A Damsel in Distress, and "Love Is Here to Stay" from The Goldwyn Follies.[20]

The Gershwins' partnership ended when George unexpectedly died of a brain tumor in 1937. Following his brother's death, Ira waited nearly three years before writing again.

## Later career

[edit]

After this temporary retirement, Ira resumed writing songs for Broadway shows and films, working with a series of accomplished composers. In 1941 he worked with Kurt Weill on the unusual but successful musical Lady in the Dark.[21] In 1943 he wrote songs with Aaron Copland for the war film The North Star.[22] In 1944, among Ira and Jerome Kern's songs for Cover Girl, they wrote "Long Ago (and Far Away)", which yielded Ira more royalties than any other song he ever wrote.[23] In 1945 he and Kurt Weill collaborated again, on the film Where Do We Go from Here? and the operetta The Firebrand of Florence, neither of them smashes.[24] The failure of Park Avenue in 1946 (a "smart" show about divorce, co-written with composer Arthur Schwartz) was his farewell to Broadway.[25] As he wrote at the time, "Am reading a couple of stories for possible musicalization (if there is such a word) but I hope I don't like them as I think I deserve a long rest."[26]

Ira wrote songs for the film The Barkleys of Broadway with Harry Warren and for Give a Girl a Break with Burton Lane.[22] In 1947, he took eleven compositions George had written but never used and wrote lyrics for them for the Betty Grable film The Shocking Miss Pilgrim.[27] He worked with Harold Arlen on two films released in 1954: the Judy Garland film A Star Is Born,[28] considered by most critics to have been his last major work, and The Country Girl.[29] Ira later wrote lyrics to more of his brother's unpublished compositions for Billy Wilder's 1964 movie Kiss Me, Stupid.[27]

American singer, pianist and musical historian Michael Feinstein worked for Gershwin in the lyricist's latter years, helping him with his archive. Several lost musical treasures were unearthed during this period, and Feinstein performed some of the material. Feinstein's book The Gershwins and Me: A Personal History in Twelve Songs about working for Ira, and George and Ira's music, was published in 2012.[30]

## Personal life

[edit]

Gershwin married Leonore (née Strunsky) in 1926.[31]

According to a 1999 story in Vanity Fair, Ira Gershwin's love for loud music was as great as his wife's loathing of it. When Debby Boone—daughter-in-law of his neighbor Rosemary Clooney—returned from Japan with one of the first Sony Walkmans (utilizing cassette tape), Clooney gave it to Michael Feinstein to give to Ira, "so he could crank it in his ears, you know. And he said, 'This is absolutely wonderful!' And he called his broker and bought Sony stock!"[32]

Ira died of heart disease in Beverly Hills, California, on August 17, 1983, at the age of 86.[33]. Leonore died on August 20, 1991 at the age of 90.[34][35]

## Awards and honors

[edit]

Along with George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind, Ira Gershwin was a recipient of the 1932 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Of Thee I Sing.[31]

Three of his songs ("They Can't Take That Away from Me" (1937), "Long Ago (and Far Away)" (1944) and "The Man That Got Away" (1954)) were nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song, though none won.[36]

Ira Gershwin was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1971.[37]

## Legacy

[edit]

In 1987, Ira's widow, Leonore, established the Ira Gershwin Literacy Center at University Settlement, a century-old institution at 185 Eldridge Street on the Lower East Side, New York City. The center is designed to give English-language programs to primarily Hispanic and Chinese Americans. Ira and his younger brother George spent many after-school hours at the Settlement.[38]

In 1988 UCLA established The George and Ira Gershwin Lifetime Musical Achievement Award in recognition of the brothers' contribution to music, and for their gift to UCLA of the fight song "Strike Up the Band for UCLA".[39]

In 2007, the United States Library of Congress named its Prize for Popular Song after Ira and his brother George. Recognizing the profound and positive effect of American popular music on the world's culture, the prize will be given annually to a composer or performer whose lifetime contributions exemplify the standard of excellence associated with the Gershwins.[40]

## Notable songs

[edit]

Except where mentioned, the following songs were composed by George Gershwin.

* "Oh, Lady Be Good!", "Fascinating Rhythm" and "The Man I Love", from Lady, Be Good (1924)[41]
* "Someone to Watch Over Me", from Oh, Kay! (1926)[42]
* "How Long Has This Been Going On?" and "'S Wonderful", from Funny Face (1927)[43]
* "Strike Up the Band", from the musical of the same name (1927)[44]
* "I've Got a Crush on You", from Treasure Girl (1928)[45]
* "But Not for Me", "Embraceable You" and "I Got Rhythm", from Girl Crazy (1930)[46]
* "I Can't Get Started", music by Vernon Duke, from Ziegfeld Follies of 1936[47]
* "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off", "They All Laughed" and "They Can't Take That Away from Me", from Shall We Dance (1937)[48]
* "Nice Work If You Can Get It" and "A Foggy Day", from A Damsel in Distress (1937)[49]
* "Love Is Here to Stay", from The Goldwyn Follies (1938)[50]
* "My Ship", music by Kurt Weill, from Lady in the Dark (1941)[51]
* "Long Ago (and Far Away)", music by Jerome Kern, from Cover Girl (1944)[52]
* "The Man That Got Away", music by Harold Arlen, from A Star Is Born (1954)[53]

See also Songs with lyrics by Ira Gershwin.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Obituary Variety, August 24, 1983.
2. ^ Rosenberg 1991, p. 397.
3. ^ Furia 1996, pp. 3–4, 11.
4. ^ Summers, Kim. Ira Gershwin at AllMusic
5. ^ Pollack 2006, p. 43.
6. ^ "Reviving, Revisiting Yiddish Culture", Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, October 20, 1998
7. ^ "Judaic Treasures of the Library of Congress: George Gershwin". Jewish Virtual Library. 2013. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
8. ^ Furia 1996, p. 26.
9. ^ Rosenberg 1991, p. 31.
10. ^ a b Ewen, David (1987). American Songwriters. New York: The H.W. Wilson Company. p. 182\. ISBN 0-8242-0744-0.
11. ^ Furia 1996, p. 45.
12. ^ Rosenberg 1991, p. 166.
13. ^ Rosenberg 1991, pp. 167–191.
14. ^ "Girl Crazy". AFI Catalog. American Film Institute. Retrieved July 4, 2025.
15. ^ "Girl Crazy". AFI Catalog. American Film Institute. Retrieved July 4, 2025.
16. ^ "When the Boys Meet the Girls". AFI Catalog. American Film Institute. Retrieved July 4, 2025.
17. ^ Bloom 1996, p. 228.
18. ^ Rosenberg 1991, pp. 274.
19. ^ Burton 1953, p. 40.
20. ^ Burton 1953, pp. 97, 94, 109.
21. ^ Rosenberg 1991, pp. 375–384.
22. ^ a b Rosenberg 1991, p. 387.
23. ^ Bordman, Gerald (1980). Jerome Kern: His Life and Music. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 398\. ISBN 0-19-502649-7.
24. ^ Rosenberg 1991, pp. 385–386.
25. ^ John Thaxter (March 31, 2008). "The Stage". The Stage. Archived from the original on August 30, 2008. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
26. ^ Ira Gershwin quoted by Edward Jablonski in Gershwin: A Biography, New York: Simon & Schuster (1988) ISBN 0-671-69931-8
27. ^ a b Rosenberg 1991, p. 395.
28. ^ Rosenberg 1991, pp. 389–294.
29. ^ Bloom, Ken (1995). Hollywood Song. Facts On File. p. 187\. ISBN 0-8160-2668-8.
30. ^ "Michael Feinstein: What I Learned From The Gershwins". NPR. October 13, 2012. Retrieved October 21, 2012.
31. ^ a b Brennan, Elizabeth A., Who's Who of Pulitzer Prize Winners (1999), Greenwood Publishing Group, ISBN 1-57356-111-8, p. 100
32. ^ Purdham, Todd S. (April 1999). "The Street Where They Lived". Vanity Fair. Retrieved September 6, 2013.
33. ^ Wilson, John S. "Ira Gershwin, Lyricist, Dies; Songs Embodied Broadway". New York Times. Retrieved July 4, 2025.
34. ^ "Leonore Gershwin; Widow of Musical Theater Lyricist". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 4, 2025.
35. ^ "Find a Grave". Retrieved August 4, 2025.
36. ^ Gershwin 1959, p. 48.
37. ^ "Ira Gershwin". SongHall.org. Songwriters Hall of Fame. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
38. ^ Widow of Ira Gershwin Endows Literacy Center", The New York Times, March 25, 1987
39. ^ "Gershwin Award Winners". UCLAlumni.net. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007.
40. ^ "Paul Simon to Be Awarded First Annual Gershwin Prize for Popular Song by Library of Congress". The Library of Congress. March 1, 2007. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
41. ^ Bloom 1996, p. 608.
42. ^ Bloom 1996, p. 828.
43. ^ Bloom 1996, p. 353.
44. ^ Bloom 1996, pp. 1073–1074.
45. ^ Bloom 1996, p. 1144.
46. ^ Bloom 1996, pp. 382–383.
47. ^ Bloom 1996, p. 1248.
48. ^ Burton 1953, p. 96.
49. ^ Burton 1953, p. 94.
50. ^ Burton 1953, p. 109.
51. ^ Bloom 1996, pp. 610–611.
52. ^ Burton 1953, p. 194.
53. ^ Rosenberg 1991, pp. 390–394.

Sources

* Bloom, Ken (1996). American Song (2nd ed.). New York: Schirmer Books. ISBN 0-02-864573-1.
* Burton, Jack (1953). The Blue Book of Hollywood Musicals. Watkins Glen, New York: Century House.
* Furia, Philip (1996). Ira Gershwin: The Art of the Lyricist (1st ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-508299-0.
* Gershwin, Ira (1959). Lyrics on Several Occasions (First ed.). New York: Knopf. OCLC 538209.
* Pollack, Howard (2006). George Gershwin: His Life and Work. University of California Press. p. 43. ISBN 9780520248649. Retrieved March 10, 2013 - via Internet Archive.
* Rosenberg, Deena (1991). Fascinating Rhythm: The Collaboration of George and Ira Gershwin. Penguin Books USA. ISBN 0-525-93356-5 - via Internet Archive.

## Further reading

[edit]

* Gershwin, Ira (1993). Kimball, Robert (ed.). The Complete Lyrics of Ira Gershwin (1st ed.). New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 0-394-55651-8.
* Owen, Michael. Ira Gershwin: A Life in Words. Liveright, 2024 ISBN 978-1-324-09181-3
* Owen, Michael (ed.). The Gershwins Abroad, or Four Americans in Paris – A 1928 Notebook. Schott Music, 2024 ISBN 978-3-7957-3166-3

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ira Gershwin.

Wikiquote has quotations related to Ira Gershwin.

* Official website

### Archives

[edit]

* The George and Ira Gershwin Collection and The Gershwin Legacy at the Library of Congress
* The Harvey Granat Collection of George and Ira Gershwin Materials at the Library of Congress
* Ira Gershwin files from the law office of Leonard Saxe at the Library of Congress
* The Edward Jablonski and Lawrence D. Stewart Collection of Gershwin Research Materials at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin (Archived January 27, 2025, at the Wayback Machine)

### Databases

[edit]

* Ira Gershwin at the Internet Broadway Database
* Ira Gershwin at IMDb
* Ira Gershwin at the Discography of American Historical Recordings
* Gershwin fan site

* v
* t
* e

Pulitzer Prize for Drama: Authors

* Jesse Lynch Williams (1918)
* Eugene O'Neill (1920)
* Zona Gale (1921)
* Eugene O'Neill (1922)
* Owen Davis (1923)
* Hatcher Hughes (1924)
* Sidney Howard (1925)
* George Kelly (1926)
* Paul Green (1927)
* Eugene O'Neill (1928)
* Elmer Rice (1929)
* Marc Connelly (1930)
* Susan Glaspell (1931)
* George S. Kaufman, Morrie Ryskind and Ira Gershwin (1932)
* Maxwell Anderson (1933)
* Sidney Kingsley (1934)
* Zoe Akins (1935)
* Robert E. Sherwood (1936)
* Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman (1937)
* Thornton Wilder (1938)
* Robert E. Sherwood (1939)
* William Saroyan (1940)
* Robert E. Sherwood (1941)
* Thornton Wilder (1943)
* Mary Chase (1945)
* Russel Crouse and Howard Lindsay (1946)
* Tennessee Williams (1948)
* Arthur Miller (1949)
* Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II and Joshua Logan (1950)
* Joseph Kramm (1952)
* William Inge (1953)
* John Patrick (1954)
* Tennessee Williams (1955)
* Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich (1956)
* Eugene O'Neill (1957)
* Ketti Frings (1958)
* Archibald MacLeish (1959)
* Jerome Weidman, George Abbott, Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick (1960)
* Tad Mosel (1961)
* Frank Loesser and Abe Burrows (1962)
* Frank D. Gilroy (1965)
* Edward Albee (1967)
* Howard Sackler (1969)
* Charles Gordone (1970)
* Paul Zindel (1971)
* Jason Miller (1973)
* Edward Albee (1975)
* Michael Bennett, Nicholas Dante, James Kirkwood Jr., Marvin Hamlisch and Edward Kleban (1976)
* Michael Cristofer (1977)
* D. L. Coburn (1978)
* Sam Shepard (1979)
* Lanford Wilson (1980)
* Beth Henley (1981)
* Charles Fuller (1982)
* Marsha Norman (1983)
* David Mamet (1984)
* James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim (1985)
* August Wilson (1987)
* Alfred Uhry (1988)
* Wendy Wasserstein (1989)
* August Wilson (1990)
* Neil Simon (1991)
* Robert Schenkkan (1992)
* Tony Kushner (1993)
* Edward Albee (1994)
* Horton Foote (1995)
* Jonathan Larson (1996)
* Paula Vogel (1998)
* Margaret Edson (1999)
* Donald Margulies (2000)
* David Auburn (2001)
* Suzan-Lori Parks (2002)
* Nilo Cruz (2003)
* Doug Wright (2004)
* John Patrick Shanley (2005)
* David Lindsay-Abaire (2007)
* Tracy Letts (2008)
* Lynn Nottage (2009)
* Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey (2010)
* Bruce Norris (2011)
* Quiara Alegría Hudes (2012)
* Ayad Akhtar (2013)
* Annie Baker (2014)
* Stephen Adly Guirgis (2015)
* Lin-Manuel Miranda (2016)
* Lynn Nottage (2017)
* Martyna Majok (2018)
* Jackie Sibblies Drury (2019)
* Michael R. Jackson (2020)
* Katori Hall (2021)
* James Ijames (2022)
* Sanaz Toossi (2023)
* Eboni Booth (2024)
* Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (2025)

* v
* t
* e

Porgy and Bess

Sources|

* Novel
* Play

Adaptations|

* Opera
* Film adaptation
* Catfish Row
* Porgy and Bess: A Symphonic Picture

Creators|

* George Gershwin
* Ira Gershwin
* DuBose Heyward
* Dorothy Heyward

Songs|

* "Summertime"
* "My Man's Gone Now"
* "I Got Plenty o' Nuttin'"
* "Bess, You Is My Woman Now"
* "It Ain't Necessarily So"
* "I Loves You, Porgy"

Media|

* Discography

| Jazz treatments|

* The Complete Porgy and Bess (1956 album)
* Porgy and Bess (Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong album)
* Porgy and Bess (Miles Davis album)
* Porgy and Bess (Sammy Davis Jr. and Carmen McRae album)
* Oscar Peterson Plays Porgy & Bess
* Porgy and Bess (Harry Belafonte and Lena Horne album)
* Porgy and Bess (Hank Jones album)
* Porgy & Bess (Mundell Lowe album)
* Porgy & Bess Revisited
* Porgy & Bess (Buddy Collette album)
* The Modern Jazz Quartet Plays George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess
* Porgy and Bess (Oscar Peterson and Joe Pass album)
* Porgy & Bess (Joe Henderson album)

|

Operatic treatments|

* Highlights from Porgy and Bess
* Selections from George Gershwin's Folk Opera Porgy and Bess (1940 and 1942 albums)
* Porgy and Bess (1950 album)
* Porgy and Bess (1951 album)
* Porgy and Bess (1989 Glyndebourne album)
* The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess

* v
* t
* e

George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, Guy Bolton and Jack McGowan's Girl Crazy (1930)

Adaptations|

* Girl Crazy (1932 film)
* Girl Crazy (1943 film)
* When the Boys Meet the Girls (1965 film)
* Crazy for You (1992 musical)

Songs|

| 1930 musical|

* "Bidin' My Time"
* "Embraceable You"
* "Sam and Delilah"
* "I Got Rhythm"
* "But Not for Me"
* "Treat Me Rough"
* "Boy! What Love Has Done to Me!"

|

1992 musical|

* "I Can't Be Bothered Now"
* "Things Are Looking Up"
* "Someone to Watch Over Me"
* "Slap That Bass"
* "The Real American Folk Song Is a Rag"
* "Stiff Upper Lip"
* "They Can't Take That Away from Me"
* "Nice Work If You Can Get It"

Related|

* "You've Got What Gets Me"
* Variations on "I Got Rhythm"

* v
* t
* e

George and Ira Gershwin musicals, operas and films

Together|

* A Dangerous Maid
* Primrose
* Lady, Be Good!
* Tell Me More
* Tip-Toes
* Oh, Kay!
* Strike Up the Band
* Funny Face
* Rosalie
* Treasure Girl
* Show Girl
* Girl Crazy
* Delicious (film)
* Of Thee I Sing
* Pardon My English
* Let 'Em Eat Cake
* Porgy and Bess
* Shall We Dance (film)
* A Damsel in Distress (film)
* The Goldwyn Follies (film)
* The Shocking Miss Pilgrim (film)
* Kiss Me, Stupid (film)

George|

* La La Lucille
* Morris Gest Midnight Whirl
* George White's Scandals (1920–1924, including Blue Monday)
* Our Nell
* The Rainbow
* Sweet Little Devil
* Song of the Flame

Ira|

* Two Little Girls in Blue
* Be Yourself
* That's a Good Girl
* Life Begins at 8:40
* Ziegfeld Follies of 1936
* Lady in the Dark
* The North Star (film)
* Cover Girl (film)
* The Firebrand of Florence
* Where Do We Go from Here? (film)
* Park Avenue
* The Barkleys of Broadway (film)
* A Star Is Born (film)
* The Country Girl (film)

repurposed|

* Rhapsody in Blue (film)
* An American in Paris (film)
* My One and Only (musical)
* Crazy for You
* Nice Work If You Can Get It
* An American in Paris (musical)
* A Damsel in Distress (musical)

* v
* t
* e

George Gershwin

Albums|

* Gershwin Plays Gershwin: The Piano Rolls

Ballets|

* An American in Paris
* Gershwin Piano Concerto
* Three Preludes
* Who Cares?

Operas|

* Blue Monday (1922)
* Porgy and Bess (1935)

Orchestral works|

* Rhapsody in Blue (1924)
* Concerto in F (1925)
* An American in Paris (1928)
* Second Rhapsody (1931)
* Cuban Overture (1932)
* Strike Up the Band (1934)
* Hoctor's Ballet (1937)

Piano compositions|

* Three Preludes (1926)
* French Ballet Class (1937)

Songs|

* "Aren't You Kind of Glad We Did?"
* "(I've Got) Beginner's Luck"
* "Bidin' My Time"
* "Blah Blah Blah"
* "Boy Wanted"
* "Boy! What Love Has Done to Me!"
* "But Not for Me"
* "By Strauss"
* "Clap Yo' Hands"
* "Do It Again"
* "Doin' Time"
* "Embraceable You"
* "Fascinating Rhythm"
* "A Foggy Day"
* "For You, for Me, for Evermore"
* "Funny Face"
* "'The Half of It, Dearie' Blues"
* "He Loves and She Loves"
* "How Long Has This Been Going On?"
* "I Can't Be Bothered Now"
* "I Got Rhythm"
* "I Was Doing All Right"
* "I've Got a Crush on You"
* "Isn't It a Pity?"
* "Just Another Rhumba"
* "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off"
* "Let's Kiss and Make Up"
* "Liza (All the Clouds'll Roll Away)"
* "Looking for a Boy"
* "Lorelei"
* "Love Is Here to Stay"
* "Love Is Sweeping the Country"
* "Love Walked In"
* "The Man I Love"
* "My Cousin in Milwaukee"
* "My One and Only"
* "Nice Work If You Can Get It"
* "Of Thee I Sing"
* "Oh, Lady Be Good!"
* "Oh, So Nice!"
* "The Real American Folk Song (is a Rag)"
* "'S Wonderful"
* "Sam and Delilah"
* "Slap That Bass"
* "Somebody from Somewhere"
* "Somebody Loves Me"
* "Someone to Watch Over Me"
* "Soon"
* "Stairway to Paradise"
* "Stiff Upper Lip"
* "Strike Up the Band"
* "Summertime"
* "Swanee"
* "That Certain Feeling"
* "They All Laughed"
* "They Can't Take That Away from Me"
* "Things Are Looking Up"
* "Tra-la-la"
* "Treat Me Rough"
* "Walking the Dog"
* "Who Cares?"
* "You've Got What Gets Me"

Tribute albums|

* Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin
* By George
* Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Song Book
* Ella Sings Gershwin
* Gershwin Live!
* Gershwin's World
* The Glory of Gershwin
* Ira, George and Joe
* Nice Work If You Can Get It
* Oscar Peterson Plays the George Gershwin Songbook
* Red Hot + Rhapsody: The Gershwin Groove
* Rosemary Clooney Sings the Lyrics of Ira Gershwin

Related articles|

* Gershwin Prize
* Ira Gershwin (brother)
* Arthur Gershwin (brother)
* Frances Gershwin (sister)
* Gershwin Theatre

List of compositions by George Gershwin Category:George Gershwin

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* 2
* VIAF
* FAST
* WorldCat

National|

* Germany
* United States
* France
* BnF data
* Japan
* Italy
* Australia
* Czech Republic
* Spain
* Netherlands
* Norway
* Latvia
* Croatia
* Korea
* Sweden
* Poland
* Israel
* Finland
* Catalonia
* Belgium

Academics|

* CiNii

Artists|

* MusicBrainz
* Discography of American Historical Recordings
* FID

People|

* Trove
* Deutsche Biographie

Other|

* IdRef
* NARA
* SNAC
* 2
* Yale LUX

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