Ira Gershwin: The Art of the Lyricist

Ira Gershwin: The Art of the Lyricist by Philip Furia. Published by Oxford University Press, New York, NY, 1996. 1st Edition1st Printing. Hardbound, Paper DJ. Size 8vo (up to 9-1/2'' tall). Condition: Nr Fine in Good DJ. 278 Pgs. ISBN 0195082990. LCCN 94-45715. The older and less flamboyant of the Gershwin brothers at last steps out of the shadows to claim his due as one of American songwriting's most important and enduring innovators. The author traces the development of Ira Gershwin's lyrical art from his early love of light verse and Gilbert and Sullivan, through his apprentice work in Tin Pan Alley, to his emergence as a prominent writer for the Broadway musical theater in the 1920s. He illuminates his work in satirical operettas of the 1930s, and his contributions to the opera Porgy and Bess. After describing the Gershwin brothers' brief but brilliant work in Hollywood before George's sudden death, he follows Ira's career through such triumphs as Lady in the Dark with Kurt Weill. Along the way, he provides much insight into the art of the lyricist and he captures the magic of a golden era when not only the Gershwins, but Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Fred Astaire, and other luminaries made the lights of Broadway and the Hollywood screen shine brighter than ever before. From Ira's first major success, The Man I Love (1924) to his last great hit, The Man That Got Away (1954), Ira Gershwin wrote the words to some of America's most loved standards. The author illuminates the craft behind this remarkable achievement to reveal how Gershwin took the everyday speech of ordinary Americans and made it sing. Description text copyright 2014 BooksForComfort. Item ID 29877.