# Rhapsody in Blue
**Rhapsody in Blue** is a 1924 concert work for piano and orchestra by the American composer **George Gershwin** (1898–1937), written for bandleader [Paul Whiteman](https://www.edgepedia.org/paul-whiteman)'s "Experiment in Modern Music" concert and premiered at Aeolian Hall, New York, on February 12, 1924, with the composer as piano soloist.[1](https://gershwin.com/publications/rhapsody-in-blue/) It mixes jazz and classical elements, and it has become one of the most popular of all American concert works.[2](https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2024/02/gershwins-rhapsody-at-100-still-capturing-the-american-character/) • [3](https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/gershwin-rhapsody-in-blue/7B09DFE033CC3FF22F60DCD806F83ED9)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Premiere | February 12, 1924, Aeolian Hall, New York; Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra, Gershwin at the piano[1](https://gershwin.com/publications/rhapsody-in-blue/) |
| Composition | Two-piano sketch prepared between January 7 and February 3, 1924[4](https://www.nashvillesymphony.org/classical-program-notes/george-gershwin-rhapsody-in-blue/) |
| Orchestration | By Ferde Grofé, Whiteman's staff arranger, in three versions: 1924 jazz band, 1926 pit orchestra, 1942 symphony orchestra[5](https://theclassicnote.com/best-recording-of-rhapsody-in-blue/) |
| Opening | A clarinet glissando played at the premiere by Ross Gorman[6](https://academic.oup.com/book/3801/chapter-abstract/145258547) |
| Length | Approximately 16 minutes in performance[7](https://res.cloudinary.com/dwjhoulgv/image/upload/v1772204786/Rhapsody_in_Blue_program.pdf) |
| Cultural reach | Performed by 84 pianists at the opening ceremonies of the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics; used in United Airlines commercials[1](https://gershwin.com/publications/rhapsody-in-blue/) |
## Commission and composition
The commission came from Paul Whiteman, the most popular bandleader of the 1920s, who wanted composers to write jazz-inspired works using classical techniques and aimed to show critics and audiences that jazz could stand as concert music.[8](https://nac-cna.ca/en/event/notes/34173) • [9](https://www.classicfm.com/composers/gershwin/how-wrote-rhapsody-in-blue-history/) Gershwin, then known mainly as a composer of Broadway songs, had discussed the idea with Whiteman casually but did not take it seriously; he was working on the musical comedy *Sweet Little Devil* and the commission had slipped his mind.[1](https://gershwin.com/publications/rhapsody-in-blue/) • [10](https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/documents/RhapsodyInBlue.pdf)
The situation changed on January 4, 1924, when the *New York Tribune* published a news item announcing that Gershwin was at that moment writing a "jazz concerto" to debut on February 12 at Aeolian Hall. According to the Library of Congress account, his brother and lyricist [Ira Gershwin](https://www.edgepedia.org/ira-gershwin) brought the news to George's attention while the two were playing pool.[10](https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/documents/RhapsodyInBlue.pdf) Confronted with a public announcement, Gershwin agreed to write the piece.[11](https://english.elpais.com/culture/2024-02-12/one-hundred-years-of-rhapsody-in-blue-a-composition-that-changed-music-history.html)
Gershwin composed at speed, preparing a sketch for two pianos between January 7 and February 3.[4](https://www.nashvillesymphony.org/classical-program-notes/george-gershwin-rhapsody-in-blue/) In that form, one piano represented the solo part and the second represented the band; Ferde Grofé, Whiteman's chief arranger, took the score page by page as it was finished and fleshed out the individual parts for Whiteman's unusual instrumentation.[12](https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark%3A/67531/metadc278912/m2/1/high_res_d/1002720703-innis.pdf) • [10](https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/documents/RhapsodyInBlue.pdf) Gershwin later described the conception arriving on a train trip to Boston for the premiere of *Sweet Little Devil*: "I heard it as a sort of musical kaleidoscope of America, of our vast melting pot, of our unduplicated national pep, of our metropolitan madness."[13](https://www.laphil.com/works/rhapsody-in-blue) He had originally considered a conventional blues composition but instead chose a genuine synthesis of jazz and classical music.[12](https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark%3A/67531/metadc278912/m2/1/high_res_d/1002720703-innis.pdf)
## The premiere
The "Experiment in Modern Music" concert was billed as an educational event demonstrating that jazz deserved to be regarded as a serious art form.[14](https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/february-12/rhapsody-in-blue-by-george-gershwin-performed-for-first-time) The audience heard the work as an instant success; until the opening clarinet glissando, played by Ross Gorman, the afternoon's program had been a sequence of "jazzed" classics and "concertized jazz."[6](https://academic.oup.com/book/3801/chapter-abstract/145258547)
The piano solo section was not fully written out for the concert. In Grofé's third and final score the solo section stayed blank, with only a note to Whiteman to "wait for nod" when Gershwin launched into his solo; Gershwin nodded to the conductor when wrapping up his improvisations to cue the band.[15](https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2020/12/gershwins-rhapsody-in-blue-wait-for-nod/) • [16](https://symphony.org/features/all-american-rhapsody/)
Critical reception was mixed. Lawrence Gilman of the *New York Tribune* wrote of "trite, feeble and conventional" tunes and "melodic and harmonic anemia of the most pernicious kind," while other critics praised the work's rhythmic inventiveness, and [Deems Taylor](https://www.edgepedia.org/deems-taylor) judged that Gershwin "may yet bring jazz out of the kitchen."[17](https://www.classical-music.com/features/works/rhapsody-in-blue) • [18](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/style/1996/10/13/new-blue/51e4b9b4-ef7d-4736-9800-d761750b922a/) The enthusiastic reception encouraged Gershwin to take on more serious concert projects, including the Piano Concerto in F the following year, which he orchestrated himself.[13](https://www.laphil.com/works/rhapsody-in-blue) • [19](https://www.chandos.net/chanimages/Booklets/CH9092.pdf)
## Versions and recordings
Grofé orchestrated the work at least three times: the 1924 original for Whiteman's jazz band, a 1926 version for theater pit orchestra, and the 1942 symphonic scoring most orchestras play today.[5](https://theclassicnote.com/best-recording-of-rhapsody-in-blue/) The scoring changed across versions; for example, a soprano saxophone part of 1924 became tenor saxophone in 1926 and 1942, and a soprano saxophone solo was re-scored for clarinet, while Grofé replaced his original saxophone parts with double reeds in the later versions to heighten the contrast of jazz and classical elements.[20](https://www.esm.rochester.edu/uploads/WWJ-Issue-3-Complete.pdf) In the original scoring the band plays jazz while the piano introduces classical elements; in the symphonic version the orchestra is the classical element while the soloist carries the "jazzy" burden.[21](https://assets.cambridge.org/97805215/50772/excerpt/9780521550772_excerpt.pdf)
The first recording was made in June 1924, following the February premiere, by the Whiteman orchestra with Gershwin at the piano; a 1927 recording with the Paul Whiteman Concert Orchestra and Gershwin also circulated widely, and the 1924 recording was added to the [National Recording Registry](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-recording-registry) in 2002.[22](https://oro.open.ac.uk/19401/5/BE5D1D73.pdf) • [23](https://www.stereophile.com/content/recording-august-2018-gershwin-moment) • [10](https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/documents/RhapsodyInBlue.pdf) Whiteman's orchestra later made a recording of the Rhapsody that sold over a million copies.[7](https://res.cloudinary.com/dwjhoulgv/image/upload/v1772204786/Rhapsody_in_Blue_program.pdf) In 1945 Warner Brothers released *Rhapsody in Blue*, a fictionalized biopic of Gershwin, who had died of a brain tumor in 1937 at age 38.[16](https://symphony.org/features/all-american-rhapsody/)
## Musical character
The work is a single-movement piece that follows the fast-slow-fast pattern of a classical concerto while carrying a popular feel in its melodies and blues inflection, with flatted sevenths and thirds coloring the harmony.[24](https://files.baskercdn.com/sydneysymphony/files/3316_sso_programs2023_07RhapsodyinBlue_art_web_singles.pdf) • [13](https://www.laphil.com/works/rhapsody-in-blue) Its structure is sectional rather than organically unified, a series of tunes introduced, varied, and developed.[25](https://www.orsymphony.org/productions/2425/gershwins-rhapsody-in-blue) Most of its stylistic traits come from classical sources, notably Liszt, Chopin, Debussy, and Tchaikovsky, alongside the jazz vocabulary of the 1920s dance band.[18](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/style/1996/10/13/new-blue/51e4b9b4-ef7d-4736-9800-d761750b922a/)
## Legacy
The Rhapsody established Gershwin's reputation as a serious composer and became one of the most popular of all American concert works.[3](https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/gershwin-rhapsody-in-blue/7B09DFE033CC3FF22F60DCD806F83ED9) It did more to establish a distinctly American identity in concert music than it did for jazz itself, and it opened orchestras to the sounds and syncopations of jazz.[18](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/style/1996/10/13/new-blue/51e4b9b4-ef7d-4736-9800-d761750b922a/) • [16](https://symphony.org/features/all-american-rhapsody/) Its melodies have since appeared far beyond the concert hall, from the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics opening ceremonies, where 84 pianists performed it, to [United Airlines](https://www.edgepedia.org/united-airlines) commercials, which have used arrangements of the piece as a corporate signature.[1](https://gershwin.com/publications/rhapsody-in-blue/) • [26](https://blog.oup.com/2014/08/united-airlines-gershwin-rhapsody-blue/) In 2024, the centenary of the premiere, the University of Michigan's Gershwin Initiative published a scholarly critical edition of the original 1924 jazz band version prepared by the musicologist Ryan Raul Bañagale.[27](https://smtd.umich.edu/100th-anniversary-rhapsody-in-blue-edition-now-available/)
## References
1. [Rhapsody in Blue, Gershwin.com](https://gershwin.com/publications/rhapsody-in-blue/)
2. [Gershwin's "Rhapsody" at 100, Library of Congress Timeless blog](https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2024/02/gershwins-rhapsody-at-100-still-capturing-the-american-character/)
3. [Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue, Cambridge University Press](https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/gershwin-rhapsody-in-blue/7B09DFE033CC3FF22F60DCD806F83ED9)
4. [George Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue program notes, Nashville Symphony](https://www.nashvillesymphony.org/classical-program-notes/george-gershwin-rhapsody-in-blue/)
5. [Best Recording of Rhapsody in Blue, The Classic Note](https://theclassicnote.com/best-recording-of-rhapsody-in-blue/)
6. [That Certain Feeling: 1924–1927, Ira Gershwin: The Art of the Lyricist, Oxford Academic](https://academic.oup.com/book/3801/chapter-abstract/145258547)
7. [Rhapsody in Blue program, 126th season](https://res.cloudinary.com/dwjhoulgv/image/upload/v1772204786/Rhapsody_in_Blue_program.pdf)
8. [Program notes: NACO and Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, National Arts Centre](https://nac-cna.ca/en/event/notes/34173)
9. [Rhapsody in Blue: How Gershwin's hastily composed 'jazz concerto' became his masterpiece, Classic FM](https://www.classicfm.com/composers/gershwin/how-wrote-rhapsody-in-blue-history/)
10. ["Rhapsody in Blue" – George Gershwin, piano; Paul Whiteman Orchestra (1924), National Recording Registry, Library of Congress](https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/documents/RhapsodyInBlue.pdf)
11. [One hundred years of 'Rhapsody in Blue,' EL PAÍS English](https://english.elpais.com/culture/2024-02-12/one-hundred-years-of-rhapsody-in-blue-a-composition-that-changed-music-history.html)
12. [Rhapsody in Blue: A Comparative Analysis, University of North Texas dissertation](https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark%3A/67531/metadc278912/m2/1/high_res_d/1002720703-innis.pdf)
13. [Rhapsody in Blue, LA Phil](https://www.laphil.com/works/rhapsody-in-blue)
14. ["Rhapsody in Blue," by George Gershwin, performed for first time, HISTORY](https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/february-12/rhapsody-in-blue-by-george-gershwin-performed-for-first-time)
15. [Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" – "Wait for Nod", Library of Congress Timeless blog](https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2020/12/gershwins-rhapsody-in-blue-wait-for-nod/)
16. [All-American Rhapsody, Symphony magazine](https://symphony.org/features/all-american-rhapsody/)
17. [Rhapsody in Blue: 100 years of George Gershwin's jazz-classical marvel, Classical Music](https://www.classical-music.com/features/works/rhapsody-in-blue)
18. [New 'Blue', The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/style/1996/10/13/new-blue/51e4b9b4-ef7d-4736-9800-d761750b922a/)
19. [Rhapsody in Blue booklet, Chandos](https://www.chandos.net/chanimages/Booklets/CH9092.pdf)
20. [Excerpt 3. Rhapsody in Blue. Gershwin 50th Anniversary Edition, Eastman School of Music](https://www.esm.rochester.edu/uploads/WWJ-Issue-3-Complete.pdf)
21. [Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue, Cambridge University Press excerpt](https://assets.cambridge.org/97805215/50772/excerpt/9780521550772_excerpt.pdf)
22. [Open Research Online: recordings and Rhapsody in Blue](https://oro.open.ac.uk/19401/5/BE5D1D73.pdf)
23. [Recording of August 2018: The Gershwin Moment, Stereophile](https://www.stereophile.com/content/recording-august-2018-gershwin-moment)
24. [About the Music: Rhapsody in Blue, Sydney Symphony Orchestra](https://files.baskercdn.com/sydneysymphony/files/3316_sso_programs2023_07RhapsodyinBlue_art_web_singles.pdf)
25. [Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, Oregon Symphony](https://www.orsymphony.org/productions/2425/gershwins-rhapsody-in-blue)
26. [United Airlines and Gershwin's 'Rhapsody in Blue', OUPblog](https://blog.oup.com/2014/08/united-airlines-gershwin-rhapsody-blue/)
27. [100th Anniversary "Rhapsody in Blue" Edition Now Available, University of Michigan SMTD](https://smtd.umich.edu/100th-anniversary-rhapsody-in-blue-edition-now-available/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Compositions and songs › Overtures, suites, and other classical works*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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