An American Rhapsody: The Story of George Gershwin (Jewish Biography Series)

A biography of the successful composer of musical comedies, popular songs, symphonic works, and the opera "Porgy and Bess"

Grade 7 Up A welcome addition to biog raphy collections. In addition to a straightforward account of the compos er's childhood, musical education, and career, Kresh has included descriptions of some of Gershwin's better known ``serious'' compositions and a smatter ing of some of the less favorable criti cism of that music. Kresh has also at tempted to trace the connections between Gershwin's music and his Jewish heritage. He begins by tracing his own fascination with Gershwin and his music. His bias is thus made clear at the outset, but he manages to stay ob jective on the whole. The short chap ters and crisp writing make the book enjoyable for its own sake as well as useful for reports. A final section on available recordings of Gershwin's mu sic and a list of titles (adult) for further reading provide direction for new ad mirers. Elaine Fort Weischedel, Turn er Free Library, Randolph, Mass.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.