Existing comment:
"Here To Stay"
The Legacy of George and Ira Gershwin:
In time the Rockies may crumble, and Gibraltar may tumble, but the music of composer George Gershwin (1898-1937) and his lyricist-brother Ira (1896-1983) is clearly here to stay. The mention of their names conjures images of Scott Fitzgerald's Gatsby, Florenz Ziegfeld's Follies, Jazz Age nightclubs, and Manhattan skyline, and Art Deco interiors. Evoking the glamour and sophistication of the 1920s and 1930s, Gershwin compositions continue to be heard in concert halls, theaters, opera houses, and cabarets around the world. Their songs have become so much a part of the fabric of the national culture that few Americans do not know them. Moreover, the Gershwins' lives continue to be exploited in scholarly and popular studies.
The Gershwins left manuscript scores and lyric sheets, printed works, correspondence, photographs, film, and sound recordings that detail their work and their lives. Gifts of these materials to the Library of congress from Ira and his wife, Leonore Strunsky Gershwin (1900-1991), as well as from the Gershwins' mother, Rose (ca. 1876-1948), Gershwin siblings Arthur (1900-1981) and Frances (b. 1906), and other family members and friends have created the world's preeminent collection of original Gershwin documents. Selected items from the Gershwin Collection, which is housed in the Library's Music Division, are exhibited in this room. |