Gershwin was an astute businessman and he responded to this by leaning much more heavily on his recorded output. The advent of recorded music coupled with the financial hardship of the Great Depression led to a massive decline in the employment of live musicians. Some of his songs even had to be published under pseudonyms such as Fred Murtha and Burt Wyn, so people didn’t tire of seeing the name Gershwin on the cover of every score.īut times were changing. Over the course of his career he published more than 500 songs as well as piano preludes and concertos, operas and Broadway musicals. Next, he churned out hits with incredible speed. His folk opera ‘Porgy and Bess’ was also an instant hit, touring non-stop for three years after its initial run. In 1919 his first big hit, ‘Swanee’ sold more than 2 million recordings and 1 million copies of sheet music. So what was the magic formula which led to such wealth?įirstly, Gershwin’s music was outrageously popular. He's been ranked in several surveys as the highest grossing composer of all time (adjusted for inflation), streets ahead of Verdi, Rossini, Haydn and even Handel. You see, Gershwin wasn’t just rich, he was filthy rich. His work ethic certainly kept the money flowing in, but it doesn’t quite explain the massive fortune that he accrued in his short life. He was a prolific writer, (some say he wrote up to six songs a day) and his music has been enjoyed by generations of music lovers the world over. George Gershwin is one of the eternal legends of American music. In The Sunday Times this weekend, you'll find this year's edition of the Rich List - one composer who most certainly would've appeared on it in his day was the great George Gershwin - and this is why: He’s the richest composer of all time (when you adjust for inflation), so what did he do differently?
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |