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Life & Arts

Prof delves into famed composer's life

by KELSIE HAHN 
The Daily Cougar 

UH music history professor Howard Pollack's new book, George Gershwin: His Life and Work, is a little like the song its subject is often remembered for today -- "Rhapsody in Blue."

Just as Gershwin's famous piece sought to blend and reconcile the traditional classical style with the still-new jazz music of his time, George Gershwin: His Life and Work examines the composer's popular works and too-short life with an eye to his influence and tradition in multiple genres.

"(‘Rhapsody in Blue') was written for piano and jazz band," Pollack said, though it retained the musical sophistication of the concert hall. "It was an interesting mix and a very successful piece."

Pollack said his book is one of the first to take a scholarly approach to the examination of the composer's life.

At 700 pages of text and more than 100 of notes, Pollack said it pulls in new findings on Gershwin's life found during the last 20 years. Pollack, who earned his master's and doctoral degrees in musicology from Cornell University, spent six years researching and writing the volume.

As both a pianist and a music history professor with a solid repertoire of books on American composers under his belt, "I thought I would bring a new perspective to this subject," he said. "Gershwin hadn't had a real large, scholarly book."

Gershwin wrote "Rhapsody in Blue" when he was only 25, and the music sold more than a million copies and landed the composer on the cover of Time magazine in anticipation of his next work. Gershwin, also an accomplished pianist, had made a distinct mark on the music world when he died at 39 of an undiagnosed brain tumor.

Previous books on Gershwin focused on his work in the realm of popular music, Pollack said, but he decided to take a broader approach to the 20th century composer.

"(The study of Gershwin) needs a sensitivity to both the popular music world and trends, but also the classical music world and trends," he said.

Gershwin was immensely popular in his time, freely crossing boundaries between opera, Broadway, classical and jazz music, and much of his compositions continue to be performed today.

"The songs are very lovely," Pollack said. "They have beautiful melodies and are very sophisticated."

Just as composers have been influenced by Gershwin's work, Pollack said the young composer's own inspirations and musical heritage included "White Christmas" composer Irving Berlin and early blues composer W.C. Hardy.

George Gershwin: His Life and Work marks Pollack's fifth book, all of which examine American composers of the 20th century: Walter Piston, Harvard Composers: Walter Piston and his Students, from Elliott Carter to Frederick Rzewski, John Alden Carpenter: A Chicago Composer and Aaron Copeland: The Life and Work of an Uncommon Man.

"There is a tradition here in America of really fine composers who deserve comparison with our great writers and artists," he said. "It's part of our heritage."

Pollack's teaches musical history and courses in 20th century music, film music, piano literature and musical theater.

Pollack will sign copies of George Gershwin: His Life and Work on Feb. 3 at 3 p.m. at the Barnes and Noble on Westhiemer and Voss.

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