Rhapsody in Blue Critical Analysis Report

Rhapsody in Blue Critical Analysis Report
"Gershwin's " " Rhapsody in Blue " was composed in 1924 for solo piano and a small jazz
orchestra combines jazz-influenced effects with classical music components. The piece was
commissioned by bandleader "Paul Whiteman ", and it made its debut on " February 12, 1924
", at The Experiment in Modern Music" event in New York City's Aeolian Hall. Gershwin
played the piano as Whiteman's orchestra performed the rhapsody] The rhapsody was
orchestrated by Whiteman's arranger "Ferde Grofé " including the original 1924 scoring, the
1926 pit orchestra scoring, and the 1942 symphonic scoring.
As a jazz concerto, "Rhapsody in Blue " is written for solo piano with orchestra. A rhapsody
differs from a concerto in that it features one extended movement instead of separate
movements. Rhapsodies often incorporate passages of an improvisational nature—although
written out in a score—and are irregular in form, with heightened contrasts and emotional
exuberance. The music ranges from intensely rhythmic piano solos to slow, broad, and richly
orchestrated sections. Consequently, the Rhapsody "may be looked upon as a fantasia, with no
strict fidelity to form general.
The pıece begins with the clarinet solo in B♭, later orchestra comes to accompany the
clarinet. Fırst section modulates as B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭, B, E, and finally to A major.
0.44 Ostinato pattern starts by brasses until 0.54 when the part music starts to flow with more
sustained notes. Between 1.04 and 1.55 we hear the piano enter with a solo and suddenly
carrıes the nuance to forte and accompanıed by the whole orchestra including drums we hear
fırst time here, a cymbal hıt every two beats. Then the music becomes only the piano again at
3.45 orchestra suddenly enters but this time tempo is increased. The question answer here we
catch the first tıme between the pıano and string section. We hear many minor 3rd recursive
Tin Palley Alley Modulations .an iconic ostinato comes which is familiar from jazz. At 4.15
piece becomes more like dance music with repetitive melodies until it slows down again with
ostinato pattern looping. After 4.45 There are many ragtime rhythms, as well as the Cuban
"clave" rhythm. At 5.20 we introduced a new theme in the blues-lıke section which feels more
fluent and also free. At 5.40 with a hit of the cymbals piano starts to play the theme's motive,
with brass slowly mimicking carrying the nuance to the forte until 7.26. After a minute we
hear the pıanıst preparing for the theme. 10.12 The whole orchestra eventually enters a more
slow, dramatic theme. In 12.07 we hear the strings dominantly making the music fresh again.
At 12.11 piano starts to play solo and at 13.50 we hear the same motive in 6.50 Piano
continues until 14.20 then the brass section comes with fast staccato notes kind of mimicking
the soloist. 14.47 strings come imitating the brasses and cymbal later the full orchestra in
14.59 in a double forte piece ends in B♭
The musical themes in "Rhapsody in Blue" utilize the blues scale, which
consists of lowered sevenths and a combination of major and minor thirds.
These themes are presented in both orchestra and solo form.
However, despite its brilliance, "Rhapsody in Blue" has also faced criticism over the years.
Some argue that Gershwin's fusion of different styles lacks coherence and can be perceived as
a superficial attempt to appeal to a wider audience. Critics argue that the work does not fully
develop the themes it introduces, instead opting for a series of musical vignettes that are
connected loosely. While this fragmented structure may be intentional to capture the
improvisatory nature of jazz, it can leave some listeners longing for more substantial
development.
British composer Constant Lambert, whose work was also influenced by jazz, publicly
criticized the piece: "The composer [George Gershwin], trying to write a Lisztian concerto in
a jazz style, has used only the non-barbaric elements in dance music, the result is neither good
jazz nor good Liszt, and in the absence of the phrase a good concerto.
" Leonard Bernstein " stated;
" Rhapsody in Blue is not a real composition in the sense that whatever happens in it must
seem inevitable, or even pretty inevitable. You can cut out parts of it without affecting the
whole in any way except to make it shorter. You can remove any of these stuck-together
sections and the piece still goes on as bravely as before. You can even interchange these
sections with one another and no harm done. You can make cuts within a section, or add new
cadenzas, or play it with any combination of instruments or on the piano alone; it can be a
five-minute piece or a six-minute piece or a twelve-minute piece. And in fact all these things
are being done to it every day. It's still the Rhapsody in Blue"
I apologize if my previous response did not meet your expectations. To be more critical, some music
scholars and critics have expressed harsh opinions about "Rhapsody in Blue" over the years. Some
have argued that the piece is overly sentimental and lacks substance, relying too heavily on clichéd
musical ideas. Others have criticized its use of jazz elements as being superficial or culturally
insensitive, suggesting that Gershwin's appropriation of Black musical traditions was exploitative.
Furthermore, some have argued that the commercialization of "Rhapsody in Blue" by United Airlines
and its use in advertising campaigns has cheapened the piece's cultural significance and reduced it to
a mere marketing tool. While these criticisms are not universally accepted, they demonstrate that
"Rhapsody in Blue" is not immune to negative assessments and that its cultural impact is still a
subject of debate.

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" Leonard Bernstein " stated;

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