Editor’s note: Arachnophonia (“Arachno” = spider / “-phonia” = sound) is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.
All links included in these posts will take you to either the library catalog record for the item in question or to additional relevant information from around the web.
Today’s installment of Arachnophonia is by student assistant Alexandra (class of 2026) and features American composer George Gershwin’s “Piano Concerto in F”. Thanks, Alex!
George Gershwin was an American composer who revolutionized the music scene in the early 1900s, merging the new jazz genre with classical. His experimental piece Rhapsody in Blue merged a classical orchestra with concert piano in a pseudo-piano concerto form to wild acclaim. Despite classical music’s rigid and highly critical tradition, Gershwin created a way for listeners to experience the new American jazz style in a concert hall setting. The rapid success of Rhapsody in Blue gave Gershwin a chance to compose a full-length concerto in 1925, his now immortal Piano Concerto in F. Gershwin’s longest work, the concerto is divided into three movements which each highlight a distinct style of jazz.
The first movement, I. Allegro moderato, uses the Charleston and features syncopation in a swing style just debuting in the US at the time. Its first climax introduces the piano into the concerto in a melancholy start, quickly dazzling listeners with key changes and pentatonic scales uncommon to classical piano concertos. A second climax features sweeping strings and huge chord progressions before descending into more syncopated rhythms that one could imagine dancing to in the 1920s.
The second movement, II. Andante con moto, is a slow section similar to an Adagio or Largo movement but uses a blues feel to characterize the emotional equivalents in typical classical movements. His alternations of instruments soloing the main theme, whether that be violin, piano, or trumpet, represent the big band jazz style growing during the concerto’s premier.
The third movement, III. Allegro agitato, starts with a flourish of woodwinds and brass to begin an exciting, fast-paced theme introduced in the first movement. Gershwin continues to experiment with jazz-inspired chords and syncopated rhythms, emblematic of his American heritage and pride in the new music genre.
Overall, Gershwin’s experimental Piano Concerto in F expands upon his work with Rhapsody in Blue and the excitement surrounding American jazz during the 1920s. Gershwin once asked another modernizing composer, Maurice Ravel, to mentor him. Ravel promptly rejected the request, stating “Why would I teach you to become a second-rate Ravel when you are already a first-rate Gershwin?” The unique output of Gershwin and his exciting Piano Concerto in F leave a lasting impression on listeners about the development of American music to rival great classical composers of Europe.
