Description
Gershwin, George. Original Drawing Unsigned Framed and Glazed with a Cancelled Check Signed and Dated February 3, 1932. A signed personal check, with Gershwin’s address at 33 Riverside Drive, drawn on the National City Bank of New York, signed in full, “George Gershwin,” dated February 3, 1932 is framed with an unsigned original sketch in pencil on paper by George Gershwin, a strong likeness that bears a striking resemblance to Gershwin, himself, with the penciled annotation, “44 E 50 Photos,” and possibly a name in another hand. Both items are in fine condition. Frame measures 16 3/8 in x 13 ½ in.
George Gershwin (1898-1937) was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Russian-Jewish immigrants (Gershowitz). Gershwin left school at fifteen to work as a pianist and composer. He wrote his first song at eighteen and his first musical at twenty. For the next fourteen years 1919 – 1933, a new Gershwin musical was a feature on Broadway every year. In 1924 he made musical history by creating the Rhapsody in Blue, the first all-American cross-over composition to enter the classical music concerto repertory. In 1935, Porgy and Bess entered the classical opera repertory. Gershwin’s gift for melody was second to none. As a native New Yorker, his songs captured the essence of the Roaring Twenties as few other artists in any genre did. Gershwin’s strong musical individuality made him and his music timeless.
George Gershwin Signed Photograph of Gershwin Composing Porgy and Bess 1934
Sheet Signed and Inscribed by W C Handy with an Early Arrangement
Maple Leaf Rag by Scott Joplin King of Ragtime Writers
