| This article is within the scope of the following WikiProjects: |
 | This article is within the scope of WikiProject Biography, a collaborative effort to create, develop and organize Wikipedia's articles about people. All interested editors are invited to join the project and contribute to the discussion. For instructions on how to use this banner, please refer to the documentation. | |  B | This article has been rated as B-Class on the project's quality scale. | | | This article is supported by WikiProject Actors and Filmmakers (marked as High-priority). | | | This article is supported by WikiProject Musicians (marked as High-priority). | | Comments: | edit · history · watch · purge [edit] Composers Project Assessment of George Gershwin: 2009-01-28 This is an assessment of article George Gershwin by a member of the Composers project, according to its assessment criteria. This review was done by Magicpiano. If an article is well-cited, the reviewer is assuming that the article reflects reasonably current scholarship, and deficiencies in the historical record that are documented in a particular area will be appropriately scored. If insufficient inline citations are present, the reviewer will assume that deficiencies in that area may be cured, and that area may be scored down. Adherence to overall Wikipedia standards (WP:MOS, WP:WIAGA, WP:WIAFA) are the reviewer's opinion, and are not a substitute for the Wikipedia's processes for awarding Good Article or Featured Article status. [edit] Origins/family background/studies Does the article reflect what is known about the composer's background and childhood? If s/he received musical training as a child, who from, is the experience and nature of the early teachers' influences described?  ok [edit] Early career Does the article indicate when s/he started composing, discuss early style, success/failure? Are other pedagogic and personal influences from this time on his/her music discussed? - ok
[edit] Mature career Does the article discuss his/her adult life and composition history? Are other pedagogic and personal influences from this time on his/her music discussed? - ok
[edit] List(s) of works Are lists of the composer's works in WP, linked from this article? If there are special catalogs (e.g. Köchel for Mozart, Hoboken for Haydn), are they used? If the composer has written more than 20-30 works, any exhaustive listing should be placed in a separate article. - list is presumed to be complete
[edit] Critical appreciation Does the article discuss his/her style, reception by critics and the public (both during his/her life, and over time)? - ok
[edit] Illustrations and sound clips Does the article contain images of its subject, birthplace, gravesite or other memorials, important residences, manuscript pages, museums, etc? Does it contain samples of the composer's work (as composer and/or performer, if appropriate)? (Note that since many 20th-century works are copyrighted, it may not be possible to acquire more than brief fair use samples of those works, but efforts should be made to do so.) If an article is of high enough quality, do its images and media comply with image use policy and non-free content policy? (Adherence to these is needed for Good Article or Featured Article consideration, and is apparently a common reason for nominations being quick-failed.) - Some images; some sound. More images would be good.
[edit] References, sources and bibliography Does the article contain a suitable number of references? Does it contain sufficient inline citations? (For an article to pass Good Article nomination, every paragraph possibly excepting those in the lead, and every direct quotation, should have at least one footnote.) If appropriate, does it include Further Reading or Bibliography beyond the cited references? - Article has references; uneven inline citations.
[edit] Structure and compliance with WP:MOS Does the article comply with Wikipedia style and layout guidelines, especially WP:MOS, WP:LEAD, WP:LAYOUT, and possibly WP:SIZE? (Article length is not generally significant, although Featured Articles Candidates may be questioned for excessive length.) - ok
[edit] Things that may be necessary to pass a Good Article review - Article requires more inline citations (WP:CITE)
- Article needs (more) images and/or other media (MOS:IMAGE)
[edit] Summary This is a pretty good article. It covers a fair amount of territory about Gershwin. However, something about how his professional career comes across as rushed or abbreviated, like the list of shows at the end of the Tin Pan Alley section. I was also a little disappointed about the brevity of description of his personal relationships -- presumably more can be written about his relationship with Swift, especially as it presumably had influence on his music. Also language like this should be cited or otherwise justified: - is now widely regarded as the most important American opera of the twentieth century.
If editors are interested in improving the article for a formal review (GA or FA), it will need have more inline citations. Article is B-class. Magic♪piano 01:43, 28 January 2009 (UTC) | | | |  | George Gershwin is within the scope of the Composers WikiProject, a group of editors writing and developing biographical articles about composers of all eras and styles. The project discussion page is the place to talk about technical and editorial issues and exchange ideas. New members are welcome! | | | B | This article has been rated as B-Class on the project's quality scale. | | Comments: | edit · history · watch · purge [edit] Composers Project Assessment of George Gershwin: 2009-01-28 This is an assessment of article George Gershwin by a member of the Composers project, according to its assessment criteria. This review was done by Magicpiano. If an article is well-cited, the reviewer is assuming that the article reflects reasonably current scholarship, and deficiencies in the historical record that are documented in a particular area will be appropriately scored. If insufficient inline citations are present, the reviewer will assume that deficiencies in that area may be cured, and that area may be scored down. Adherence to overall Wikipedia standards (WP:MOS, WP:WIAGA, WP:WIAFA) are the reviewer's opinion, and are not a substitute for the Wikipedia's processes for awarding Good Article or Featured Article status. [edit] Origins/family background/studies Does the article reflect what is known about the composer's background and childhood? If s/he received musical training as a child, who from, is the experience and nature of the early teachers' influences described? - ok
[edit] Early career Does the article indicate when s/he started composing, discuss early style, success/failure? Are other pedagogic and personal influences from this time on his/her music discussed? - ok
[edit] Mature career Does the article discuss his/her adult life and composition history? Are other pedagogic and personal influences from this time on his/her music discussed? - ok
[edit] List(s) of works Are lists of the composer's works in WP, linked from this article? If there are special catalogs (e.g. Köchel for Mozart, Hoboken for Haydn), are they used? If the composer has written more than 20-30 works, any exhaustive listing should be placed in a separate article. - list is presumed to be complete
[edit] Critical appreciation Does the article discuss his/her style, reception by critics and the public (both during his/her life, and over time)? - ok
[edit] Illustrations and sound clips Does the article contain images of its subject, birthplace, gravesite or other memorials, important residences, manuscript pages, museums, etc? Does it contain samples of the composer's work (as composer and/or performer, if appropriate)? (Note that since many 20th-century works are copyrighted, it may not be possible to acquire more than brief fair use samples of those works, but efforts should be made to do so.) If an article is of high enough quality, do its images and media comply with image use policy and non-free content policy? (Adherence to these is needed for Good Article or Featured Article consideration, and is apparently a common reason for nominations being quick-failed.) - Some images; some sound. More images would be good.
[edit] References, sources and bibliography Does the article contain a suitable number of references? Does it contain sufficient inline citations? (For an article to pass Good Article nomination, every paragraph possibly excepting those in the lead, and every direct quotation, should have at least one footnote.) If appropriate, does it include Further Reading or Bibliography beyond the cited references? - Article has references; uneven inline citations.
[edit] Structure and compliance with WP:MOS Does the article comply with Wikipedia style and layout guidelines, especially WP:MOS, WP:LEAD, WP:LAYOUT, and possibly WP:SIZE? (Article length is not generally significant, although Featured Articles Candidates may be questioned for excessive length.) - ok
[edit] Things that may be necessary to pass a Good Article review - Article requires more inline citations (WP:CITE)
- Article needs (more) images and/or other media (MOS:IMAGE)
[edit] Summary This is a pretty good article. It covers a fair amount of territory about Gershwin. However, something about how his professional career comes across as rushed or abbreviated, like the list of shows at the end of the Tin Pan Alley section. I was also a little disappointed about the brevity of description of his personal relationships -- presumably more can be written about his relationship with Swift, especially as it presumably had influence on his music. Also language like this should be cited or otherwise justified: - is now widely regarded as the most important American opera of the twentieth century.
If editors are interested in improving the article for a formal review (GA or FA), it will need have more inline citations. Article is B-class. Magic♪piano 01:43, 28 January 2009 (UTC) | | | |  | This article is within the scope of WikiProject Jewish culture, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of Jewish culture on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks. | |  ??? | This article has not yet received a rating on the project's quality scale. | | ??? | This article has not yet received a rating on the project's importance scale. | | |  | George Gershwin is part of WikiProject Musical Theatre, organized to improve and complete musical theatre articles and coverage on Wikipedia. You can edit the article attached to this page, or visit the project page, where you can join the project and see a list of open tasks. | | | B | This article has been rated as B-Class on the quality scale. | | | |
[edit] Image copyright status
Who is who in the photo? By the way, what's the copyright status of that image? --Robert Merkel.
I don't get it; the copyright in the EU expires in 2007 because that's 70 years after the death of George (1937), making all his works public domain. In the US, this counts as "a work of 'corporate authorship'" and is therefore protected for 95 years from publishing (2019 for 1924 works through 2027 for 1932 works). Why does it count as a work of corporate authorship? Shouldn't it be like with H. G. Wells, whose works were put in the public domain at the end of 1996 (50 years after death) in the US, but extended to 70 years in EU by then, making it PD in early 2017?? --Gabbe 19:03 Jan 10, 2003 (UTC)
[edit] Major Classical works
I'm inclined to remove:
from the list of "most famous" classical works. I don't think they are nearly as famous as the other entries. Gershwin's classical output was not that great. If these remain, perhaps we should change the heading and remove "most famous" Samuel Wantman 07:08, 3 Feb 2005 (UTC)
- Removed "most famous" -- Samuel Wantman 08:46, 10 Feb 2005 (UTC)
[edit] birth name
What's the source for his birth name? According to John Warthen Struble's A History of American Classical Music, he was born "Jacob Gershvin, second son of Rose and Morris Gershvin (né Gershovitz), at 242 Snediker Avenue...". This article says he was born Jacob Gershowitz (note the w, as opposed to the v that Struble gives, but even that only for his father's birth name). Tuf-Kat 02:40, September 8, 2005 (UTC)
[edit] Musical Style and Influence
There are two Gershwin-asking-for-lessons anecdotes. These include the one listed here and another ("I would only make you a second-rate X, and you are such a good Gershwin already!"), which are often matched with Ravel, Schoenberg, Verese, etc., and not just Stravinsky. Check the accuracy and source, please.
It's generally thought that the 'second-rate' comment was made by Ravel to Gershwin.Mysterysociety 14:11, 4 January 2007 (UTC)
Also, there is strong evidence for Joseph Schillinger's "large and direct influence" on Gershwin's musical output circa 1932, something that the current reference to a Gershwin biography by William Hyland attempts to rebuke. This evidence includes, but isn't limited to, (1) an article written by Gershwin's friend Vernon Duke (Vladimir Dukelsky) for the Musical Quarterly from 1947, titled, "Gershwin, Schillinger, and Dukelsky: Some Reminiscences," (2) a memoir by Schillinger's wife, and (3) a Musical Quarterly article from 1994 titled, "Theory and Practice in Porgy and Bess: The Schillinger-Gershwin Connection," by Paul Nauert. If Schillinger's students and loved ones, Gershwin's friends and colleagues, and modern scholars and historians find a "large and direct [Schillinger] influence," then it seems the accuracy of this portion of the wikipedia article should be called into question.
[edit] Rhapsody in Blue?
No mention in the bio of the details surrounding the composition of Gershwin's most famous orchestral piece, Rhapsody in Blue? Someone with this knowledge please supply the biographical info on Gershwin's creation of this work.
Arkhamite 18:10, 26 May 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Recent edit
Edit as of 02:25, 5 June 2006 by anon sourced here Cdyson37 (T) 10:14, 5 June 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Shiite and Sufi influences
An anonymous editor has twice added that Gershwin was influenced by Shiite and Sufi music. Without any evidence and because it kills the flow of the paragraph, I have removed it. --Usgnus 17:57, 6 July 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Levant
The Oscar Levant remark quoted sounds likely, and characteristic (he certainly told stories about Gershwin's ego), but it could still use a citation.
A Levant remark that might be more worthy of mention: Levant says that shortly before his death, Gershwin had mentioned to him too projects he intended to take on: a musical setting of the Gettysburg Address and an opera based on Die Golem (Oscar Levant, The Unimportance of Being Oscar, Pocket Books 1969 (reprint of G.P. Putnam 1968), p. 117. ISBN 0-671-77104-3.) - Jmabel | Talk 06:46, 3 March 2007 (UTC)
[edit] First paragraph's title
I believe 'Headline text' to be not a very stylish title for the first paragraph. Yet due to my lack of English vocabulary, I cannot think of a more proper one. Any suggestions?
[edit] illness
It should a point to note in the article, that the illness of Gershwin, received a diagnose of mental disease and that prevent other clinical analysis. As a peculiarity of psychiatry it is that it is not required any proof or any clinical test so that psychiatrists are sure of their diagnose. However this prevent to receive a valid diagnose when there is something else (because the psychiatrists do not want to pass the client to a doctor that is not a psychiatrist and because they are used to consider any patient's complain as a mere confirmation of their diagnose rather showing the need to do more investigation. Moreover, since it is usually that psychiatric patients do not improve but only get worse (and one should wonder what is the utility of the psychiatry at this point), the lack of any improvements does not lead the psychiatrists to put under review their diagnose.
A point that should put into evidence is that Gershwin could have been saved if the psychiatrists had not shown themselves sure about the diagnose and discouraged Gershwin to perform more invasive biological tests. 82.52.81.177 20:28, 9 March 2007 (UTC)
No psychiatric treatment could have been effective against such an aggressive tumor, such as what was discovered at surgery, though.
[edit] media file is TERRIBLE
The media file of Gershwin's Prelude No.2 is one of the worst recordings I have ever heard. Many of the most important notes are played WRONG. Not only is it played BADLY, it is also played WRONG!!! I think it would be better to remove the media file, rather than give people the false impression that Gershwin was a fool. The media file is NOT an accurate representation of Gershwin's work, and therefore should not be on display.
[edit] Broken infobox
The infobox has been broken for ages. Here it is. Please fix it and return it to the article if you know how. Æthelwold 00:36, 7 August 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Death problems
On the page, it says that George died from a Brain Tumor durring sugery, but i have two books that say he died the morning after. One of the books is titled 'Introducing Gershwin' by Roland Vernon.
[edit] Composer project review
I've reviewed this article as part of the Composers project review of its B-class articles. This article is B-class; there's plenty to like here, but I did find some issues. My detailed review is on the comments page; questions and comments should be left here or on my talk page. Magic♪piano 01:45, 28 January 2009 (UTC)
[edit] Surname change
The text seems to say that Gershwin senior changed the surname - and then that it was done by G himself when he became a professional musician. The latter sounds more likely, actually - but does someone have a definitive source for this???--Soundofmusicals (talk) 01:39, 20 May 2009 (UTC)
