iano. Certain composers such as Irving Berlin and Jerome Kern were also major influences on Gershwin's musical composition life. Gershwin also gained a lot f his musical inspiration from the sounds of African-American music and Jewish chant. During the nineteen twenties and nineteen thirties, Gershwin's presence on the musical scene was like a brilliant, dazzling star streaking through the minds of the American people. His excellence still lives in writing style continues to influence others. Gershwin was, without a doubt, an innovator. What he has done with rhythm, harmony and melody is much more than merely style. His style is fundamentally different from the mannerism of many other serious composers. The music of other serious composers could be taken into pieces and put back together in a different way. This could not be done with Gershwin's music. His melodies were units not products of combination, and therefore, could not be taken into pieces. Gershwin's harmony, melody, and rhythm was never welded together. One interesting characteristic about most of the piano music played by Gershwin was that it seemed to include a great deal of improvising. Interesting enough, Gershwin's musical interest in jazz and blues has created a new style of American music known by all today. Gershwin wrote many great works of art. A few of his most popular works, which gained a lot of their popularity after his death, would include: When you want 'em you can't get 'em, when you got 'em, you don't want 'em; Swanee; Porgy and Bess; Rhapsody in Blue; and Blue Monday. In 1916, Gershwin published his first song called When you want 'em, you can't get 'em, when you got 'em, you don't want 'em. The Harry Von Tilzer Music Company bought his song and made it extremely popular. This song was written by Gershwin with the assistance of another composer by the name of Murray Roth. Gershwin's first real fame came to be in 1919 with his c...
