Q 01/05

Which song was the hit of Gershwin's 1935 opera Porgy and Bess?

A) Stormy Weather

B) Summertime

C) Ol' Man River

D) Mood Indigo

Answer · why

B) Summertime

Summertime. It was the first number Gershwin finished for the opera, a lullaby Clara sings to her baby in the opening scene, and Billie Holiday took i...

Q 02/05

Rhapsody in Blue blends classical music with effects drawn from which genre?

A) Folk

B) Country

C) Gospel

D) Jazz

Answer · why

D) Jazz

Jazz. The story goes that Gershwin learned from a newspaper that a bandleader had billed him to write a jazz concerto, and dashed the piece off in a f...

Q 03/05

Which singer's 1959 Gershwin songbook made Ira say he never knew how good the songs were?

A) Billie Holiday

B) Ella Fitzgerald

C) Sarah Vaughan

D) Peggy Lee

Answer · why

B) Ella Fitzgerald

Ella Fitzgerald. Ira helped choose the songs for the set and retouched some of his lyrics for her, and her 'But Not for Me' from it won a Grammy.

Q 04/05

From which country did Gershwin's parents emigrate to New York?

A) Germany

B) Russia

C) Hungary

D) Romania

Answer · why

B) Russia

Russia. The family name had been Gershovitz before it was Americanized in New York, and the future George Gershwin was registered at birth as Jacob.

Q 05/05

In which New York borough was Gershwin born?

A) Brooklyn

B) The Bronx

C) Queens

D) Staten Island

Answer · why

A) Brooklyn

Brooklyn. He was born in East New York, and music came later: when the family bought a second-hand piano for his brother Ira, it was George who took i...