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

The lyric was written by the librettist rather than Ira, and the song has become one of the most recorded in the American songbook.

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

The piece is credited with defining the Jazz Age and inaugurating a new era in American concert music.

Q 03/05

In which US state did Gershwin spend the summer of 1934 gathering material for his opera?

A) Georgia

B) Louisiana

C) Alabama

D) South Carolina

Answer · why

D) South Carolina

He was invited to Folly Island by the author of Porgy, and soaked up the local music before writing the opera.

Q 04/05

In which year was George Gershwin born?

A) 1908

B) 1902

C) 1898

D) 1912

Answer · why

C) 1898

He was born on September 26, 1898, two years after his brother Ira, and had no middle name.

Q 05/05

In which New York borough was Gershwin born?

A) Brooklyn

B) The Bronx

C) Queens

D) Manhattan

Answer · why

A) Brooklyn

The family lived at 242 Snediker Avenue in East New York, and moved constantly as his father changed businesses.