Overview

Straightaway, Charles Hambitzer recognized the genius in his new pupil. Just how far that 14-year-old George Gershwin would go, Charles could never have imagined. During the 1920s and '30s, Gershwin would write Rhapsody in Blue, An American in Paris, Porgy and Bess, and countless other works, becoming one of the most financially successful composers of his day and creating a uniquely American sound recognized around the world. Guiding Gershwin explores the little-known musical life of Charles Hambitzer, who was Gershwin's most revered musical mentor throughout George's formative teenage years. A child prodigy himself, the Milwaukee-born Hambitzer overcame numerous trials and tragedies to ultimately perform, compose, and teach at the highest levels of American society. More than a decade after Hambitzer's untimely passing in 1918, Gershwin eagerly sought to track down and share his beloved teacher's compositions with the world. Thanks to a surprise discovery of a treasure trove of Hambitzer's music manuscripts hidden away in a Gershwin family closet, Charles Hambitzer's musical legacy can now be experienced, some of it for the first time ever. In Guiding Gershwin, you'll also find: - 48 pages of simplified Hambitzer sheet music and links to audio demos of those songs. - Countless vintage photos of Hambitzer, Gershwin, and the people surrounding them. - Stories of Hambitzer's loves, his virtuosic musicality, and the child who was tragically left behind at his passing, which were nearly lost to time, are recounted for the first time in a century. - Short bios of all the known music teachers of Hambitzer and Gershwin from the 1880s until 1918, including interviews with some of the people who knew or took lessons from some of those teachers. Through new research into the lives of Hambitzer and Gershwin, the full story of their profound commitment to their music - and to each other - is finally revealed.

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Author Information

Michael G. Morris is a cultural historian of the Great American Songbook and the creator of the ""Gershwin 100"" website, a project dedicated to preserving and sharing century-old musical rarities at https: //gershwin100.wordpress.com/.

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