The first of Gershwin’s Three Preludes for Piano is well-known and extremely representative of his ability to blend jazz idioms with concert music forms. Proper interpretations should acknowledge the role these preludes have in presenting this blend, so essential to this part of jazz-influenced, early-20th-century, American classical music history. Use the expandable links below to explore this work further!
Prelude I…”Make or Break” in the First Two Measures: The Preludes for Piano are representations of Gershwin melding jazz idioms into concert forms. As such, interpretations must equally blend improvisatory feel and classical respect for the score. The initial two measures of the first prelude make or break an interpretation immediately! First, respect for the score… Are the initial sixteenth notes a two-note slur? Is the first accented? Are they played forte? Next, a free feel… Gershwin writes con licenzia. While following all score indications, does the performer allow for some rubato or personality that warrants this Italian description? If the answer to all of the above is “yes,” this is a good interpretation. If not, the performer is playing it more as a novelty than a well-grounded interpretation.
It does not take too much effort to see the saturation of the blues in this first prelude. The first two measures make this blatantly obvious with a pause on the lowered seventh initiating the start of the work!
Editions: There is pretty much only one printing plate of this piece (N.W. 50-11) so no matter how old your edition is or where you find it, you should be safe. This plate is the first printing from the New World Music Company in 1927. Things have basically remained unchanged in printing since then! Avoid any “modern” edition without the original printing plate number, you might be lead astray! For example, look at the sample pages of this Alfred edition sold here. See that pedal marking running through measures 13-16? Not original! Not recommended! You might also stumble upon this 1963 Russian printing. There are minor changes in the Russian edition. First, the Russian says con licenza while the American has con licenzia. Honestly, I think the Russian is actually the correct spelling, but please email me if you’re more certain. But, unfortunately, the Russian is missing the col in the left hand starting on measure three. Very minor, similar differences can be found.
A modern edition not to be overlooked is that edited by Alicia Zizzo. It is usually advertised and published as a complete collection of six known Gershwin preludes from the January 16, 1927 concert mentioned below (but please read below for evidence that his number is actually five). She did a huge amount of historical work tracking and studying manuscripts. The publication, stating “Edited by Alicia Zizzo” does seem to be her editorial markings and not a manuscript reproduction. You can see a preview here, and there are editorial markings all over the place. Some conflict with the original publication (accent placing in measures 7 and 8 for example). It would be great to know which markings were manuscript and which were hers. But this research is definitely worth looking into.
History…The Gershwin Preludes:
Dedication: The preludes are dedicated to Gershwin’s friend and musical collaborator, William “Bill” Merrigan Daly. Gershwin worked with Bill Daly on a variety of projects and scores. Bill Daly was very active in the NYC music scene, eventually becoming conductor of the NBC Radio Orchestra.
Initial History; 24 down to 3: Gershwin had huge success with his Rhapsody in Blue, premiered in 1924. Recordings were selling like crazy and the merging of jazz and classical was a sensation not only in the United States, but in Europe as well. Gershwin wanted to ride this wave a bit longer. He intended to write a collection of twenty-four preludes that would be called “The Melting Pot” in the manner of so many collections covering each major and minor key such as Chopin’s Op. 28, Bach’s WTC, etc. (This project is mentioned in the March 1925 edition of Vanity Fair).
The First Concert…How Many Preludes?!: Five(!) preludes were first performed on December 4, 1926 at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City by the composer. (Audiences might have been expecting six due to a New York Times announcement on November 29, 1926 promising “Six New Piano Preludes”). This concert, given with the contralto Marguerite d’Alvarez, was meant to be a display of both classical and popular idioms. The vocalist sang art song and Broadway tunes while Gershwin presented compositions that displayed a jazz/classical blend. They repeated this concert on January 16, 1927 and Gershwin, again played five preludes. Some sources say there were six preludes in this recital, but newspaper reviews show otherwise (see the academic journal article mentioned below, footnote 20). Historians who initially thought there were six on this concert have been debating the nature of this “lost prelude,” and concluded that it was probably based on a known 1924 sketch.
Of the intended collection of twenty-four, seven made it onto manuscripts, five were performed as mentioned, but only three were released in the 1927 New World publication. The first is in Bb major (Allegro ben ritmato e deciso), the second in C# minor (referred to by Gershwin as a “sort of blue lullaby”) and the third in Eb Minor (marked Agitato in the manuscript but published as another Allegro ben ritmato e deciso…referred to as “Spanish” by Gershwin). Knowing these three, how exciting a full collection would have been!
What of the other preludes that did not make it from manuscript to publication? You must read the article below before trusting anything found online! Within the article, see Kay Swift’s comments about how Gershwin probably used to play his Harlem Sketch as a prelude, and the recently discovered manuscripts of two piano novelletes. These two pieces were the prized possessions of pianist Josepha Rosanska and only recently came to light after being unknown for over sixty years. Again, for a complete understanding of any missing Gershwin preludes, the article in the paragraph below is essential. Much of the information contradicts tidbits found online.
For anyone wanting a really in-depth look into the people and surroundings in Gershwin’s life approximately around the time of these preludes, you must read “The Seven Jazz Preludes of George Gershwin: A Historical Narrative” from the journal American Music. A must read covering the moment Gershwin purchased a new manuscript book that he titled “Preludes, Jan. 1925,” a book whose four missing ripped out pages are eternal mysteries, to an interview with Kay Swift in 1987 where she mentions that the first Prelude was completed in one sitting. Gershwin had it worked out mentally, but he played it while Kay notated. She claims he had other ones in addition to the published three and that most play the fast ones too fast and the slow one too slow. A must-read article!
Recommended Recordings:
George Gershwin (Amazon, YouTube): Always important to hear the composer playing! But make sure you’re not listening to the piano roll. Although a valuable historical artifact, you need to find the recording session from June 8, 1928 in London. I know it’s in this box set through the Amazon link, but be careful when clicking the “MP3 version. I’m not sure if it’s really there. This box set is actually an 8-CD set of very interesting tracks.
Oscar Levant (Amazon, YouTube): This is a must hear recording because Oscar Levant was close to Gershwin. He also has a similar biographical background to Gershwin. From one associated with the composer, this is a great example of successfully taking liberty with the composition without losing the essence of the work. One becomes a fly on the wall of the New York City music circles of the 1920’s and 30’s. Often, when pianists add notes or use rubato to add a personal touch to the piece, it feels forced and awkward. The audience doesn’t need to watch you discover jazz for the first time… But this recording is a prime example of a free interpretation from someone who has absorbed both jazz and classical idioms.
Krystian Zimmerman (YouTube): This live performance shows both the good and the bad of this work in the hands of a classical pianist. The bad is revealed by the slide to the Ab added in measure two and its corresponding appearance in measure eight. These are the only changes to the score in the performance. If you are going to embellish, embellish! If you want to arrange, arrange! But to add such a trite detail to show you can be “jazzy” and then play verbatim from the score shows either your limited ability to improvise and/or your lack of understanding that Gershwin viewed this work as a chance to create concert hall music influenced by jazz. It is not, like his songs, a frame to be enhanced. For those that think I’m being hard, listen to the Oscar Levant recording above. This is how you be “jazzy” and free in a performance. If you are from a background like Levant where you can find this balance of freedom and adherence to the score, have fun! If you’re not, interpret the score itself. Don’t add one silly little gesture to say, “I know this is supposed to be jazz-like-ish-kinda” and then give up on the idea.” Bring what you personally can bring.
That being said…there’s a lot of good that comes from well-trained classical renditions. Just compare this to the Gershwin recording recommended above and you’ll hear plenty. Bubbly accents in measures 11-12, a much more exciting return to the original material in measure 50, great technical command of the final page, etc. Always exciting to hear the nuances encountered when the Gershwin preludes are performed by classical pianists.
Other arrangements (including Heifetz): Musicians love the Gershwin preludes and there are many noteworthy arrangements of them. But the most noteworthy are the Jascha Heifetz arrangements for violin and piano (YouTube, Amazon). Heifetz was a close friend of the Gershwin’s and really wanted a violin concerto from George. This wasn’t to be, so Heifetz gave us this arrangement of the Preludes.
Cello and Piano: An arrangement by Yo Yo Ma. (YouTube)
Piano Duet: Have students who enjoy these Preludes but are just below the technical ability to approach them? There’s a nice four-hand arrangement from Eugenie Rocherolle.
Orchestral: An arrangement by Gregory Stone. Lots of exciting color. This particular recording is the Boston Pops conducted by Arthur Fiedler. (YouTube, Amazon).