Ira Gershwin
Ira Gershwin was an American lyricist, best known for his collaborations with his brother, composer George Gershwin.
Together they created Broadway musicals and standards including "Someone to Watch Over Me," "I Got Rhythm," and "Embraceable You." After George's death in 1937, Ira continued working with other composers.
He won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1932 for *Of Thee I Sing*.
Matching terminal sounds
- verseMetered poetic passage
- wordplayVerbal wit techniques
- witClever, inventive humor
- lyricsWritten words for music
songwriter · couplet · chorus · refrain · libretto · wordsmith · prosody · internal rhyme
American folk opera
- Rhapsody in BlueJazz-infused orchestral composition
- Funny FaceHumorous facial contortion
- Pulitzer PrizeElite American letters award
- I Got RhythmIconic thirties show tune
Stage art combining song, dialogue, dance
- show tunesSongs from stage musicals
- Tin Pan AlleyMusic publishing district
- Great American SongbookCanon of classic American songs
- standardsAccepted levels of quality
librettist · collaborator · theater · stage · revue · musical comedy · book musical · opening number
Formal invitation to waltz
- Cover GirlMass-market cosmetics brand
- Ginger RogersGolden-age Hollywood dancer
- Academy AwardTop Hollywood honor
- studio systemVertically integrated film production
Fred Astaire · Judy Garland · Golden Age · soundstage · title song
Prosperous 1920s era
- Jazz Age1920s American cultural heyday
- Great Depression1930s global economic crisis
- swing era1930s-40s jazz dominance
- Cole PorterAmerican songwriter, Broadway musicals
rhyme
Matching terminal sounds
lyrics · songwriter · couplet · chorus · refrain · libretto · wordsmith · prosody · internal rhyme · vernacular
Porgy and Bess
American folk opera
- Rhapsody in BlueJazz-infused orchestral composition
- Funny FaceHumorous facial contortion
- Pulitzer PrizeElite American letters award
musical theatre
Stage art combining song, dialogue, dance
- show tunesSongs from stage musicals
- Tin Pan AlleyMusic publishing district
- Great American SongbookCanon of classic American songs
standards · librettist · collaborator · theater · stage · revue · musical comedy · book musical · opening number · finale
Shall We Dance
Formal invitation to waltz
- Cover GirlMass-market cosmetics brand
- Ginger RogersGolden-age Hollywood dancer
- Academy AwardTop Hollywood honor
Fred Astaire · Judy Garland · studio system · Golden Age · soundstage · title song
Roaring Twenties
Prosperous 1920s era
- Jazz Age1920s American cultural heyday
- Great Depression1930s global economic crisis
- swing era1930s-40s jazz dominance
Cole Porter · Irving Berlin · Oscar Hammerstein · New York · Manhattan
Ira GershwinGeorge Gershwin
composer · melodist · Richard Rodgers · Cole Porter · Irving Berlin
Ira GershwinWoody Guthrie
Ira GershwinBob Dylan