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92-626: The Frida Kahlo Museum (Spanish: Museo Frida Kahlo ), also known as the Blue House ( La Casa Azul ) for the structure's cobalt-blue walls, is a historic house museum and art museum dedicated to the life and work of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo . It is located in the Colonia del Carmen neighborhood of Coyoacán in Mexico City. The building was Kahlo's birthplace, the home where she grew up, lived with her husband Diego Rivera for

184-534: A US$ 5.6 million auction record for a Latin American work. The popularity of Frida affected the museum. It closed for a time in the early 1990s, then reopened in 1993, with the addition of a gift shop and restaurant/café. Today, the museum is the most-visited in Coyoacán and one of the most visited in Mexico City. Restoration work was performed on the building and some of its contents in 2009 and 2010. The work

276-483: A bad Schoenberg, and you're such a good Gershwin already." (This quote is similar to one credited to Maurice Ravel during Gershwin's 1928 visit to France – "Why be a second-rate Ravel, when you are a first-rate Gershwin?") Gershwin was particularly impressed by the music of Berg, who gave him a score of the Lyric Suite . He attended the American premiere of Wozzeck , conducted by Leopold Stokowski in 1931, and

368-701: A collection of Gershwin's original recordings on the album Gershwin plays Gershwin, Historic First Recordings (RCA Victrola AVM1-1740). Included was the first LP release of the 1924 recording of Rhapsody in Blue with the Paul Whiteman Orchestra and Gershwin on piano; An American in Paris , from 1929 conducted by Nathaniel Shilkret with Gershwin on celesta. Also included were Three Preludes , "Clap Yo' Hands" and "Someone to Watch Over Me", among others. The soundtrack to Woody Allen 's 1979 film Manhattan

460-533: A coma. Only then did his doctors come to believe that he was suffering from a brain tumor . Leonore called George's close friend Emil Mosbacher and explained the dire need to find a neurosurgeon . Mosbacher immediately called pioneering neurosurgeon Harvey Cushing in Boston, who, retired for several years by then, recommended Walter Dandy , who was on a boat fishing in the Chesapeake Bay with Harry Nice ,

552-478: A commercial failure, it came to be considered one of the most important American operas of the 20th century and an American cultural classic. Gershwin moved to Hollywood and composed numerous film scores. He died in 1937, only 38 years old, of a brain tumor. His compositions have been adapted for use in film and television, with many becoming jazz standards. Gershwin's parents were both Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. His paternal grandfather, Jakov Gershowitz,

644-702: A furrier. She and her family moved to New York because of increasing anti-Jewish sentiment in Russia, changing her first name to Rose. Moishe, faced with compulsory military service if he remained in Russia, moved to America as soon as he could afford to. Once in New York, he changed his first name to Morris. Gershowitz lived with a maternal uncle in Brooklyn, working as a foreman in a women's shoe factory. He married Rose on July 21, 1895, and Gershowitz soon Anglicized his name to Gershwine. Their first child, Ira Gershwin ,

736-453: A large brain tumor, believed to have been a glioblastoma , but Gershwin died that morning at the age of 38. The fact that he had suddenly collapsed and become comatose after he stood up on July 9 has been interpreted as brain herniation with Duret hemorrhages . Gershwin's friends and admirers were shocked and devastated. John O'Hara remarked: "George Gershwin died on July 11, 1937, but I don't have to believe that if I don't want to." He

828-401: A large collection of pre-Hispanic artifacts, traditional Mexican cookware, linens, personal mementos such as photographs, postcards and letters, and works by José María Velasco , Paul Klee , and Diego Rivera. Much of the collection is in display cases designed for their preservation. The museum also contains a café and a small gift shop. The museum consists of ten rooms. On the ground floor is

920-413: A long yellow table, where Frida's stepdaughter Ruth stated that Frida spent much of her time. The two rooms are filled with large earthenware pots, plates, utensils, glassware, and more which came from Metepec , Oaxaca , Tlaquepaque , and Guanajuato , all known for their handcrafted items. Decorative features include papier-mâché Judas skeletons hanging from its ceiling, and walls with tiny pots spelling

1012-490: A los enfermos , Frida y la cesárea , Naturaleza muerta con bandera , Retrato de Marta Procel , Retrato de mi familia , Retrato de mi padre Wilhelm Kahlo and Los hornos de ladrillos as well as La quebrada and Paisaje urbano by Rivera, Retrato del niño Don Antonio Villaseñor and Retrato de niño muerto by unknown author, Composición by Wolfgang Paalenk, and Retrato de Diego Rivera by Leopold Gottlieb , along with an archive of 6,500 photographs of Kahlo, Rivera with

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1104-486: A main source of his income. The majority were popular music of the period and a smaller proportion were of his own works. Once his musical theater-writing income became substantial, his regular roll-recording career became superfluous. He did record additional rolls throughout the 1920s of his main hits for the Aeolian Company 's reproducing piano, including a complete version of his Rhapsody in Blue . Compared to

1196-514: A mother and housewife, thus precluding spending any serious time on musical endeavors. Having given up her performing career, she settled upon painting as a creative outlet, which had also been a hobby George briefly pursued. Arthur Gershwin followed in the paths of George and Ira, also becoming a composer of songs, musicals, and short piano pieces. George studied with various piano teachers for about two years (circa 1911) before finally being introduced to Charles Hambitzer by Jack Miller (circa 1913),

1288-472: A musical work per se, and it wasn't a drama per se – it elicited response from both music and drama critics. But the work has sort of always been outside category." After the commercial failure of Porgy and Bess , Gershwin moved to Hollywood , California. In 1936, he was commissioned by RKO Pictures to write the music for the film Shall We Dance , starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers . Gershwin's extended score, which would marry ballet with jazz in

1380-422: A new way, runs over an hour. It took Gershwin several months to compose and orchestrate. Gershwin had a ten-year affair with composer Kay Swift , whom he frequently consulted about his music. The two never married, although she eventually divorced her husband James Warburg to commit to the relationship. Swift's granddaughter, Katharine Weber, has suggested that the pair were not married because George's mother Rose

1472-453: A number of years, and where she later died in a room on the upper floor. In 1957, Diego Rivera donated the home and its contents to turn it into a museum in Frida's honor. The museum contains a collection of artwork by Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and other artists along with the couple's Mexican folk art , pre-Hispanic artifacts, photographs, memorabilia, personal items, and more. The collection

1564-722: A room that contains some of Kahlo's mostly minor works such as Frida y la cesárea , 1907–1954, Retrato de familia , 1934, Ruina , 1947, Retrato de Guillermo Kahlo , 1952, El marxismo dará salud , 1954 (showing Frida throwing away her crutches), with a watercolor Diario de Frida in the center. This room originally was the formal living room, where Frida and Diego entertained notable Mexican and international visitors and friends such as Sergei Eisenstein , Nelson Rockefeller , George Gershwin , caricaturist Miguel Covarrubias , and actresses Dolores del Río and María Félix . The second and third rooms are dedicated to personal effects and mementos and to some of Rivera's works. The second room

1656-625: A sculpture by Mardonio Magaña. The fifth room contains two large Judas figures, "mujeres bonitos" figures from Tlatilco , State of Mexico and figures from the Teotihuacan culture. The large papier-mâché Judas figures and other papier-mâché monsters were traditionally filled with firecrackers and exploded on the Saturday before Easter. The sixth and seventh rooms are the kitchen and dining room. Both are in classic Mexican style, with bright yellow tile floors, blue and yellow tile counters and

1748-598: A second-rate Ravel when you're already a first-rate Gershwin?" While there, Gershwin wrote An American in Paris . This work received mixed reviews upon its first performance at Carnegie Hall on December 13, 1928, but it quickly became part of the standard repertoire in Europe and the United States. In 1929, the Gershwin brothers created Show Girl ; the following year brought Girl Crazy , which introduced

1840-487: A stepped pyramid, a fountain, and a reflection pool. These were built in the 1940s when Rivera first moved into the house and built the fourth wing enclosing the house. This wing's walls which face the courtyard are decorated with marine shells and mirrors. There are also sculptures by Mexican artist Mardonio Magaña. One side of the courtyard contains the inscription "Frida y Diego / vivieron en / esta casa / 1929–1954" (Frida and Diego lived in this house – 1929–1954). The house

1932-576: A stone wall divides the patio area in two, in front of which is a fountain, a stepped pyramid, a reflection pool and a room for the couple's archeological collection. The exterior was also changed from the original French style to the one seen today. The redesign work on the house was done by Juan O’Gorman in 1946. As the couple's home, the house continued to receive distinguished visitors from both Mexico and abroad, including Fritz Henle , Concha Michel , Dolores del Río, María Félix, Lucha Reyes and Chavela Vargas . In 1943, Frida became an instructor for

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2024-651: A week from Jerome H. Remick and Company, a Detroit-based publishing firm with a branch office in New York. His first published song was "When You Want 'Em, You Can't Get 'Em, When You've Got 'Em, You Don't Want 'Em" in 1916. It earned the 17-year-old 50 cents. In 1916, Gershwin started working for Aeolian Company and Standard Music Rolls in New York City, recording and arranging. He produced dozens, if not hundreds, of rolls under his own and assumed names (pseudonyms attributed to Gershwin include Fred Murtha and Bert Wynn). He also recorded rolls of his own compositions for

2116-445: Is a painted plaster corset she was forced to wear to support her damaged spine, and under the canopy is a mirror facing down which she used to paint her many self-portraits. The head of the bed contains the painting of a dead child, and the foot contains a photo montage of Joseph Stalin , Vladimir Lenin , Karl Marx , Friedrich Engels , and Mao Zedong . The pillow is embroidered with the words "Do not forget me, my love." Her wheelchair

2208-666: Is composed entirely of Gershwin's compositions, including Rhapsody in Blue , " Love is Sweeping the Country ", and "But Not for Me" , performed by both the New York Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta and the Buffalo Philharmonic under Michael Tilson Thomas . The film begins with a monolog by Allen, in the role of a writer, describing a character in his book: "He adored New York City ... To him, no matter what

2300-480: Is displayed in the rooms of the house which remains much as it was in the 1950s. It is the most popular museum in Coyoacán and one of the most visited in Mexico City. The house/museum is located in Colonia del Carmen area of the Coyoacán borough of Mexico City. Coyoacán, especially the Colonia del Carmen area, has had an intellectual and vanguard reputation since the 1920s, when it was the home of Salvador Novo , Octavio Paz , Mario Moreno and Dolores del Río . Today,

2392-579: Is drawn up to an unfinished portrait of Stalin, on an easel which is said was given to her by Nelson Rockefeller. Stalin became a hero to Kahlo after the Red Army victory over Nazi Germany on the Eastern Front in World War II . The tour of the museum ends at the large courtyard garden which is completely enclosed by the four sides or wings of the structure. The courtyard area is divided by

2484-563: Is filled with everyday items Frida used, letters, photographs, and notes. On the walls are pre-Hispanic necklaces and folk dresses, especially the Tehuana-style ones that were Frida's trademark. Paintings in the third room include Retrato de Carmen Portes Gil , 1921, Ofrenda del día de muertos , 1943, and Mujer con cuerpo de guitarra , 1916. The fourth room contains contemporary paintings by artists such as Paul Klee , José María Velasco , Joaquín Clausel , Celia Calderón Orozco , and

2576-475: Is newsreel footage of Gershwin playing "Mademoiselle from New Rochelle" and " Strike Up the Band " on the piano during a Broadway rehearsal of the 1930 production of Strike Up the Band . In the mid-30s, "Strike Up The Band" was given to UCLA to be used as a football fight song, "Strike Up The Band for UCLA". The comedy team of Clark and McCullough are seen conversing with Gershwin, then singing as he plays. In 1945,

2668-597: The Escuela de Pintura al Aire Libre in Coyoacán, inspired by the murals done by Juan O’Gorman at the Ciudad Universitaria . Originally the house was the family home of Frida Kahlo, but since 1958, it has served as museum dedicated to her life and work. With about 25,000 visitors monthly, it is one of Mexico City's most-visited museums, and the most-visited site in Coyoacán. The museum is supported solely by ticket sales and donations. The museum demonstrates

2760-531: The European Union , based on its life-plus-70-years rule, and in the U.S. on January 1, 2020, on Gershwin's pre-1925 work. In 2005, The Guardian determined using "estimates of earnings accrued in a composer's lifetime" that George Gershwin was the wealthiest composer of all time. The George and Ira Gershwin Collection, much of which was donated by Ira and the Gershwin family estates, resides at

2852-597: The Library of Congress . In September 2013, a partnership between the estates of Ira and George Gershwin and the University of Michigan was created and will provide the university's School of Music, Theatre, and Dance access to Gershwin's entire body of work, which includes all of Gershwin's papers, compositional drafts, and scores. This direct access to all of his works provides opportunities to musicians, composers, and scholars to analyze and reinterpret his work with

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2944-566: The Mexican Revolution , her mother would open the windows of this house to donate supplies to the Zapata army when it was in the area in 1913. She also spent large amount of time in the house convalescing, first in 1918 when she was struck with polio which would leave one leg shorter than the other. When she was 18, a trolley accident left her badly mangled. She spent about two years confined to her bed in casts and orthopedic devices. It

3036-499: The Victor Talking Machine Company in 1924, soon after the world premiere. Gershwin and the same orchestra made an electrical recording of the abridged version for Victor in 1927. However, a dispute in the studio over interpretation angered Whiteman and he walked out on the session. Victor's staff conductor and arranger Nathaniel Shilkret led the orchestra, though Whiteman is still credited as conductor on

3128-536: The Yiddish Theater District . George and Ira frequented the local Yiddish theaters, with George occasionally appearing onstage as an extra . George lived a boyhood not unusual in New York tenements, which included running around with his friends, roller-skating and misbehaving in the streets. Until 1908, he cared nothing about music. Then, as a ten-year-old, he was intrigued upon hearing his friend Maxie Rosenzweig's violin recital. The sound, and

3220-417: The 20th century, other colonial era work, and more Judas figures. The two rooms of the upper floor which are open to the public contain Frida's final bedroom and studio area. This is located in the wing that Rivera had built. The original furniture is still there. In one corner, her ashes are on display in an urn, which is surrounded by a funeral mask, some personal items, and mirrors on the ceiling. On her bed

3312-512: The American practice, had no middle name. He soon became known as George, and changed the spelling of his surname to "Gershwin" around the time he became a professional musician; other family members followed suit after Ira and George, another boy, Arthur Gershwin (1900–1981), and a girl, Frances Gershwin (1906–1999), were born into the family. The family lived in many different residences, as their father changed dwellings with each new enterprise in which he became involved. They grew up mostly in

3404-533: The Band (1927 and 1930). Gershwin allowed the latter song, with a modified title, to be used as a football fight song, "Strike Up The Band for UCLA". In the mid-1920s, Gershwin stayed in Paris for a short period, during which he applied to study composition with the noted Nadia Boulanger , who, along with several other prospective tutors such as Maurice Ravel , turned him down, afraid that rigorous classical study would ruin his jazz -influenced style. Maurice Ravel's rejection letter to Gershwin told him, "Why become

3496-854: The Detroit railway station, though those with him did not. On February 11, 1937, he performed his Piano Concerto in F in a special concert of his music with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra under the direction of French maestro Pierre Monteux . Gershwin, normally a superb pianist in his own compositions, suffered coordination problems and blackouts during the performance. He was at the time working on other Hollywood film projects while living with Ira and his wife Leonore in their rented house in Beverly Hills . Leonore Gershwin began to be disturbed by George's mood swings and his seeming inability to eat without spilling food at

3588-545: The Duo-Art and Welte-Mignon reproducing pianos . As well as recording piano rolls, Gershwin made a brief foray into vaudeville , accompanying both Nora Bayes and Louise Dresser on the piano. His first song to appear on Broadway was "Making of a Girl," written in 1916 with Sigmund Romberg and lyrics by Harold Atteridge . It was sung in The Passing Show of 1916 . His 1917 novelty ragtime , "Rialto Ripples",

3680-579: The Escuela de Pintura y Escultura de La Esmeralda, but her physical condition required her to mostly give classes at her home. These students eventually numbered only four and were called "Los fridos": Fanny Rabel, Guillermo Monroy, Arturo "el Güero" Estrada and Arturo García Bustos, who mostly worked and trained in the patio area. Starting in 1945, Frida was once again confined to bed in the house. From then to 1947, she painted works such as Flor de la vida , in 1945 and El sol de la vida in 1947. Frida died on

3772-746: The LP featured nine other recordings. In 1975, Columbia Records released an album featuring Gershwin's piano rolls of Rhapsody in Blue , accompanied by the Columbia Jazz Band playing the original jazz band accompaniment, conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas . The B-side of the Columbia Masterworks release features Tilson Thomas leading the New York Philharmonic in An American in Paris. In 1976, RCA Records reissued

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3864-485: The United States from licensing the copyrights on his post- Rhapsody in Blue work. The estate supported the Sonny Bono Copyright Term extension Act (that extended the U.S. 75-year copyright protection an additional 20 years) because its 1923 cutoff date was shortly before Gershwin had begun to create his most popular works. The copyrights on all Gershwin's solo works expired at the end of 2007 in

3956-618: The Victor Salon Group conducted by Nathaniel Shilkret and singer Jane Froman . A 74-second newsreel film clip of Gershwin playing I Got Rhythm has survived, filmed at the opening of the Manhattan Theater (now The Ed Sullivan Theater ) in August 1931. There are also silent home movies of Gershwin, some of them shot on Kodachrome color film stock, which have been featured in tributes to the composer. In addition, there

4048-448: The area is home of a number of the borough's museums. The house itself is located on the corner of Londres and Allende Streets, and it stands out for its cobalt-blue walls, giving it the name La Casa Azul (The Blue House). Like most of the other structures in the area, the house is built around a central courtyard with garden space, a tradition since colonial times. Originally, the house enclosed only three sides of this courtyard, but later

4140-705: The blue color was due to a previously unidentified metal, cobalt. The first recorded use of cobalt blue as a color name in English was in 1777. It was independently discovered as an alumina-based pigment by Louis Jacques Thénard in 1802. Commercial production began in France in 1807. The leading world manufacturer of cobalt blue in the nineteenth century was Benjamin Wegner 's Norwegian company Blaafarveværket (" blue colour works " in Dano-Norwegian). Germany also

4232-499: The compound concerns inclusions in sapphires from a single site. George Gershwin George Gershwin ( / ˈ ɡ ɜːr ʃ . w ɪ n / ; born Jacob Gershwine ; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned popular, jazz and classical genres. Among his best-known works are the orchestral compositions Rhapsody in Blue (1924) and An American in Paris (1928),

4324-482: The creation of the opera; Ira completely denied that his brother had any such assistance for this work. A third account of Gershwin's musical relationship with his teacher was written by Gershwin's close friend Vernon Duke , also a Schillinger student, in an article for the Musical Quarterly in 1947. What set Gershwin apart was his ability to manipulate forms of music into his own unique voice. He took

4416-587: The dinner table. She suspected mental illness and insisted he be moved out of their house to lyricist Yip Harburg 's empty quarters nearby, where he was placed in the care of his valet, Paul Mueller. The headaches and olfactory hallucinations continued. On the night of July 9, 1937, Gershwin collapsed in Harburg's house, where he had been working on the score of The Goldwyn Follies . He was rushed to Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Los Angeles, and fell into

4508-478: The effect of, "You should give me lessons." (Some versions of this story feature Igor Stravinsky rather than Ravel as the composer; however Stravinsky confirmed that he originally heard the story from Ravel.) Gershwin's own Concerto in F was criticized for being related to the work of Claude Debussy , more so than to the expected jazz style. The comparison did not deter him from continuing to explore French styles. The title of An American in Paris reflects

4600-486: The experimental one-act jazz opera Blue Monday , set in Harlem. It is widely regarded as a forerunner to the groundbreaking Porgy and Bess introduced in 1935. In 1924, George and Ira Gershwin collaborated on a stage musical comedy Lady Be Good , which included such future standards as " Fascinating Rhythm " and " Oh, Lady Be Good! ". They followed this with Oh, Kay! (1926), Funny Face (1927) and Strike Up

4692-549: The exterior of the house was decorated in a French-inspired motif, which was popular in Mexico in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Frida Kahlo was born in this house in 1907, and it remained her family home throughout her life. She spent her last thirteen years of it here as well. Frida was the daughter of Wilhelm (Guillermo) Kahlo , who immigrated from Europe to Mexico and native Mexican Matilde Calderón y González. Frida spent her childhood in this house. She stated that during

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4784-458: The film biography Rhapsody in Blue was made, starring Robert Alda as George Gershwin. The film contains many factual errors about Gershwin's life, but also features many examples of his music, including an almost complete performance of Rhapsody in Blue . In 1965, Movietone Records released an album MTM 1009 featuring Gershwin's piano rolls of the titled George Gershwin plays RHAPSODY IN BLUE and his other favorite compositions . The B-side of

4876-503: The final show on December 23, 1934. He presented his own work as well as the work of other composers. Recordings from this and other radio broadcasts include his Variations on I Got Rhythm , portions of the Concerto in F , and numerous songs from his musical comedies. He also recorded a run-through of his Second Rhapsody , conducting the orchestra and playing the piano solos. Gershwin recorded excerpts from Porgy and Bess with members of

4968-432: The fourth side was added to enclose it entirely. The house covers 800m and the central courtyard is another 400m. As it was built in 1904, it originally had French-style decorative features but later it was changed to the plainer façade seen today. The building has two floors with various bedrooms, studio space, a large kitchen and dining room. The entrance hall was decorated by a mosaic in natural stone by Mardonio Magaña of

5060-559: The friends, family and colleagues done by Nickolas Muray , Martin Munkácsi , Fritz Henle and Gisele Freund . The conservation work only covers about 35 percent of the total collection. Cobalt blue Ores containing cobalt have been used since antiquity as pigments to give a blue color to porcelain and glass. Cobalt blue in impure forms had long been used in Chinese porcelain . In 1742, Swedish chemist Georg Brandt showed that

5152-525: The governor of Maryland. Mosbacher called the White House and had a Coast Guard cutter sent to find the governor's yacht and bring Dandy quickly to shore. Mosbacher then chartered a plane and flew Dandy to Newark Airport , where he was to catch a plane to Los Angeles; by that time, Gershwin's condition was critical and the need for surgery was immediate. Before Dandy could arrive, in the early hours of Sunday, July 11, 1937, doctors at Cedars removed

5244-670: The house continued to be a meeting place for intellectuals, especially those associated with Communism . In April 1939, Trotsky and Sedova left the Blue House after Trotsky had a falling out with Rivera over ideology and Rivera's criticism of Trotsky's writings, moving to a nearby house on Viena Street. Rivera and Kahlo divorced in November 1939. However, the couple did not break all contact, and they remarried in December 1940. In 1941, just before Frida's father's death, Rivera moved into

5336-829: The house one of the area's meeting places. After marrying Rivera, Frida moved from her childhood home to an apartment on Paseo de la Reforma , but Rivera paid off the family's mortgage on the Casa Azul. For most of the 1930s, Frida lived in other places in Mexico City or abroad, but visited her family in the home frequently and it appears in a painting done in 1936 called Mis abuelos, mis padres y yo also called Arbol genealógico . Because of intervention by Kahlo and Rivera, Russian Leon Trotsky obtained asylum in Mexico. Trotsky and his wife, Natalia Sedova , were first housed in La Casa Azul starting in January 1937. The windows facing

5428-460: The house, although he maintained another residence in San Angel. During this time, Rivera constructed the wing which faces Londres Street and encloses the courtyard completely. This section was built of local volcanic rock with ceramic vases set into it. A terraced roof was built, decorated with marine shells and a mirror. Here Frida's studio and bedroom was moved. To separate the new from the old,

5520-590: The jazz he discovered on Tin Pan Alley into the mainstream by splicing its rhythms and tonality with that of the popular songs of his era. Although George Gershwin would seldom make grand statements about his music, he believed that "true music must reflect the thought and aspirations of the people and time. My people are Americans. My time is today." In 2007, the Library of Congress named its Gershwin Prize for Popular Song after George and Ira Gershwin. Recognizing

5612-581: The late 1910s, Gershwin met songwriter and music director William Daly . The two collaborated on the Broadway musicals Piccadilly to Broadway (1920) and For Goodness' Sake (1922), and jointly composed the score for Our Nell (1923). This was the beginning of a long friendship. Daly was a frequent arranger, orchestrator and conductor of Gershwin's music, and Gershwin periodically turned to him for musical advice. In 1924, Gershwin composed his first major work, Rhapsody in Blue , for orchestra and piano. It

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5704-434: The late 19th century, a number of Mexico City's wealthy had built country homes in the area, often imitating the colonial designs of the past. Colonia del Carmen became popular with artists and intellectuals starting around the 1920s, due to the promotion of it by Francisco Sosa and the establishment of the Escuela de Pintura al Aire Libre (Open Air School of Painting) at the former San Pedro Mártir Hacienda in 1923. Originally,

5796-404: The lifestyle of wealthy Mexican bohemian artists and intellectuals during the first half of the 20th century. The entrance ticket to the Casa Azul allows for free entrance into the nearby Anahuacalli Museum , which was also established by Diego Rivera. According to records and testimony, the house today looks much as it did in 1951, decorated with Mexican folk art, Kahlo's personal art collection,

5888-399: The names of Frida and Diego next to a pair of doves tying a lovers’ knot. Off the dining room was Rivera's bedroom, with his hat, jacket, and work clothes still hanging from a wall rack. Next to this is a stairwell that leads from the courtyard area to the upper floor. This area also contains a large number of folk art items and includes about 2,000 votive paintings from the colonial period to

5980-561: The original cast, conducting the orchestra from the keyboard; he even announced the selections and the names of the performers. In 1935, RCA Victor asked him to supervise recordings of highlights from Porgy and Bess ; these were his last recordings. RCA Victor issued a 5 record 12-inch 78 rpm Memorial Album (C-29) recorded from the RCA Magic Key program broadcast on July 10, 1938, over the NBC Radio Network. It featured

6072-514: The original record labels. Gershwin made a number of solo piano recordings of tunes from his musicals, some including the vocals of Fred and Adele Astaire , as well as his Three Preludes for piano. In 1929, Gershwin "supervised" the world premiere recording of An American in Paris with Nathaniel Shilkret and the Victor Symphony Orchestra . Gershwin's role in the recording was rather limited, particularly because Shilkret

6164-540: The pianist in the Beethoven Symphony Orchestra. Until his death in 1918, Hambitzer remained Gershwin's musical mentor, taught him conventional piano technique, introduced him to music of the European classical tradition, and encouraged him to attend orchestral concerts. In 1913, Gershwin left school at the age of 15 to work as a " song plugger " on New York City's Tin Pan Alley . He earned $ 15

6256-523: The piano rolls, there are few accessible audio recordings of Gershwin's playing. His first recording was his own " Swanee " with the Fred Van Eps Trio in 1919. The recorded balance highlights the banjo playing of Van Eps, and the piano is overshadowed. The recording took place before "Swanee" became famous as an Al Jolson specialty in early 1920. Gershwin recorded an abridged version of Rhapsody in Blue with Paul Whiteman and his orchestra for

6348-486: The profound and positive effect of popular music on culture, the prize is given annually to a composer or performer whose lifetime contributions exemplify the standard of excellence associated with the Gershwins. On March 1, 2007, the first Gershwin Prize was awarded to Paul Simon . Early in his career, under both his own name and pseudonyms, Gershwin recorded more than one hundred forty player piano rolls which were

6440-417: The rhythms, the way the melodies are handled, the melodies themselves. I have heard of George Gershwin's works and I find them intriguing." The orchestrations in Gershwin's symphonic works often seem similar to those of Ravel; likewise, Ravel's two piano concertos evince an influence of Gershwin. George Gershwin asked to study with Ravel. When Ravel heard how much Gershwin earned, Ravel replied with words to

6532-927: The season was, this was still a town that existed in black and white and pulsated to the great tunes of George Gershwin." In 1993, two audio CDs featuring piano rolls recorded by Gershwin were issued by Nonesuch Records through the efforts of Artis Wodehouse, entitled Gershwin Plays Gershwin: The Piano Rolls . In 2010, Brian Wilson released Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin , consisting of ten George and Ira Gershwin songs, bookended by passages from Rhapsody in Blue , with two new songs completed from unfinished Gershwin fragments by Wilson and band member Scott Bennett. Orchestral Solo piano Operas London musicals Broadway musicals Films for which Gershwin wrote original scores Gershwin died intestate , and his estate passed to his mother. The estate continues to collect royalties in

6624-942: The songs " Swanee " (1919) and " Fascinating Rhythm " (1924), the jazz standards " Embraceable You " (1928) and " I Got Rhythm " (1930), and the opera Porgy and Bess (1935), which included the hit " Summertime ". Gershwin studied piano under Charles Hambitzer and composition with Rubin Goldmark , Henry Cowell , and Joseph Brody . He began his career as a song plugger but soon started composing Broadway theater works with his brother Ira Gershwin and with Buddy DeSylva . He moved to Paris, intending to study with Nadia Boulanger , but she refused him, afraid that rigorous classical study would ruin his jazz-influenced style; Maurice Ravel voiced similar objections when Gershwin inquired about studying with him. He subsequently composed An American in Paris , returned to New York City and wrote Porgy and Bess with Ira and DuBose Heyward . Initially

6716-529: The standards " Embraceable You ", sung by Ginger Rogers, and " I Got Rhythm ". 1931's Of Thee I Sing became the first musical comedy to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama ; the winners were George S. Kaufman, Morrie Ryskind, and Ira Gershwin. Gershwin spent the summer of 1934 on Folly Island in South Carolina after he was invited to visit by the author of the novel Porgy , DuBose Heyward . He

6808-464: The street were closed in with adobe bricks for Trotsky's safety as he was under a death sentence from Stalin. A high wall was built between this house and the adjoining one as well. From January 1937 to April 1939, Trotsky lived and worked here, writing treatises such as Su moral y la nuestra and his regular political articles. This would often cause security problems in the area, due to the hostility of Trotsky's political enemies. During all of this time,

6900-557: The third movement of the Concerto in F with Vallee conducting the studio orchestra. Some of these performances were preserved on transcription discs and have been released on LP and CD . In 1934, in an effort to earn money to finance his planned folk opera, Gershwin hosted his own radio program titled Music by Gershwin . The show was broadcast on the NBC Blue Network from February to May and again in September through

6992-459: The upper floor of this house on 13 July 1954 at the age of 47. Her wake took place here before the body was taken to the Palacio de Bellas Artes then cremated. Four years after her death, in 1958, Rivera donated the house to the nation of Mexico and set up a foundation for its preservation. The house was converted to a museum dedicated to the life and works of Kahlo. The first director of the museum

7084-437: The very journey that he had consciously taken as a composer: "The opening part will be developed in typical French style, in the manner of Debussy and Les Six , though the tunes are original." Gershwin was intrigued by the works of Alban Berg , Dmitri Shostakovich , Igor Stravinsky , Darius Milhaud , and Arnold Schoenberg . He also asked Schoenberg for composition lessons. Schoenberg refused, saying "I would only make you

7176-429: The way his friend played, captivated him. At about the same time, George's parents had bought a piano for his older brother Ira. To his parents' surprise, though, and to Ira's relief, it was George who spent more time playing it as he continued to enjoy it. Although his younger sister Frances Gershwin was the first in the family to make a living through her musical talents, she married young and devoted herself to being

7268-456: Was Carlos Pellicer with the mandate to keep the house as it was. The museum was relatively obscure for many years as Frida Kahlo was little known beyond the art world until the 1990s. In the 1980s, a movement called Neomexicanismo promoted her and her work. Since that time, she has become a cult icon, with images of her appearing on many pop culture items, and many of her works now command high prices. In 2006, Kahlo's 1943 painting Roots set

7360-404: Was "thrilled and deeply impressed". Russian Joseph Schillinger 's influence as Gershwin's teacher of composition (1932–1936) was substantial in providing him with a method of composition. There has been some disagreement about the nature of Schillinger's influence on Gershwin. After the posthumous success of Porgy and Bess , Schillinger claimed he had a large and direct influence in overseeing

7452-453: Was "unhappy that Kay Swift wasn't Jewish". The Gershwins' 1926 musical Oh, Kay was named for her. After Gershwin's death, Swift arranged some of his music, transcribed several of his recordings, and collaborated with his brother Ira on several projects. Early in 1937, Gershwin began to complain of blinding headaches and a recurring impression that he smelled burning rubber. As early as February 1934, he had said he smelled burning garbage at

7544-444: Was a commercial success. In addition to his musical activities, he took over the management of the popular and famous gay bathhouse Lafayette Baths together with his brother Ira. In 1919, Gershwin scored his first big national hit with his song " Swanee ", with words by Irving Caesar . Al Jolson , a Broadway star and former minstrel singer , heard Gershwin perform "Swanee" at a party and decided to sing it in one of his shows. In

7636-752: Was born in Odessa , Russian Empire (now Ukraine ), and had served for 25 years as a mechanic for the Imperial Russian Army to earn the right of free travel and residence as a Jew, finally retiring near Saint Petersburg , Russia. Jakov's teenage son, Moishe, George Gershwin's father, worked as a leather cutter for women's shoes. Moishe's wife-to-be, George's mother-to-be, Roza Bruskina, was born in Saint Petersburg , Russia. Moishe met Roza in Vilnius , Lithuania, where her father worked as

7728-617: Was born on December 6, 1896, after which the family moved into a second-floor apartment at 242 Snediker Avenue in the East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn. George was born on September 26, 1898, in the Snediker Avenue apartment. His birth certificate identifies him as Jacob Gershwine, with the surname pronounced "Gersh-vin" in the Russian and Yiddish immigrant community. He was named after his grandfather, and, contrary to

7820-421: Was conducting and had his own ideas about the music. When it was realized that no one had been hired to play the brief celeste solo, Gershwin was asked if he could and would play the instrument, and he agreed. Gershwin can be heard, rather briefly, on the recording during the slow section. Gershwin also appeared on several radio programs, including Rudy Vallee 's, and played some of his compositions. This included

7912-602: Was constructed in 1904 in Colonia Del Carmen in Coyoacán, which was established on lands that belonged to the former Hacienda del Carmen, a property of the Carmelites in the colonial period. At that time and during the first half of the 20th century, Coyoacán was officially part of the Federal District of Mexico City, but was still relatively rural and separate from Mexico City's urban sprawl . Since

8004-570: Was famous for production of it, especially the blue colour works ( Blaufarbenwerke ) in the Ore Mountains of Saxony . Cobalt glass is used decoratively, and also as an optical filter to remove or hide certain visible colors. Art Automobiles Construction Sports Vexillology Video games Cobalt blue is toxic when ingested or inhaled. Its use requires appropriate precautions to avoid internal contamination and to prevent cobalt poisoning . A single record of

8096-406: Was inspired to write the music to his opera Porgy and Bess while on this working vacation . Porgy and Bess was considered another American classic by the composer of Rhapsody in Blue — even if critics could not quite figure out how to evaluate it, or decide whether it was opera or simply an ambitious Broadway musical. "It crossed the barriers," per theater historian Robert Kimball. "It wasn't

8188-586: Was interred at Westchester Hills Cemetery in Hastings-on-Hudson , New York. A memorial concert was held at the Hollywood Bowl on September 8, 1937, at which Otto Klemperer conducted his own orchestration of the second of Gershwin's Three Preludes . Gershwin was influenced by French composers of the early twentieth century. In turn Maurice Ravel was impressed with Gershwin's abilities, commenting, "Personally I find jazz most interesting:

8280-415: Was orchestrated by Ferde Grofé and premiered by Paul Whiteman 's Concert Band, in New York. It subsequently went on to be his most popular work, and established Gershwin's signature style and genius in blending vastly different musical styles, including jazz and classical, in revolutionary ways. Since the early 1920s, Gershwin had frequently worked with the lyricist Buddy DeSylva . Together they created

8372-475: Was sponsored in part by the German government, which donated 60,000 euros for the effort, and in part by the museum itself, which contributed one million pesos. The effort concentrates on obtaining furniture for display and preservation, other equipment, roof work, and restoration of items in the collection. Restoration includes most of the paintings in the collection, including Viva la vida , El marxismo dará salud

8464-494: Was then she began to paint as a way to pass the time. One of the works from this time has Frida on what appears to be a stretcher, her body bandaged and located to the side of this house. Frida met Diego Rivera while he was painting murals at the Secretaria de Educacion Publica building and invited him to the Casa Azul to see her work. Rivera soon began to be a regular visitor to the house. Other notable artists followed, making

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