Jacob Bruskin Gershowitz was born in 1898 and died 1937. He changed his name before embarking on a career in music, which his family followed him on. He started his career at 15 as a song plugger, which is how they used to sell sheet music. Basically a musician would be hired to perform pieces as a sort of preview to decide if you want it. Think iTunes 15 second sneak peek, but in real time. He also recorded a lot of compositions for a company, often switching to a pseudonym (he has so many). Afterwards he went on to composing for Broadway musicals and operas alongside his brother. It's doing that where he wrote An American In Paris which is his other most famous work, and the opera Porgy and Bess which while technically a failure at the time is considered one of the most important operas of the century. After that flopped, he move to LA and worked in Hollywood on film scores until he died because of a brain tumor. They had a surgeon in and managed to remove it, but he still met his end. He created this song is 1924, and it was his first major classical work. It's his most well known creation, and set the stage for building his sound. Even with his death, his legacy has lived on, and I'm glad for it.
This one wanted our favorite classical songs. Which was easy for Sammy and I, but not so much for everyone else. Sammy chose Hounds of Spring by Alfred Reed. My mom went with Sorcerer’s Apprentice from Fantasia, and my grandma went with the William Tell Overture by Rossini. Will said he didn’t know any classical songs, so after showing him a couple he went with Fur Elise by Beethoven. Anna was last and settled on Cello Suite #1 by Johann Sebastian Bach.
Peace.
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