George Gershwin was a musical turning point.
He was born in 1898, a year after the death of Brahms. He died 38 years later, as a young Elvis Presley was making his way out of diapers. Gershwin’s brief lifespan covers a crucial period in music history, and his own compositions played a major role in transitioning music from what it had been to what it would be. He’s the link in the chain that connects Claude Debussy and Miles Davis.
In a similar way, this piece is a musical turning point in Gershwin’s own life.
“Lullaby for String Orchestra” is nowhere near his most famous piece, but it was his first attempt at an orchestral work. It was written in 1919 – about halfway through his life – as an assignment for a course he was taking in classical theory. Behind him were several years working on Tin Pan Alley as a “song plugger,” earning $15 a week promoting sheet music by playing the latest releases in music shops. Ahead of him was Broadway, “Rhapsody in Blue,” and two decades spent defining the sound of the 20th century.
Most turning points in our lives are only evident in retrospect, and Gershwin probably didn’t recognize “Lullaby for String Orchestra” as a personal milestone at the time. It wasn’t published for years, but the melody shows up in his musical “Blue Monday” in 1922, which in turn led to the commissioning of his masterwork, “Rhapsody in Blue,” two years later.
I’m sure there’s a moral to this story, but I can’t quite pin it down. Something about treating every moment like a turning point? The importance of completing your homework?
I can’t decide. But I’m sure it’s meaningful.
What makes this a beautiful song:
1. Some moments, like the first 15 seconds, remind me of Philip Glass.
2. Some moments, like the descending 4-note pattern that happens first at 0.32, remind me of Radiohead’s favourite 4-note pattern.
3. None of it really sounds much like a lullaby. To me, it feels not like it’s meant to help with falling asleep, but rather…
Recommended listening activity:
…lying down and contemplating life’s turning points.