George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” is the composition he premiered in New York in 1924 as a blend of classical music and jazz.
The work was commissioned for a concert led by Paul Whiteman at the Aeolian Hall in Manhattan on February 12, 1924. Gershwin originally wrote it for piano and jazz band, later preparing versions for larger orchestras. Its opening clarinet glissando became one of the most recognizable sounds in American concert music.
The piece is often described as a rhapsody rather than a conventional concerto because it uses a freer, episodic structure. Gershwin’s melodies, syncopation, blues inflections, and orchestral colors connected jazz with the concert hall without treating either tradition as merely decorative.
The title was suggested by Gershwin’s brother Ira after the composer initially used the working title “American Rhapsody.” “An American in Paris” was another Gershwin orchestral work, but it premiered three years later.