50 Quotes by George Gershwin

Jazz is the result of the energy stored up in America.

It sounds simple, of course, but personally I can think of no more mentally arduous task than making music.

What the hell do you want to work for somebody else for? Work for yourself!

An entire composition written in jazz could not live.

When jazz is played in another nation, it is called American. When it is played in another country, it sounds false. Jazz is the result of the energy stored up in America.

Porgy is...an interesting example of what can be done by talent in spite of a bad setup. With a libretto that should never have been accepted on a subject that should never have been chosen, a man who should never have attempted it has written a work that has a considerable power.

My people are Americans. My time is today.

For suddenly, I saw you there And through foggy London town The sun was shining everywhere...

Not many composers have ideas. Far more of them know how to use strange instruments which do not require ideas.