Some critics, such as Lawrence Gilam and Olin Downes, enjoyed Gershwin’s piece claiming that An American in Paris was a “‘tang of a new and urgent world, engaging, ardent, unpredictable’” (qtd. in Ewen 169-70). Others, like Herbert Peyser called it a ‘“nauseous claptrap, so dull, patchy, thin, vulgar, long-winded and inane”’ (qtd. in Ewen 170). This was not the only type of criticism Gershwin received on this piece. After Gershwin was quoted saying that, “The opening part [of An American in Paris] will be developed in typical French style, in the manner of Debussy and the Six,” he put himself in a position to be compared to these artists (Kendall 90). When the piece was premiered on Thursday, December 13, 1928, several listeners both in and outside of the music community claimed that Gershwin’s piece was too similar to previous works produced from artists in France. In Ewen’s biography of George Gershwin, he states that “the only affinity it has with the “French Six” is not in any stylistic essentials but in its incisive wit, wry tongue-in-the-cheek humor, droll effects, and general insouciance” and that these characteristics are primarily found in the earlier works of Milhaud, Honegger, and Poulenc (168). However, Kendall backs up the population criticizing Gershwin’s work by declaring that, “to an American, brought up largely in the mainstream of popular music, it would have been very difficult to distinguish between them,” (91). Even though Gershwin’s piece received a lot of criticism, in more ways than one, his piece was popular enough that it was adapted into ballets, a motion picture, and performed worldwide (Ewen 170-71).
American in Paris Motion Picture
There is no doubt that the time Gershwin spent in Paris allowed him to compose a cutting edge and likeable piece of music that unified the French and American styles of music. George Gershwin was a musical genius. His passion for music and the piano came quickly after he began lessons and his dedication was never-ending. As Larry Starr writes in his biography George Gershwin, “[Gershwin] desired above all to become a quintessential American and to be regarded, nationally and internationally, as a music spokesman for his country” (3). Gershwin accomplished no less than international fame during his piano playing days. His appearance as the first American-born musician to appear on TIME magazine’s front cover is just one of the numerous and prestigious honors that he received. Unfortunately, Gershwin’s life ended at the early age of thirty-eight due to a brain tumor. However, his ingenuity and ability to intertwine two completely different styles of music effortlessly in his piece An American in Paris shows his dedication and passion for music. It also shows how Gershwin is able to capture the environment around him, whether it is France or New York in Tin Pan Alley. George Gershwin was and will always be regarded as a frontrunner of American music.
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