Rhapsody in Blue – My odd photo interpretation

· by · in Lifestyle, San Francisco. ·

I accidentally took the above picture one night while waiting for a train.

Even though this really is a non-picture picture, it reminded me of the composition, Rhapsody in Blue. So I am just going to say that this is my very odd interpretation of that. As soon as I saw the photo on my phone, instead of pressing “delete” on the screen, I saved it. I just knew I had to go to YouTube and cue up the music. Although this is still popular and often used in films and even in commercials, this isn’t something I normally listen to.

This is the type of sound that made me miss one of my parent who loved stuff like this. Don’t worry guys, it’s not sad. I take it as a sign that someone is sending me a hug.  If you know this piece or listen to it in its entirety (it’s about 9 minutes), you will notice that it’s actually a really playful, powerful, and optimistic piece.

Happy Friday. x

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Rhapsody in Blue (1924) is a musical composition by George Gershwin, an American composer and pianist.

Gershwin wrote this piece on his train journey to Boston.

It was on the train, with its steely rhythms, its rattle-ty bang, that is so often so stimulating to a composer – I frequently hear music in the very heart of the noise… And there I suddenly heard, and even saw on paper – the complete construction of the Rhapsody, from beginning to end. No new themes came to me, but I worked on the thematic material already in my mind and tried to conceive the composition as a whole. I heard it as a sort of musical kaleidoscope of America, of our vast melting pot, of our unduplicated national pep, of our metropolitan madness. By the time I reached Boston I had a definite plot of the piece, as distinguished from its actual substance.

16 responses to “Rhapsody in Blue – My odd photo interpretation”

  2. That’s one of my favourites, L!
    Great taste. 🙂

    You know, they also played this piece on the Golden Jubilee concert night for the Queen.
    Go and Youtube it later.

  4. Really love the Rapsody. And now I can’t help it but remember Manhattan, the Woody Allen movie every time I hear it. Great choice for a Friday.Later

    • Hi Wesley, I haven’t watch that film, so I will check it out, but I did watch Midnight in Paris last year and really like that one. Have a happy friday & weekend. 🙂

  7. You wouldn’t think you’d have to justify or explain Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, but I suppose you do. It’s a great piece of music of course. And Gershwin’s place in American musical history has to be at the very top. OK, I personally would vote for Duke Ellington as numero uno. Nice post.

    • Hi Bumba, Yes, Duke Ellington’s collection is beautiful. Thank you for commenting and it’s funny because some people think the certain portion of the Rhapsody is a certain airline’s commercial jingle because they only hear a snippet of it. I am not going to pretend that I know everything either because I don’t listen to a lot of these music either, but it’s nice to appreciate something so well done. Thanks for your thoughtful comment. 🙂

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