Ira Gershwin
Ira Gershwin was an American lyricist who collaborated with his brother George Gershwin on songs, musicals, and the opera Porgy and Bess.
Porgy and Bess: An opera by George Gershwin, with a libretto by DuBose Heyward and lyrics by Ira Gershwin, set in a Black community in Charleston. Ira supplied lyrics for its enduring songs, including “Summertime” and “It Ain’t Necessarily So.”
George Gershwin: An American composer and pianist whose works joined popular song, Broadway theater, and concert music. He composed the music for most of Ira’s celebrated collaborative lyrics.
Lyricist: A writer who creates the words for songs. Ira’s professional role was to write lyrics, usually to music composed by another person.
Great American Songbook: A body of influential American popular songs, especially standards written for Broadway and Hollywood from the 1920s through the 1950s. Songs by Ira and George Gershwin became central works in this enduring repertoire.
I Got Rhythm: A 1930 song by George and Ira Gershwin, introduced in the Broadway musical Girl Crazy. Its repeated refrain turns a simple declaration of contentment into a durable lyric hook.
An American in Paris: A 1928 orchestral work by George Gershwin depicting an American visitor in Paris. Its title became a standard through Ira’s lyrics for a separate 1951 film musical.
DuBose Heyward: An American novelist, poet, and playwright best known for creating Porgy. He wrote Porgy and supplied the libretto that Ira adapted and expanded for Porgy and Bess.
Tin Pan Alley: A music-publishing district and industry in New York City that shaped American popular song from the late nineteenth century onward. Its commercial songwriting practices formed part of the world in which the Gershwins began working.
Jazz standard: A widely performed song that forms part of the shared repertoire of jazz musicians. Gershwin lyrics helped songs such as “I Got Rhythm” and “Embraceable You” enter jazz performance traditions.
Embraceable You: A 1930 song by George and Ira Gershwin, introduced in the Broadway musical Girl Crazy. Its intimate address shows Ira’s ability to make a lyric feel direct without losing formal polish.