George Gershwin and the Rhythm of the Rails

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28:18

A young Gershwin transforms the clickety-clack of train wheels into one of America’s most famous pieces of music. This episode reveals how everyday sounds inspired “Rhapsody in Blue” and changed classical music forever.

Duration: 28:18
Composer: George Gershwin
Release: February 1, 2026

Learn what a rhapsody is — a free-flowing musical river that floods its banks and goes wherever its heart takes it, unlike a symphony which follows a strict map
Discover how Gershwin blended jazz and classical music together — proving that the sounds of the street belong in the concert hall
Understand how everyday sounds — train wheels, city noise, taxi horns — can become music if you listen the right way
Learn about the famous clarinet glissando at the start of Rhapsody in Blue — a lucky accident that became one of the most recognized sounds in music history
Discover that creating something new means being brave enough to ignore the people who say 'that's not how it's done'

Music Featured

Composer	Title	Source
George Gershwin	Rhapsody in Blue (Bernstein/Columbia Symphony, 1959)	archive.org
George Gershwin	Prelude No. 1 (Allegro ben ritmato e deciso)	archive.org
George Gershwin	Make Believe	archive.org
George Gershwin	Grieving for You	archive.org
George Gershwin	Piano Concerto in F	archive.org
George Gershwin	An American in Paris	archive.org
George Gershwin	Porgy and Bess: Bess, You Is My Woman Now	archive.org

Themes

Classical Bedtime

George Gershwin and the Rhythm of the Rails

Music Featured

Themes

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Music connects us all.