Gershwin's An American in Paris

George Gershwin's  An American in Paris Premieres

"An American in Paris" by George Gershwin  premieres, December 13, 1928, conducted by Walter Damrosch with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra in New York City.

An American in Paris by American composer George Gershwin is a symphonic tone poem written in 1928. It was inspired by the time he spent in Paris evoking the good feeling and wonderful experiences of Paris in the 19920s. This work is popular and considered one of Gershwin's best compositions. 

New York Philharmonic Orchestra in North Korea, conducted by Lorin Maazel.

Gershwin was on commission from the New York Philharmonic to compose  An American in Paris. He scored the piece for the standard instruments of the symphony orchestra plus celesta, saxophones, and automobile horns.


During the premiere of this work on December 13, 1928, in Carnegie Hall, New York, Gershwin brought back some Parisian taxi horns. Walter Damrosch conducted the New York Symphony. Gershwin completed the orchestration on November 18, three weeks before the premiere of the work. He collaborated on the original program notes with Deems Taylor, a critic and composer himself. 

Video Credit:

"An American in Paris" You tube, uploaded by cb3815. Accessed December 13, 2013.

Source Credit:

"An American in Paris" by Richard Freed.  The Kennedy Center.  Accessed December 13, 2013.


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