The Lullaby for Strings was written in 1919 while Gershwin was studying harmony and counterpoint with Edward Kilenyi Sr. However, Gershwin was no mere student at the time; his first musical, “La La Lucille”, having been produced on Broadway that same year. You see, contrary to the Hollywood-ized image of him, George was devoted to studying music throughout his all too short life, constantly seeking to expand his knowledge and refine his technique. He used the opening theme of the Lullaby as part of an aria (Has Anyone Seen My Joe?) in his unsuccessful one-act opera of 1922, “Blue Monday”. Though the stage work was a failure, (it was part of “George White’s Scandals” and was withdrawn after a single performance), upon hearing the work, Gershwin caused Paul Whiteman to commission a work for his upcoming Aeolean Hall concert. This work turned out to be Rhapsody in Blue.
The manuscript for Lullaby sat on Ira Gershwin’s shelf for decades until it was shown to harmonica virtuoso Larry Adler who transcribed it for harmonica and string quartet and presented it at the Edinburgh Festival in 1963. It was then transcribed for harmonica and orchestra. The work was not premiered in its original form until Oct. 28, 1967 —Please enjoy a marvelous live performance of “Lullaby for String Quartet” recorded, August 19, 1986 at “The Large Hall” in Moscow for USSR Radio and Television by the strings of The Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Dimitri Kitayenko…