Paul Tan

Gershwins An American in Paris

An American in Paris, referred to as a tone poem, was developed in the nineteenth
century and hailed as one of the greatest works of its time. It was a part of a new era of music
known as neoclassicism. This was a large-scale composition for the orchestra which was based
on a story that differed from the previous styles of music. As Gershwin himself stated, As in my
other orchestra compositions, Ive not endeavored to present any definite scenes. The rhapsody is
programmatic only in a general impressionistic way, so that the individual listener can read into
the music such episodes as his imagination pictures for him.
In the An American in Paris, Gershwin draws from improvisation as well as syncopation
in order to design his piece. The elements of improvisation and syncopation were rampant in
American music and was especially represented in jazz. These elements originated from
American music and can be seen in in m. 362 where there is flavor very similar to improvisation.
When the solo violin plays at this section, the passage adds color to the piece which was very
similar to improvisation in jazz music. Likewise, Gershwins An American in Paris also has
rhythmic devices that temporarily modify the pulse of the passage. This element also known as
syncopation changes the rhythm of the piece. When the Clarinets play their passage at m. 89 they
are changing the suspension of the piece by allowing for an off-beat rhythm. Also the trumpet
also exhibits this idea as well in m. 544 when it has dotted rhythm. This is also a very good
example of music displacing the pulse of the passage. Not only does An American in Paris draw
upon musical elements from American music, but it also has some roots in Western European
music as well. Gershwins composition of the orchestra is very typical of the Western European
since it has the woodwind with the normal doublings, the standard brass section, and expanded
percussion section, three saxophones, celeste and strings. These instruments were very similar to

Paul Tan
the composition of the orchestra during the Baroque as well as romantic time of music. Although
very similar to the Western European composition it also has influences of jazz seen in the
inclusion of alto, tenor, and bass saxophones which makes their first entrance in section B.
Gershwins An American in Paris is also very similar to Western European music since it
incorporates a large variety of string writing. This piece includes multiple examples of pizzicato
(391), tremolo (106), and even trills as well as harmonics, showing a wide variety of the
techniques being still used in this piece. These techniques were often very prominent in Western
European music and still can be seen in Gershwins An American in Paris.
The jazz elements in An American in Paris not only include things such as improvisation
as well as syncopation, but also include jazz elements such as polyrhythm and harmony.
Polyrhythm, the simultaneous use of two or more conflicting rhythms, can be seen throughout
the piece in An American in Paris. For instance m. 183 has different rhythms for the violin 1
section and the trumpet. These different rhythms seem to contrast one another, but actually help
make the music flow. The conflicting rhythms help shape the piece making it a more cohesive
song. Likewise, harmony is also used in Gershwins piece as well. Gershwin uses the different
instrumentals as harmonies with the different parts of the piece. These harmonies can be seen in
m. 32, m. 73, and m. 75 when the different instruments accompany the whole orchestra. These
examples of harmony as well as polyrhythm make An American in Paris one of the most
renowned song that is very similar to jazz.
When Gershwin described An American in Paris as the most modern music Ive yet
attempted he was right to say this. His work was a very interpretative piece and he allowed the
listener to shape whatever story that they wanted to hear. The work was bound together through
its melodic material which was either repeated, combined, developed, or juxtaposed against each

Paul Tan
other. Unlike the previous types of music his An American in Paris was without a dominant style
and highly diverse. Although his song is one cohesive piece the use of different styles divided the
piece into some parts. The whole piece could be divided into two main parts each with its own
separate melodic material. These are drawn together by a coda which helps to combine these two
sections together again. It can also be seen that the rapid intercutting of different pieces of
material such as contrasting dynamics also contributes to the diversity of the piece as well makes
it more of a modern piece of music. Themes are stated by different musical instruments, but then
they are either cut off or reinforced by other instruments. This was very representative of
neoclassicism which soon became a twentieth-century trend. This was very different from
romantic music and also differed from the Baroque style of music representative of the 18th
century. This shows the variety of the music that Gershwins An American in Paris created which
in the end changed history.