Rhapsody in Blue 2020 Edition
by
George Gershwin
“Mark my words: for the next 50 years,
this is the edition everyone will play.”
— Dr. Lucy Ginther, conductor of the premiere performance of Rhapsody in Blue 2020 Edition.
When Rhapsody in Blue entered the public domain in 2020, Tim and Louise Berens returned to Gershwin’s handwritten, two-piano score to create a new edition of this masterpiece.
Their reverence toward Gershwin’s musical intent while taking full advantage of modern notation and printing practices resulted in a Rhapsody in Blue that sounds lush, is easier to read and more efficient to rehearse than the 1942 edition.
Players love the cues in their parts, while conductors love the modern bar numbers and rehearsal marks which optimize valuable rehearsal time. Managers are delighted that the score and parts are available for purchase, and librarians love the archival quality paper.
George Gershwin in 1937
Photo by Carl Van Vechten
“This edition will open up Rhapsody in Blue for new generations of pianists, conductors and musicians everywhere.” — Michael Chertock
George Gershwin's masterpiece, Rhapsody in Blue, entered the public domain on January 1, 2020, but don't celebrate yet; the most commonly performed orchestration, by Ferde Grofé, remains under copyright until 2038.
Berens Pops Library has published a gorgeously typeset new edition of this masterpiece, Rhapsody in Blue 2020 Edition. This new edition of the orchestration by Tim Berens is now available for purchase. Purchasing this new edition will save orchestras the expense of renting the parts and score for each performance.
Pianist Michael Chertock, who has performed Rhapsody in Blue 250 times worldwide, said, "Tim Berens' new orchestration and score for Rhapsody in Blue are wonderfully readable and full of valuable details. This edition will open up this piece for new generations of pianists, conductors and musicians everywhere."
The parts and score were meticulously and lovingly created from Gershwin's handwritten score and the original two piano publication. The music engraving and archival quality paper conform to modern MOLA standards and greatly improve the readability of the score and parts.
Choose the instrumentation right for your orchestra.
Berens Pops Library has published two different instrumentations for Rhapsody in Blue, a full orchestra version that sounds lush with either triple or double woodwinds, and a Chamber Orchestra instrumentation that can be performed by as few as 13 musicians.
Look through the samples below to see how easy this new edition is to read.
Piano Solo Sample
Chamber Orchestra Score Sample
Rehearsal Piano/Piano Solo Sample
Full Orchestra Score Sample
Violin I Part Sample
Free your orchestra from the expense of paying
rental fees for each performance of Rhapsody in Blue.
Why Should an Orchestra Buy This Edition?
If you are an orchestra librarian, conductor or manager, the most important reason to purchase this edition is to free your orchestra from the expense of paying rental fees for each performance. You pay a one-time fee and your orchestra owns Rhapsody in Blue parts and score and can play it as many times as you want long into the future.
The Rhapsody in Blue 2020 Edition parts and score are printed on archival quality paper so your orchestra’s copy will stand the test of time.
Rhapsody in Blue 2020 Edition’s orchestration enables the piano to be heard more clearly than in the 1942 edition.
The modern engraving is another excellent reason to purchase this edition. The parts were engraved with the players in mind. They are easy to read, well formatted, with good page turns, cues, and bar numbers. The parts and score are printed on archival quality paper so they will stand up to being handled by generations of musicians. The conductor’s score is a work of art: “the loveliest scores I’ve ever received,” said a Grammy Award winning classical music recording producer.
This edition was carefully crafted to sound rich in either double or triple woodwind orchestras, and it is also available in chamber orchestra instrumentation. Saxophones are not included, which will save your orchestra money on hiring extra musicians. An optional banjo part adds 1920s flavor, and is written for modern banjo players to be read easily.
The orchestration was written to allow the piano to be heard more clearly than in the 1942 edition. For example, in bar 161, just after rehearsal mark 16 in the original, conductors strain themselves to hold back the brass from covering up the piano part. This edition eliminates the brass in that bar altogether, which allows the piano to project.
The cues in the parts enable players to feel confident when they first encounter this piece. Experienced orchestral musicians all know this piece well. Inexperienced players often feel lost during the lengthy cadenzas in their first rehearsals and concerts. The piano and other cues will give them the confidence they need to enter boldly.
“It’s so easy to read!”
Why Should a Pianist Buy This Edition?
“It’s so easy to read!” cried out Professor Michael Chertock while playing through Rhapsody in Blue 2020 Edition for the first time. If you are a pianist, the modern music engraving is the biggest reason to buy this edition, because the ease of reading will simplify the process of learning this masterpiece.
The Piano Solo part contains only the piano solo. It is engraved to allow time for page turns, which will ease your learning of the piece, and allow you to read it while performing it. A few articulations were added to connote modern performance practices. All editorial choices are clearly documented.
The Rehearsal Piano/Piano Solo part is engraved with the rehearsal pianist's needs in mind. The page turns allow the rehearsal pianist to easily turn pages, and the staves are sized so that the rehearsal piano staff is larger and the solo piano staff is smaller.
Great care was taken to ensure the accuracy of this edition. The primary sources for this edition are the 1924 publication of the Two Pianos, Four Hands edition of Rhapsody in Blue, and the original handwritten pencil score by George Gershwin.
The first page of Rhapsody in Blue,
in Gershwin's handwriting.
The first page of Rhapsody in Blue 2020 Edition,
arranged by Tim & Louise Berens