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By far the bulk of Gershwin\\u2019s output is devoted to songs \\u2013 more than five hundred of them, most of which come from his more than four dozen works for the musical stage. Two of these stage works are operas \\u2013 the short Blue Monday Blues and the full-length Porgy and Bess. Gershwin also wrote music for four films (Shall We Dance is the most famous), a few piano pieces and a handful of concert works: Rhapsody in Blue, An American in Paris, Cuban Overture, Concerto in F, Second Rhapsody and Variations on \\u201cI Got Rhythm.\\u201d

Gershwin\\u2019s style is derived from the American soul and spirit. \\u201cEpitomizing the Jazz Age in every pore of his suave being,\\u201d writes critic Alex Ross, \\u201cGershwin was the ultimate phenomenon in early-twentieth century American music, the man in whom all the discordant tendencies of the era achieved sweet harmony.\\u201d Many of Gershwin\\u2019s works are infused with jazz, and if he can be said to have made one single overriding accomplishment in his life, it was to create a bridge between jazz and the concert hall.

- Robert Markow