: The iconic opening clarinet wail was not originally in the score. During rehearsals, clarinetist Ross Gorman played the opening scale with a humorous, sliding glissando. Gershwin loved it so much he asked Gorman to keep it as a permanent "ice-breaker" for the piece.
'Rhapsody in Blue,' Gershwin's musical melting pot, at 100 : NPR Rhapsody In Blue: Gershwin
The work is characterized by five primary musical themes that repeat and expand in a call-and-response style: : The main opening theme. : The iconic opening clarinet wail was not
: Representing the mechanical, rhythmic pulse of 1920s urban life. Stride : A nod to the Harlem stride piano style. Shuffle : A jazz-inflected rhythmic section. ' Gershwin's musical melting pot