George Gershwin - fusing jazz into symphony

George Gershwin, nee Jacob Gershovitz, fused the jazz of the Negro Harlem musicians into symphony, thereby creating a NEW American music. Before his time, all 'serious' musicians had to be European trained to be considered masters. George's passport was stamped AMERICAN. Added to that, consider the segregationist times of the early '30's. Gershwin, along with DuBose Heyward and brother Ira, wrote the first American folk opera, Porgy & Bess, with an ALL Negro cast. He was the Abraham Lincoln of American music.