How does An American in Paris portray an American visitor’s experience of Paris?

George Gershwin’s An American in Paris serves as a musical "tone poem" designed to capture the subjective impressions of an American visitor wandering through the French capital.1

Gershwin intended the composition to reflect the experience of a traveler strolling through the city, absorbing the local atmosphere, and reacting to the ambient street noises. To achieve this sense of realism, the piece incorporates distinct sound effects, such as the honking of actual French taxi horns.21

The work’s structure mirrors the visitor's journey through a "kaleidoscope of musical impressions," alternating between light-hearted, strolling melodies and the bustling energy of city streets. The composition also captures the emotional complexity of the experience, transitioning from lively, brassy interludes to melancholy, blues-inspired passages that evoke a sense of homesickness. Through this blend of jazz-influenced harmonies and classical orchestral color, Gershwin successfully paints a sonic portrait of a foreigner navigating the vibrant, shifting moods of Paris.12