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What real sound effects did George Gershwin include in An American in Paris?
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George Gershwin
American composer George Gershwin working on the score for Porgy and Bess, 1935.
In his 1928 tone poem An American in Paris, George Gershwin incorporated real French taxi horns to add a touch of verisimilitude to his musical portrait of the city.12
These horns are heard early in the composition, interrupting the opening strolling melody to help evoke the atmosphere of a busy Parisian street scene.1