Concerto in F

work by Gershwin

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July 16, 2026

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The Concerto in F is a three-movement orchestral work composed by George Gershwin in 1925. Commissioned by the Symphony Society of New York, it was Gershwin's first major orchestral composition and is considered one of his most important works.1

The concerto features a blend of classical music techniques with elements of popular music and jazz, a hallmark of Gershwin's style. The first movement incorporates themes and rhythms from the Charleston, while the second movement is a slow, blues-influenced adaptation. The final movement is a lively, rhythmically complex section that revisits themes from the first movement.12

While not as immediately popular as Rhapsody in Blue, the Concerto in F has come to be recognized as a significant piece in the American concerto repertoire.1

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George Gershwin
Other works for orchestra
…actually was!” The resulting work, Concerto in F (1925), was Gershwin’s lengthiest composition and was divided into three traditional concerto movements. The first movement loosely follows a sonata structure of exposition, development, and recapitulation, and it appropriates themes and rhythms from the popular “Charleston.” The second movement—the “high water mark…
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…actually was!” The resulting work, Concerto in F (1925), was Gershwin’s lengthiest composition and was divided into three traditional concerto movements. The first movement loosely follows a sonata structure of exposition, development, and recapitulation, and it appropriates themes and rhythms from the popular “Charleston.” The second movement—the “high water mark…
Read More