Two of the principal motives in Rhapsody in Blue are direct borrowings from two of W. C. Handy's compositions, "Beale Street Blues" and "St. Louis Blues." Gershwin also employs a three-against-four accent cycle that is a prominent feature of Handy's style. A sidebar disproves the persistent rumor that the E major main theme of Rhapsody in Blue was inspired by Gershwin's hearing of the "Chimes of Erie" at St. Peter's Cathedral in Erie, Pennsylvania; the chimes were installed at St. Peter's four years after the publication of Rhapsody in Blue.

Index Classifications: 1900s

Contributed by: David Lieberman