Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue

It’s hard not to love Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, isn’t it? The combination of jazz and classical styles, the soulful clarinet, the dramatic piano…

To help our young listeners hear the recurring theme in the first few minutes of the piece, we introduce “Riff” the Pig! Riff sings along with the opening theme played by the clarinet:

 “Fries! Ketchup and mustard and don’t forget cheese, on my hamburger dinner today!”

And thus, we name the opening musical material the “ketchup and mustard theme” - Riff helps us spot the “ketchup and mustard theme” as it shows up again and again in the piece, played by the piano as well as the full orchestra, sometimes slower, sometimes faster.

Learn about the fascinating history of “Rhapsody in Blue” here.