The piece
In the middle of Rhapsody in Blue, after the bustle of the first pages, Gershwin slows down and lets a great theme sing in E major, Andantino moderato: a few notes climbing step by step, then a long held note, like a breath. It is the tune everyone recognises. This easy version, written for Noctave after the version for piano solo Gershwin published in 1927, keeps its two phrases and ends on an E major chord.
The right hand plays the tune alone, an octave higher than Gershwin writes it. Climb gently, without hurrying, towards each long note, then hold it to the end while the left hand changes chord underneath. In bar 5, the long note is an F double sharp: it sounds like a G, the white key just above F sharp.
