As early as the 1920s, the musicals, concert pieces and the opera Porgy & Bess composed by George Gershwin contributed to the making of the Great American Songbook. The proof of Gershwin's immense talent is in the fact that his music never went into purgatory after his premature death in 1937 at the age of 39. While his concert pieces are still performed by soloists and formations from the world of classical music, those who best defend the art of Gershwin remain the artists and musicians of the jazz world.