[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 157 (Thursday, December 8, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2495]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   IN RECOGNITION OF DR. ALICIA ZIZZO

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, December 8, 2005

  Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the extraordinary 
achievements of an important member of the New York community, Dr. 
Alicia Zizzo.
  Critics have described Dr. Zizzo as one of America's most important 
classical musicians, both for her skills as a pianist and her research 
on George Gershwin's body of work, celebrated and forgotten. Her 
pianistic artistry has brought her international acclaim and has been 
recognized on four continents.
  Dr. Zizzo's musicological scholarship is focused on the research and 
restoration of the classical piano literature of George Gershwin. She 
has been able to enhance what was a remarkably small classical piano 
solo repertoire by working with the Library of Congress, Warner 
Brothers Publications, the Gershwin estate and other scholars.
  Dr. Zizzo succeeded in researching, transcribing and inevitably 
recreating Gershwin's lost and forgotten classical solo piano 
manuscripts notated in his own hand. She approaches these manuscripts 
not with the objective of making yet another arrangement of his 
melodies as so many musicians have already done, but rather to 
literally reconstruct from fragments, sketches and partially completed 
scores that had been long neglected.
  Critics have lauded her for the discovery of transitional scores 
which bring new life to classic Gershwin material. For example, the New 
York Times, Washington Post and many other widely recognized 
publications throughout the United States and the world have hailed Dr. 
Zizzo for her groundbreaking musicological analysis of the original 
manuscripts of Gershwin's famous Rhapsody in Blue. Dr. Zizzo was able 
to restore approximately 80 measures, mostly solos, that were deleted 
during editing--not done by Gershwin himself--for publication.
  Dr. Zizzo has also been praised for unearthing material never known 
to exist. Her landmark, best selling CDs feature lost Gershwin classics 
like Seven Preludes, Blue Monday, Lullaby, Sleepless Night and other 
previously unpublished scores. She also created a brand new manuscript 
edition of Rhapsody in Blue and a piano solo suite on the background 
orchestral scores of the movie Shall We Dance (1937). Also published is 
a piano solo transcription of the symphonic work I Got Rhythm 
Variations.
  In 1998, during the Library of Congress's four day celebration of the 
Gershwin Centennial, Dr. Zizzo was the only concert pianist invited to 
present a full recital and lecture. Later that year, she was recognized 
by Hofstra University with an Honorary Doctorate degree for her 
important contributions to American music.
  Mr. Speaker, I request that my distinguished colleagues rise and pay 
tribute to a great New Yorker, Dr. Alicia Zizzo, for her 
accomplishments. Her many successes have brought to light music scores 
by our greatest American composer, George Gershwin, important scores 
that we may continue to enjoy for generations to come.

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