Editing Rhapsody in Blue (section)

=== Audience reaction and success ===
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 |footer = [[Carl Van Vechten]], [[Marguerite d'Alvarez]], and [[Victor Herbert]] were among the many eminent persons in the audience.
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Upon the conclusion of the rhapsody, the audience tumultuously applauded Gershwin's composition,{{sfn|Downes|1924|p=16}}{{sfn|Goldberg|1958|p=152}} and, quite unexpectedly, "the concert, in every respect but the financial,{{efn|[[Paul Whiteman]] gave away free tickets to promote the concert and lost money.{{sfn|Goldberg|1958|pp=142, 148}} He expended $11,000, and the concert netted $4,000.{{sfn|Goldberg|1958|pp=142, 148}}}} became a 'knockout'."{{sfn|Goldberg|1958|p=148}} The concert soon became historically significant due to the premiere of the rhapsody, and its program would "become not only a historic document, finding its way into foreign monographs on jazz, but a rarity as well."{{sfn|Goldberg|1958|p=143}}

Following the success of the rhapsody's premiere, future performances followed. The first British performance of ''Rhapsody in Blue'' took place at the [[Savoy Hotel]] in London on June 15, 1925.{{sfn|Radio Times|1925}} The [[BBC]] broadcast the performance in a live relay. [[Debroy Somers]] conducted the [[Savoy Orpheans]] with Gershwin himself at the piano.{{sfn|Radio Times|1925}} Audiences heard the piece again in the United Kingdom during the second European tour of the Paul Whiteman Orchestra, most notably on April 11, 1926, at the [[Royal Albert Hall]], with Gershwin in the audience. [[His Master's Voice (British record label)|His Master's Voice]] recorded and released this performance.{{sfnm|Royal Albert Hall|1926|Rust|1975|p=1929}}

By the end of 1927, Whiteman's band had performed ''Rhapsody in Blue'' approximately 84 times, and its recording sold a million copies.{{sfn|Schwarz|1999}} For the entire piece to fit onto two sides of a [[Twelve-inch single|12-inch record]], the rhapsody had to be played at a faster speed than usual in a concert, which gave the recording a hurried feel with noticeably lost [[rubato]]. Whiteman later adopted the piece as his band's [[theme song]] and opened his radio programs with the slogan "Everything new but the ''Rhapsody in Blue''."{{sfn|Rayno|2013|p=203}}