Shop Music: An American in Paris

This series celebrates what we're playing while we're printing.

The honk of taxi horns. The pitter-pat rhythm of drums. The swooning of strings. According to George Gershwin, An American in Paris musically portrays "an alert spectator of Parisian life" as he traipses through the city. But it could as easily serve as the soundtrack to our print shop.

Gershwin's thumping cadence of a fast-paced city walk echoes the rhythm of the press in a very human measure. One can successfully time the pull of the press to keep beat with the composition. But the energetic rhythm is countered by a series of playful string interludes, a chance for our alert spectator to absorb the sights of the city. Likewise, it offers us in the shop a chance to step back and appreciate the job at hand, then jump back in once the thumping blare resumes. Gershwin's interplay of industrious horns and flourishing strings is a perfect reminder that one can reconcile hard work with a little inventive play -- all without leaving the comfort of the basement.

Watch and listen here.

Pictured is a hitherto unseen photo of George Gershwin at home with his second favorite keyboard: the Linotype. Thank you, Photoshop.