Gershwin based An American in Paris on a melodic fragment called "Very Parisienne", written in 1926 on his first visit to Paris as a gift to his hosts, Robert and Mabel Schirmer.
dʒˈɜːʃwɪn bˈeɪst ɐn ɐmˈɛɹɪkən ɪn pˈæɹɪs ˌɔn ɐ mɛlˈɑːdɪk fɹˈæɡmənt kˈɔːld "vˈɛɹi pˈæɹɪsˌiən", ɹˈɪʔn̩ ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd twˈɛnti sˈɪks ˌɔn hɪz fˈɜːst vˈɪzɪt tə pˈæɹɪs æz ɐ ɡˈɪft tə hɪz hˈoʊsts, ɹˈɑːbɚt ænd mˈeɪbəl skˈɜːmɚ.