Music From The Opera Porgy And Bess
Contents
One of the most popular and well-known operas of all time, Porgy and Bess has a special place in music history. Composed by George Gershwin, the opera is based on the novel Porgy by DuBose Heyward. The story follows the lives of African Americans living in the Catfish Row slums of Charleston, South Carolina.
Introduction
Music from the opera Porgy and Bess is some of the most beautiful and evocative ever written, and has become synonymous with the American Jazz Age. The opera tells the story of Porgy, a disabled beggar living in the fictional Catfish Row in Charleston, South Carolina, who falls in love with the beautiful Bess.
Porgy and Bess was composed by George Gershwin, with a libretto by DuBose Heyward. It premiered in 1935 and was an instant success, both critically and commercially. The music was heavily influenced by African-American musical styles such as blues and spirituals, as well as popular jazz of the day.
Many of the songs from Porgy and Bess have become standards, including “Summertime”, “I Got Plenty o’ Nuttin'”, “It Ain’t Necessarily So”, and “Bess, You Is My Woman Now”. The opera has been revived several times since its premiere, most notably in a successful production on Broadway in 1976.
Whether you’re a fan of opera or not, the music from Porgy and Bess is sure to touch your soul.
The Opera’s History
Porgy and Bess is an opera composed by George Gershwin, with a libretto written by his brother Ira and DuBose Heyward. The opera tells the story of Porgy, a disabled African-American man, and his love for the beautiful and troubled Bess. The opera was first performed in 1935, and has since been adapted for film, television, and stage productions.
George Gershwin
George Gershwin was an American composer born in 1898 in Brooklyn, New York. He was the second of four children of Russian-Jewish immigrants. When he was twelve years old, his father bought him a used piano for $50. Not long after, Gershwin began to teach himself how to play and compose music. He left school at age fifteen to pursue a career in music.
Gershwin’s first big break came in 1918 when he published his song “Swanee.” The following year, he moved to Hollywood to work as a staff composer for Warner Brothers Studios. In 1924, he had his first major success with the musical “Rhapsody in Blue.” The following year, he returned to New York City and continued to enjoy success with various stage productions.
In 1935, Gershwin began working on his most ambitious project yet: an opera based on the novel “Porgy and Bess” by DuBose Heyward. The opera deal with racism, poverty, and other social issues faced by African Americans living in the South during the 1930s. It was considered groundbreaking at the time for its realistic portrayal of African American life. “Porgy and Bess” premiered in 1935 and was a critical and commercial success. Gershwin died tragically of a brain tumor at age 38, but his music continues to be popular today.
Dubose and Dorothy Heyward
The late 1920s and early ’30s were a time of great social change in America. The country was coming out of the Prohibition era, and people were beginning to challenge traditional ideas about race and class. In this climate of change, Dubose and Dorothy Heyward wrote a play that would challenge the way Americans thought about race, class, and love.
Porgy and Bess is set in the African-American community of Catfish Row on the outskirts of Charleston, South Carolina. The story revolves around the love between Porgy, a disabled beggar, and Bess, a beautiful but troubled woman. Porgy and Bess is not just a love story; it’s also a social commentary on the issues of race and class in America.
When Dubose and Dorothy Heyward first submitted Porgy and Bess to Broadway producers, they were told that the play was “too black” for white audiences. Undeterred, they took their play to George Gershwin, one of the most popular composers of the day. Gershwin saw the potential in Porgy and Bess and agreed to write the music for the production.
Porgy and Bess opened on Broadway in 1935 to mixed reviews. Some critics praised its bold exploration of racial themes, while others felt that it perpetuated negative stereotypes about African Americans. Despite its mixed reception, Porgy and Bess was a financial success, running for nearly 200 performances. It also helped to launch Gershwin’s career as a serious composer; until then, he had been best known for writing popular songs like “I Got Rhythm” and “Someone to Watch over Me.”
Porgy and Bess continues to be performed today all over the world. It remains one of America’s most beloved operas—a testament to the power of love to overcome obstacles like racism and poverty.
Porgy and Bess on Broadway
Porgy and Bess debuted on Broadway in 1935, starring Paul Robeson and Anne Brown. The production was not initially well-received, but it garnered critical acclaim after its revival in 1942. The opera has since been adapted for film and television, and it continues to be performed regularly around the world.
The Music of Porgy and Bess
Porgy and Bess is an opera by George Gershwin, with a libretto by DuBose Heyward and lyrics by Ira Gershwin. It was first performed in 1935. The music of Porgy and Bess has been described as “a synthesis of many elements of the black experience in America: from the sobbing of the spirituals to the swinging of the jazz band”.
“Summertime”
“Summertime” is an aria composed by George Gershwin for the 1935 opera Porgy and Bess. The lyrics are by DuBose Heyward, the author of the novel Porgy on which the opera was based, and the libretto is by Heyward and his wife Dorothy. “Summertime” has been covered by numerous musicians and has become one of the most performed songs in the history of music.
The song is sung by Porgy (a disabled beggar) to Bess (a troubled woman), encouraging her to come away with him to Catfish Row (a poor, African-American neighborhood in Charleston, South Carolina). The lyrics evoke the feel of summer, with images of hot weather, roses, and lazy days. The melody is simple and memorable, with a distinctive opening that has been described as “one of the most recognizable musical phrases in American music.”
Although “Summertime” is often associated with jazz music, it was not originally written as a jazz song. Gershwin intended it to be played on a string instrument or piano, but it has been adapted for many different genres of music, including pop, rock, blues, soul, R&B, funk, and hip hop. In recent years, it has even been used as an anthem for environmentalism and social justice movements.
“It Ain’t Necessarily So”
It ain’t necessarily so
The things that you’re liable to read in the Bible
It ain’t necessarily so
The things that you’re liable to see in the newspaper
It ain’t necessarily so
And that’s what the preacher man says
It ain’t necessarily so
“Bess, You Is My Woman Now”
“‘Bess, You Is My Woman Now’ is one of the most popular and well-known songs from George Gershwin’s opera Porgy and Bess. The song is a duet between the characters Porgy and Bess, and it is one of the few moments in the opera where the two characters are completely alone together. The song is a declaration of love, and it is also a moment of hope in an otherwise tragic story.
The music for ‘Bess, You Is My Woman Now’ is both operatic and popular in style, and it has been recorded by many famous singers over the years. The song was originally sung by the actors who played Porgy and Bess in the first production of the opera, but it has been performed by many other singers since then. Some of the most famous recordings of ‘Bess, You Is My Woman Now’ have been made by singers such as Leontyne Price, Diana Ross, and Beyonce.
The lyrics to ‘Bess, You Is My Woman Now’ are written in African-American vernacular English, and they are full of the kind of love and longing that are typical of many blues songs. The lyrics express Porgy’s deep feelings for Bess, and they also contain a sense of hope that their relationship will be able to overcome any obstacles.
The music for ‘Bess, You Is My Woman Now’ has a wide range of emotions, from the happiness of love to the sorrow of longing. It is this range of emotion that makes the song so powerful and so popular.”
Conclusion
Though it received a mixed response from the public and was panned by the critics, “Porgy and Bess” went on to become one of the most important American operas of the 20th century. It is now widely considered to be Gershwin’s magnum opus, and its success firmly cemented his place as one of the most significant American composers of his time.
