query: who wrote the lyrics for porgy and bess

pos: Porgy and Bess Porgy and Bess Porgy and Bess is an English-language opera by the American composer George Gershwin, with a libretto written by author DuBose Heyward and lyricist Ira Gershwin. It was adapted from Dorothy Heyward and DuBose Heyward's play "Porgy", itself an adaptation of DuBose Heyward's 1925 novel of the same name. "Porgy and Bess" was first performed in Boston on September 30, 1935, before it moved to Broadway in New York City. It featured a cast of classically trained African-American singers—a daring artistic choice at the time. After suffering from an initially unpopular public reception due in part to its

pos: Porgy and Bess opera's cultural significance by issuing a commemorative 29-cent postage stamp. In 2001, "Porgy and Bess" was proclaimed the official opera of the state of South Carolina. The 1940/1942 Decca "Porgy and Bess" recording with members of the original cast was included by the National Recording Preservation Board in the Library of Congress, National Recording Registry in 2003. The board selects recordings on an annual basis that are "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." Notes Sources Further reading Porgy and Bess Porgy and Bess is an English-language opera by the American composer George Gershwin, with a libretto written by author DuBose Heyward

neg: DuBose Heyward on the lyrics. Heyward did not get much credit for that work. In his introduction to the section on DuBose Heyward in "Invisible Giants: Fifty Americans Who Shaped the Nation But Missed the History Books" (2003), Stephen Sondheim wrote: DuBose Heyward has gone largely unrecognized as the author of the finest set of lyrics in the history of the American musical theater - namely, those of 'Porgy and Bess'. There are two reasons for this, and they are connected. First, he was primarily a poet and novelist, and his only song lyrics were those that he wrote for Porgy. Second,

neg: Porgy and Bess (Miles Davis album) York studio over four days in the summer of 1958." In August 1997, "JazzTimes" magazine called "Porgy and Bess" "possibly the best of the collaborations between Miles and Gil Evans ... Evans is justly regarded as the master of modern orchestration and "Porgy and Bess" shows him at his best." The album was included in Elvis Costello's "500 Albums You Need" ("Vanity Fair", Issue No. 483 11/00) and was ranked No. 785 on the "Virgin" "All-Time Top 1000 Album" list. All compositions written by George Gershwin, except otherwise noted. (Although Ira Gershwin and DuBose Heyward wrote lyrics to the opera

neg: Bess, You Is My Woman Now and Bess". In 1954 Harry James released a version on his album "Trumpet After Midnight" (Columbia CL-553). Barbra Streisand recorded this song on her "The Broadway Album" from 1985, named "I Loves You, Porgy/Porgy, I's Your Woman Now (Bess, You Is My Woman Now)". Bess, You Is My Woman Now "Bess, You Is My Woman Now" is a duet with music by George Gershwin and lyrics by Ira Gershwin. This song comes from the Gershwins' opera "Porgy and Bess" (1935) where it is sung by the main character Porgy and his beloved Bess. They express their love for each other

neg: Bess, You Is My Woman Now Bess, You Is My Woman Now "Bess, You Is My Woman Now" is a duet with music by George Gershwin and lyrics by Ira Gershwin. This song comes from the Gershwins' opera "Porgy and Bess" (1935) where it is sung by the main character Porgy and his beloved Bess. They express their love for each other and say that they now belong together. The song has been covered a number of times by many artists since 1935 (Porgy and Bess (Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong album)). In 1959, Harry Belafonte recorded a duet with Lena Horne on their album "Porgy

neg: My Man's Gone Now My Man's Gone Now "My Man's Gone Now" is an aria composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by DuBose Heyward, written for the opera "Porgy and Bess" (1935). Sung in the original production by Ruby Elzy, it has been covered by many singers, notably Ella Fitzgerald (on the 1958 "Porgy and Bess" album), Leontyne Price, Audra McDonald (who would later sing the part of Bess), Nina Simone, Sarah Vaughan, and Shirley Horn, among others. In the opera, the aria is sung by Serena, the grieving widow, at her husband Robbins's wake. He has been murdered by Crown, a drunken stevedore,

neg: Porgy and Bess Guild to write the opera. In the summer of 1934 Gershwin and Heyward went to Folly Beach, South Carolina (a small island near Charleston), where Gershwin got a feel for the locale and its music. He worked on the opera there and in New York. Ira Gershwin, in New York, wrote lyrics to some of the opera's classic songs, most notably "It Ain't Necessarily So". Most of the lyrics, including "Summertime", were written by Heyward, who also wrote the libretto. Gershwin's first version of the opera, running four hours (counting the two intermissions), was performed privately in a concert version

neg: Porgy and Bess (Hank Jones album) Hank's deliberative style, enhancing the subdued, intimate feel of this unusually pared down production". In JazzTimes, Thomas Conrad was less enthusiastic and wrote, "Jones' encounters with icons like "Summertime" and "It Ain't Necessarily So" bring no important insights. They are mannered, highly stylized and flawless". "All compositions by George Gershwin" Porgy and Bess (Hank Jones album) Porgy and Bess (subtitled Swingin' Impressions by Hank Jones) is an album by American jazz pianist Hank Jones featuring interpretations of music from George Gershwin's opera "Porgy and Bess" recorded in 1958 for the Capitol label. Allmusic awarded the album 3 stars. On All

neg: Porgy and Bess decided against the use of original folk material because I wanted the music to be all of one piece. Therefore I wrote my own spirituals and folksongs. But they are still folk music – and therefore, being in operatic form, "Porgy and Bess" becomes a folk opera. The libretto of "Porgy and Bess" tells the story of Porgy, a disabled black street-beggar living in the slums of Charleston. It deals with his attempts to rescue Bess from the clutches of Crown, her violent and possessive lover, and Sportin' Life, her drug dealer. The opera plot generally follows the stage play.

neg: Summertime (George Gershwin song) Summertime (George Gershwin song) "Summertime" is an aria composed in 1934 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, although the song is also co-credited to Ira Gershwin by ASCAP. The song soon became a popular and much recorded jazz standard, described as "without doubt ... one of the finest songs the composer ever wrote ... Gershwin's highly evocative writing brilliantly mixes elements of jazz and the song styles of blacks in the southeast United States from the early twentieth

neg: Porgy and Bess (Miles Davis album) musicians known for interpreting jazz scores. Nevertheless, Davis enlisted members of his sextet, including Cannonball Adderley and Paul Chambers. The second in a series of Davis/Evans collaborations, "Porgy and Bess" was well received upon its release by music critics and publications, including "The New York Times" and "Los Angeles Times". Music writer Bill Kirchner wrote "In this century's American music, three partnerships have been most influential: Duke Ellington/Billy Strayhorn, Frank Sinatra/Nelson Riddle, and Miles Davis/Gil Evans." As one of Davis' best-selling albums, "Porgy and Bess" has earned recognition as a landmark album in orchestral jazz. Davis biographer Jack Chambers described

neg: Porgy and Bess (film) drug-addicted Bess, who lives with stevedore Crown, the local bully. While high on cocaine supplied by Sportin' Life, Crown kills Robbins after the latter vanquishes him in a craps game; Bess urges Crown to flee. Sportin' Life suggests she accompany him to New York City, an offer Bess declines. She seeks refuge with her neighbors, all of whom refuse to help her. Porgy finally agrees to let her stay with him. Bess and Porgy settle into domestic life together and soon fall in love. Just before a church picnic on Kittiwah Island, Sportin' Life once again approaches Bess, but Porgy

neg: Porgy & Bess Revisited Porgy & Bess Revisited Porgy & Bess Revisited, subtitled "Played by a Very Unusual Cast", is an album of jazz interpretations of songs from the George Gershwin opera Porgy and Bess performed by cornetist Rex Stewart and trumpeter Cootie Williams, with saxophonists Hilton Jefferson and Pinky Williams and trombonist Lawrence Brown, that was recorded in late 1958 and released on the Warner Bros. label. Scott Yanow of AllMusic states, "The two lead characters are played instrumentally by swing all-stars. Cornetist Rex Stewart portrays Sportin' Life, trumpeter Cootie Williams (who emerges as the main star) is Porgy, altoist Hilton Jefferson is

neg: Porgy and Bess is based very closely on Gershwin's original instrumental and vocal scoring, the principal recasting being the use of standard concert-orchestra instrumentation, eliminating the clarinet-saxophone doubling specified in Gershwin's 1935 orchestration. In 1951, Australian-born composer Percy Grainger, who was an admirer, performer and arranger of Gershwin's music, completed a twenty-minute piece for two pianos titled "Fantasy on George Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess"". The pianist Earl Wild prepared a virtuoso piano arrangement in the manner of Franz Liszt, entitled "Fantasy on Gershwin's "Porgy & Bess"". "Porgy and Bess" contains many songs that have become popular in their own right, becoming standards in

neg: Porgy and Bess by all of the residents of Catfish Row, with the exception of Porgy, who lets her in. "Scene 2: Serena's Room, the following night" The mourners sing a spiritual to Robbins ("Gone, Gone, Gone"). To raise money for his burial, a saucer is placed on his chest for the mourners' donations ("Overflow"). Bess enters with Porgy and attempts to donate to the burial fund, but Serena rejects her money until Bess explains that she is now living with Porgy. A white detective enters and coldly tells Serena that she must bury her husband the next day, or his body will

neg: Porgy and Bess (Glyndebourne album) Porgy and Bess (Glyndebourne album) Porgy and Bess is a recording of the Glyndebourne Festival Opera version of the George Gershwin opera of the same name. The cast were accompanied by the London Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Simon Rattle. The recording took place in February 1988 in No.1 Studio of Abbey Road in London. It was released in 1989. The 1993 TV adaptation of Porgy and Bess used this recording as its soundtrack, and featured most of the original cast of the Glyndebourne production. Bruce Hubbard, who had died in 1991, did not appear, although his singing voice

neg: Selections from George Gershwin's Folk Opera Porgy and Bess Selections from Porgy and Bess in February 1950, (DL 7006), deceptively billing it as "the original cast album" though only selected members of two separate casts participated. Selections from George Gershwin's Folk Opera Porgy and Bess Decca Presents Selections from George Gershwin's folk opera Porgy and Bess consists of two volumes of records, the first from 1940, and the next from 1942. The 1940 album was the first to record selections from George Gershwin's opera Porgy and Bess as sung by members of the original Broadway cast from 1935. The only singers involved were Todd Duncan as Porgy and Anne

neg: I Got Plenty o' Nuttin' I Got Plenty o' Nuttin' "I Got Plenty o' Nuttin " is a song composed in 1934 by George Gershwin for the 1935 "folk-opera" "Porgy and Bess" (1934). The lyrics are by DuBose Heyward, the author of the novel "Porgy" on which the opera was based, and Ira Gershwin. It is one of the most famous songs from the opera (along with "Summertime", "It Ain't Necessarily So", and "Bess, You Is My Woman Now") and it has been recorded by hundreds of singers and music groups. The song expresses a cheerful acceptance of poverty as freedom from worldly cares. The

neg: I Got Plenty o' Nuttin' (Monica Zetterlund, 1959), "I Got Plenty of Nothin' " (Diahann Carroll, 1959), and the fully standard English "I've Got Plenty of Nothing" (Julia Migenes, 1989). I Got Plenty o' Nuttin' "I Got Plenty o' Nuttin " is a song composed in 1934 by George Gershwin for the 1935 "folk-opera" "Porgy and Bess" (1934). The lyrics are by DuBose Heyward, the author of the novel "Porgy" on which the opera was based, and Ira Gershwin. It is one of the most famous songs from the opera (along with "Summertime", "It Ain't Necessarily So", and "Bess, You Is My Woman Now") and

neg: Porgy and Bess (film) Porgy and Bess (film) Porgy and Bess is a 1959 American musical film directed by Otto Preminger. It is based on the 1935 opera "Porgy and Bess" by George Gershwin, DuBose Heyward, and Ira Gershwin, which is in turn based on Heyward's 1925 novel "Porgy", as well as Heyward's subsequent 1927 non-musical stage adaptation, co-written with his wife Dorothy. The screenplay for the film, which turned the operatic recitatives into spoken dialogue, was very closely based on the opera and was written by N. Richard Nash. The project was the last for Samuel Goldwyn. Due to its controversial subject matter,

neg: Porgy and Bess (the Honey Man) and a crab man each pass by with their wares ("Vendors' Trio"). As the clock chimes five, Bess recovers from her fever. Porgy tells Bess that he knows she has been with Crown, and she admits that Crown has promised to return for her. Porgy tells her she is free to go if she wants to, and she tells him that although she wants to stay, she is afraid of Crown's hold on her. Porgy asks her what would happen if there was no Crown, and Bess tells Porgy she loves him and begs him to protect

neg: Porgy and Bess and observes that when a woman has a man, maybe she's got him for keeps, but if she has "two" men, then it's highly likely she'll end up with none. Bess is heard singing Clara's lullaby to her baby, whom she is now taking care of. ("Summertime" [reprise]). Once Catfish Row is dark, Crown stealthily enters to claim Bess, but is confronted by Porgy. A fight ensues which ends when Porgy kills Crown. Porgy exclaims to Bess, "You've got a man now. You've got Porgy!" "Scene 2: Catfish Row, the next afternoon" The detective enters and talks with Serena and

neg: Porgy & Bess Revisited Bess and trombonist Lawrence Brown is both Serena and Clara. Somehow it all works. Jim Timmens' arrangements for the big band keeps the momentum going, making this a surprisingly successful effort". All compositions by George Gershwin Porgy & Bess Revisited Porgy & Bess Revisited, subtitled "Played by a Very Unusual Cast", is an album of jazz interpretations of songs from the George Gershwin opera Porgy and Bess performed by cornetist Rex Stewart and trumpeter Cootie Williams, with saxophonists Hilton Jefferson and Pinky Williams and trombonist Lawrence Brown, that was recorded in late 1958 and released on the Warner Bros. label.

neg: Porgy and Bess (film) was "now considered an 'overlooked masterpiece' by one contemporary scholar". Porgy and Bess (film) Porgy and Bess is a 1959 American musical film directed by Otto Preminger. It is based on the 1935 opera "Porgy and Bess" by George Gershwin, DuBose Heyward, and Ira Gershwin, which is in turn based on Heyward's 1925 novel "Porgy", as well as Heyward's subsequent 1927 non-musical stage adaptation, co-written with his wife Dorothy. The screenplay for the film, which turned the operatic recitatives into spoken dialogue, was very closely based on the opera and was written by N. Richard Nash. The project was the

neg: Selections from George Gershwin's Folk Opera Porgy and Bess Selections from George Gershwin's Folk Opera Porgy and Bess Decca Presents Selections from George Gershwin's folk opera Porgy and Bess consists of two volumes of records, the first from 1940, and the next from 1942. The 1940 album was the first to record selections from George Gershwin's opera Porgy and Bess as sung by members of the original Broadway cast from 1935. The only singers involved were Todd Duncan as Porgy and Anne Brown as Bess. Duncan sang "It Ain't Necessarily So", which is sung in the opera by Sportin' Life. Anne Brown sang "Summertime" (first sung in the opera

neg: The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess Porgy and Bess (2006), first studio cast recording directly based on the original 1935 production of George Gershwin's opera "Porgy and Bess". This studio recording originated as several semi-staged performances which took place on February 24 and 25, 2006 at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center in Nashville, with Alvy Powell as Porgy, Marquita Lister as Bess, Nicole Cabell as Clara and Robert Mack as Sportin' Life. The Nashville Symphony Orchestra was conducted by John Mauceri. The recording incorporates changes Gershwin made to his original score after its first publication, which were not discovered until 1987.

neg: I Loves You, Porgy the United States in the autumn of 1959. Simone's version went to number eighteen on the "Billboard" Hot 100 and number two on the R&B charts. A live version is featured in her 1964 album "Nina Simone in Concert". Bill Evans's piano trio version recorded at the Village Vanguard in 1961, available on the CD re-issue of the album "Waltz for Debby", is also acclaimed. I Loves You, Porgy "I Loves You, Porgy" is a duet from the opera "Porgy and Bess" with music by George Gershwin and lyrics by Ira Gershwin. It was published in 1935. Originally a duet

neg: Porgy and Bess (film) but cited prior commitments. Goldwyn finally signed N. Richard Nash, who completed a lengthy first draft by December 1957. For director, Goldwyn sought Elia Kazan, Frank Capra, and King Vidor without success. He finally settled on Rouben Mamoulian, who had directed the original Broadway productions of both the play "Porgy" and its operatic adaptation. Nash's screenplay changed virtually all of the sung recitative to spoken dialogue, as in the 1942 stage revival. For example, in the original opera Porgy sings the line "If there weren't no Crown, Bess, if there was only just you and Porgy, what then?", upon which

neg: I Loves You, Porgy I Loves You, Porgy "I Loves You, Porgy" is a duet from the opera "Porgy and Bess" with music by George Gershwin and lyrics by Ira Gershwin. It was published in 1935. Originally a duet by Anne Brown and Todd Duncan in the 1935 production and in the 1942 revival of the opera, "I Loves You, Porgy" has been recorded as a solo number by a number of popular vocalists and jazz musicians, most notably Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, and Bill Evans. Nina Simone's recording of the song (from "Little Girl Blue", 1958) was a Top 20 pop hit in

neg: Porgy and Bess Capote traveled with the cast and crew, and wrote an account included in his book "The Muses Are Heard". The first performances of "Porgy and Bess" in Charleston, South Carolina, were presented in 1970 as part of South Carolina's Tricentennial celebration. The performances were a collaborative effort of the Choraliers Music Club, led by James Edwards, and the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Lucien DeGroote. The part of Porgy was played by Reuben Wright. The collaboration of the two groups was evidence that race relations in Charleston had improved. In 1971 excerpts from the opera were presented by the same

neg: Porgy and Bess the wrath of Maria, who threatens him. ("I hates yo' struttin' style"). A fraudulent lawyer, Frazier, arrives and farcically divorces Bess from Crown. When he discovers Bess and Crown were not married, he raises his price from a dollar to a dollar and a half. Archdale, a white lawyer, enters and informs Porgy that Peter will soon be released. The bad omen of a buzzard flies over Catfish Row and Porgy demands that it leave now that he finally has found happiness. ("Buzzard keep on flyin' over".) As the rest of Catfish Row prepares for the church picnic on nearby

neg: Porgy and Bess (film) warns him to leave her alone. Bess wishes to stay with Porgy, since he cannot attend the picnic because of his disability, but he urges her to go. After the picnic ends, and before Bess can leave, Crown, who has been hiding in the woods on the island, confronts her. She initially struggles to resist him but Crown rapes her. The others, not knowing exactly what has happened, leave and return to the mainland. Two days later, Bess returns to Catfish Row in a state of delirium. When she recovers, she remembers what happened. Feeling that she betrayed Porgy, she

neg: Porgy and Bess It incorporated Gershwin's cuts made for the New York premiere, thus giving the audience an idea of what the opera sounded like on its Broadway opening. In 2000 and 2002 the New York City Opera had a revival directed by Tazewell Thompson. In 2007, Los Angeles Opera staged a revival directed by Francesca Zambello and conducted by John DeMain, who led the history-making Houston Opera revival of "Porgy and Bess" in 1976. South Africa's Cape Town Opera has frequently performed "Porgy and Bess" abroad, most notably with the Welsh National Opera, NorrlandsOperan, Deutsche Oper Berlin and at the Wales Millennium

neg: Porgy and Bess of Gershwin's jazz experience. Gershwin wrote Porgy through an idiom of jazz that was influenced by Western European opera traditions, African-American music, and Russian-Jewish music. During the era of apartheid in South Africa, several South African theatre companies planned to put on all-white productions of "Porgy and Bess". Ira Gershwin, as heir to his brother, consistently refused to permit these productions to be staged. But in 2009, Cape Town Opera's production, set in 1970s South Africa and inspired by life in Soweto, toured Britain, opening at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff and going on to the Royal Festival Hall

neg: The Complete Porgy and Bess The Complete Porgy and Bess This 1956 recording based on George Gershwin's opera Porgy and Bess was the second "complete" recording of the opera after the 1951 version, and the first recording of the work to feature jazz singers and musicians instead of operatic singers and a classical orchestra. Russell Garcia arranged Gershwin's work for the Bethlehem Orchestra, the Duke Ellington Orchestra, the Australian Jazz Quintet, the Pat Moran Quartet and the Stan Levey Group. Mel Tormé sang the role of Porgy and Frances Faye the role of Bess. The Ellington Orchestra plays "Summertime" as the overture, but does not

neg: Porgy and Bess (Hank Jones album) Porgy and Bess (Hank Jones album) Porgy and Bess (subtitled Swingin' Impressions by Hank Jones) is an album by American jazz pianist Hank Jones featuring interpretations of music from George Gershwin's opera "Porgy and Bess" recorded in 1958 for the Capitol label. Allmusic awarded the album 3 stars. On All About Jazz, Franz A. Matzner noted, "Supported by Milt Hinton and Kenny Burrell, as well as brother Elvin's immeasurable percussive abilities, Hank's playing stands out crisply in its almost minimalist approach. Elvin displays a light touch which may contrast with his usual pyrotechnic image, but is here perfectly matched to

neg: Porgy and Bess: A Symphonic Picture in Gershwin's original score" Bennett arranged "Porgy and Bess: A Symphonic Picture" for piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, English horn, 2 clarinets in B-Flat, bass clarinet in B-Flat, 2 alto saxophones in E-Flat, tenor saxophone in B-Flat, 2 bassoons; 4 horns in F, 3 trumpets in B-Flat, 3 trombones (2 tenor, 1 bass), tuba; a percussion section that includes timpani, xylophone, triangle, steel bells, cymbals, tubular bells, glockenspiel, snare drum, bass drum and wood block; banjo, 2 harps and strings. Porgy and Bess: A Symphonic Picture Porgy and Bess: A Symphonic Picture is a 1942 album arranged by George Gershwin's

neg: Comic opera two most successful pieces, out of more than half a dozen hits, were "Babes in Toyland" (1903) and "Naughty Marietta" (1910). Others who wrote in a similar vein included Reginald de Koven (1859–1920), John Philip Sousa (1854–1932), Sigmund Romberg and Rudolf Friml. The modern American musical incorporated elements of the British and American light operas, with works like "Show Boat" and "Porgy and Bess" that explored more serious subjects and featured a tight integration among book, movement and lyrics. In Canada, Oscar Ferdinand Telgmann and George Frederick Cameron composed in the Gilbert and Sullivan style of light opera. "Leo, the

neg: Porgy and Bess Kittiwah Island, Sportin' Life again offers to take Bess to New York with him; she refuses. He attempts to give her some "happy dust" despite her claims that she's given up drugs, but Porgy grabs his arm and scares him off. Sportin' Life leaves, reminding Bess as he goes that her men friends come and go, but he will be there all along. Bess and Porgy are now left alone, and express their love for each other ("Bess, You Is My Woman Now"). The chorus re-enters in high spirits as they prepare to leave for the picnic ("Oh, I can't

neg: Porgy and Bess a stevedore who, tired of his job, decides to give it up and join Jake and the other fishermen. Porgy, a disabled beggar, enters on his goat cart to organize the game. Peter, an elderly "honey man" returns, singing his vendor's call. Crown, a strong and brutal stevedore, storms in with his woman, Bess, and buys cheap whiskey and some "Happy Dust" off the local dope peddler, Sportin' Life. Bess is shunned by the women of the community, especially the pious Serena and the matriarchal cookshop owner Maria, but Porgy softly defends her. The game begins. One by one, the

neg: Porgy and Bess (film) begs his forgiveness. She admits she is unable to resist Crown and asks Porgy to protect her from him. Crown eventually returns to claim his woman, and when he draws his knife, Porgy strangles him. He is detained by the police merely to identify the body, but Sportin' Life, who has fed Bess cocaine, convinces her Porgy inadvertently will reveal himself to be the murderer. In her drugged state, she finally accepts his offer to take her to New York. When Porgy returns and discovers she is gone, he sets off to find her. The original 1935 Broadway production of

neg: Porgy and Bess Bess. The white singer Loulie Jean Norman was the singing voice of Clara (portrayed onscreen by Diahann Carroll), and Inez Matthews the singing voice of Serena (portrayed onscreen by Ruth Attaway). In 1963, Leontyne Price and William Warfield, who had starred in the 1952 world tour of "Porgy and Bess", recorded their own album of excerpts from the opera for RCA Victor. None of the other singers from that production appeared on that album, but John W. Bubbles, the original Sportin' Life, substituted for Cab Calloway (who had played Sportin' Life onstage in the 1952 production). The 1963 recording of

neg: Porgy and Bess her friends about the murders of Crown and Robbins. They deny knowledge of Crown's murder, frustrating the detective. Needing a witness for the coroner's inquest, he next questions an apprehensive Porgy. Once Porgy admits to knowing Crown, he is ordered to come and identify Crown's body. Sportin' Life tells Porgy that corpses bleed in the presence of their murderers, and the detective will use this to hang Porgy. Porgy refuses to identify the body, but is dragged off anyway. Bess is distraught, and Sportin' Life puts his plan into action. He tells her that Porgy will be locked up for

neg: Porgy and Bess (Miles Davis album) "Porgy and Bess", these recordings are instrumental.) "Bonus cuts featured on the 1997 compact disc reissue." Porgy and Bess (Miles Davis album) Porgy and Bess (CL 1274) is a studio album by jazz musician Miles Davis, released in March 1959 on Columbia Records. The album features arrangements by Davis and collaborator Gil Evans from George Gershwin's 1935 opera of the same name. The album was recorded in four sessions on July 22, July 29, August 4, and August 18, 1958, at Columbia's 30th Street Studio in New York City. It is the second collaboration between Davis and Evans and has

neg: Rhapsody in Blue (film) role of "Bess" in the original production of George Gershwin's opera "Porgy and Bess" in 1935. In the film, Brown sings the aria "Summertime" from "Porgy and Bess". But in the film, the song is completely rearranged, with the first verse sung by chorus only. William Gillespie, an African-American bass-baritone, appeared uncredited as "Porgy" in the 'Porgy and Bess' sequence, but did not sing. Born in Trinidad and Tobago, Hazel Scott was raised in New York City and became known as a jazz and classical pianist and singer. Like Lena Horne, Scott was one of the first African-American women to

neg: The Modern Jazz Quartet Plays George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess The Modern Jazz Quartet Plays George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess The Modern Jazz Quartet Plays George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess is an album by American jazz group the Modern Jazz Quartet performing the score to George Gershwin's opera "Porgy and Bess" recorded in 1964-65 and released on the Atlantic label. The Allmusic review stated: "The Modern Jazz Quartet is alive and well in this effort, thoroughly brewing with overbearing optimism. Lavish in orchestration, shining with dexterity, it is no wonder that it is rare to find such a group that can emulate George Gershwin's work with such spontaneity and prowess".

neg: Porgy and Bess (1951 album) was later remastered by Naxos Records and re-released on CD. Several members of the original Broadway cast of "Porgy and Bess" appeared on the album. Porgy and Bess (1951 album) This 1951 recording of George Gershwin's opera Porgy and Bess was the first "complete" recording of the work from beginning to end, not a series of selections of popular songs from the work. (The recording did not include most of the music written by Gershwin which had been customarily cut from productions in the United States, however. As opposed to the complete three-hour opera, the album was two hours and

neg: The Modern Jazz Quartet Plays George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess "All compositions by George Gershwin" The Modern Jazz Quartet Plays George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess The Modern Jazz Quartet Plays George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess is an album by American jazz group the Modern Jazz Quartet performing the score to George Gershwin's opera "Porgy and Bess" recorded in 1964-65 and released on the Atlantic label. The Allmusic review stated: "The Modern Jazz Quartet is alive and well in this effort, thoroughly brewing with overbearing optimism. Lavish in orchestration, shining with dexterity, it is no wonder that it is rare to find such a group that can emulate George Gershwin's work

neg: Porgy and Bess: A Symphonic Picture Porgy and Bess: A Symphonic Picture Porgy and Bess: A Symphonic Picture is a 1942 album arranged by George Gershwin's good friend and sometimes assistant, Robert Russell Bennett, which includes most of the best-known songs from the Gershwin opera "Porgy and Bess", although not in the exact order of their appearance. Though the "Symphonic Picture" is sometimes dismissed as a sequence of the opera's "greatest hits," the first well-known melody, "Summertime," is not heard until nearly seven minutes into the work. While some of the more esoteric parts of the opera are absent, many of the catchier tunes that can

neg: Highlights from Porgy and Bess Highlights from Porgy and Bess Highlights from Porgy and Bess, the 1935 album of George Gershwin's opera, was recorded just days after Porgy and Bess opened on Broadway on October 10, 1935. While the opera was performed by an all-African American singing cast, the 1935 album featured mostly white opera singers. Gershwin's involvement is clearly stated on the album cover, which reads "Recorded under the supervision of the composer." The recordings originally came on 4 twelve-inch 78 rpm shellac records. RCA Victor assigned the publishing numbers 11878 Victor, 11879 Victor, 11880 Victor and 11881 Victor to the records. Parts of

neg: Highlights from Porgy and Bess this recording have been re-issued by various recording companies on compact disc. Highlights from Porgy and Bess Highlights from Porgy and Bess, the 1935 album of George Gershwin's opera, was recorded just days after Porgy and Bess opened on Broadway on October 10, 1935. While the opera was performed by an all-African American singing cast, the 1935 album featured mostly white opera singers. Gershwin's involvement is clearly stated on the album cover, which reads "Recorded under the supervision of the composer." The recordings originally came on 4 twelve-inch 78 rpm shellac records. RCA Victor assigned the publishing numbers 11878 Victor,

neg: Porgy and Bess the Broadway cast, including John W. Bubbles and Ruby Elzy. They performed several selections from the opera. The complete "Porgy and Bess" has been broadcast by the Metropolitan Opera three times as part of the Met's live radio broadcast series. The 1985 broadcast performance starred Simon Estes and Grace Bumbry. In 1986 Ms. Bumbry was heard with Robert Mosley as Porgy. In 1990, Estes and Leona Mitchell sang the leads in the third broadcast. Gershwin prepared an orchestral suite containing music from the opera after "Porgy and Bess" closed early on Broadway. Though it was originally titled "Suite from "Porgy

neg: Porgy and Bess (Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong album) Porgy and Bess (Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong album) Porgy and Bess is a 1958 studio album by jazz vocalist and trumpeter Louis Armstrong and singer Ella Fitzgerald, collaborating on selections from George and Ira Gershwin's Porgy and Bess. In 2001, it was awarded a Grammy Hall of Fame Award, a special achievement prize established in 1973 to honor recordings that are at least twenty-five years old, and that have "qualitative or historical significance." The album was originally issued on the Verve label as Verve MGV 4011-2, then reissued on PolyGram on CD in 1990, as Verve-PolyGram 827 475-2. The

neg: Porgy (play) original cast toured the United States twice and performed for 11 consecutive weeks in London. The play tells the story of Porgy, a disabled black beggar who lives in the slums of Charleston, South Carolina. It relates his efforts to rescue Bess, the woman he loves, from Crown, her violent and possessive lover, and a drug dealer called Sporting Life. The play is the basis of the libretto of the opera "Porgy and Bess" (1935). A descendent of Thomas Heyward, Jr., DuBose Heyward was from an old, white family in Charleston, South Carolina. In 1925, he published his first and

neg: Porgy and Bess As Bess, who has lagged behind, tries to follow them, Crown emerges from the bushes. He reminds her that Porgy is "temporary" and laughs off her claims that she has been living decently now. Bess wants to leave Crown forever and attempts to make him forget about her ("Oh, what you want wid Bess?") but Crown refuses to give her up. He grabs her and will not let her go to the boat, which leaves without her, and then forcefully kisses her. He laughs at his conquest as her resistance begins to fail, and commands her to get into the

neg: Porgy and Bess where he has been arrested for contempt of court after refusing to look at Crown's body. He returns to Catfish Row much richer after playing craps with his cellmates. He gives gifts to the residents, and pulls out a beautiful red dress for Bess. He does not understand why everyone seems so uneasy at his return. He sees Clara's baby is now with Serena and realizes something is wrong. He asks where Bess is. Maria and Serena tell him that Bess has run off with Sportin' Life to New York ("Oh Bess, Oh Where's my Bess?"). Porgy calls for his

neg: Catfish Row Catfish Row Catfish Row, originally titled Suite from Porgy and Bess, is an orchestral work by George Gershwin based upon music from his famous opera "Porgy and Bess". Gershwin completed the work in 1936 and it premiered at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia on January 21 of that year, with Alexander Smallens conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra. Gershwin played the piano part, including the piano solo in the opening moments. This piece preserves some of the darkest and most complex music Gershwin ever wrote. It should not be confused with "", scored at the behest of Fritz Reiner by Robert

neg: Western University (Kansas) Holt, Eva Jessye, and Etta Moten Barnett. Nora Holt was a composer, music critic and performer in the US and Europe. Eva Jessye went to New York and founded her own choir, which was featured in her collaboration with composer Virgil Thomson and writer Gertrude Stein on "Four Saints in Three Acts." She was selected by George Gershwin as his choral director for his opera "Porgy and Bess". Moten Barnett was a singer who made "Bess," of "Porgy and Bess," a signature role after performing it in the Broadway revival and on tour. Other early almumni of the school included

neg: William Pearson (baritone) where he scored a great success as Porgy in Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess" in 1965. After leaving the opera house, Pearson gave concerts and recitals around Germany, as well as in the major cultural centres in Europe. Several modern composers wrote music for him, including György Ligeti (he was also one of the soloists in Ligeti's "Aventures "(1962)), Sylvano Bussotti (Pearson wrote the text himself for Bussotti's "Pearson Piece" (1960) for baritone and piano) and Dieter Schnebel, wrote music for him, while he also recorded works by Hans Werner Henze and Mauricio Kagel. He was also one of the few

neg: Porgy and Bess sit down"). Bess is invited to the picnic by Maria, but she demurs as Porgy cannot come (due to his disability, he cannot get on the boat), but Maria insists. Bess leaves Porgy behind as they go off to the picnic. Porgy watches the boat leave ("I got plenty o' nuttin" reprise). "Scene 2: Kittiwah Island, that evening" The chorus enjoys themselves at the picnic ("I ain't got no shame"). Sportin' Life presents the chorus his cynical views on the Bible ("It Ain't Necessarily So"), causing Serena to chastise them ("Shame on all you sinners!"). Everyone gets ready to leave.

neg: Porgy and Bess (Miles Davis album) George Gershwin/DuBose Heyward/Ira Gershwin opera "Porgy and Bess" was in production, set for release in June 1959. The advance publicity for the film was considerable, and with the late-1950s vogue for recorded "jazz versions of...", a number of "Porgy and Bess" jazz interpretations were released. These ranged from an all-star big band version arranged and conducted by Bill Potts to one by Bob Crosby and the Bobcats. Following the first collaboration with Evans, Davis followed up on these efforts with much interest in symphonic readings, which, at the time, jazzmen were not known for, and neither were some classically trained

neg: Porgy and Bess audience, included a tap dancing sequence. Director Taylor Hackford pointed out in a special edition DVD release of the film that it was necessary to locate a Russian woman of color (Helene Denbey) to portray Bess, as per Gershwin's stipulations. In 1993, Trevor Nunn's Glyndebourne Festival stage production of "Porgy and Bess", not to be confused with his later production, was greatly expanded scenically and videotaped in a television studio without an audience. This first Nunn production was also called "The Gershwins' 'Porgy and Bess' " when shown on television. It was telecast by the BBC in England and by

neg: Porgy and Bess Crown forces Bess to stay on Kittiwah Island. This version restored the work to a more operatic form, though not all of the recitatives were retained. In this version, "Porgy and Bess" was warmly received throughout Europe. The London premiere took place on October 9, 1952 at the Stoll Theatre, where the opera continued until February 10, 1953. This production's original cast featured Americans Leontyne Price as Bess, William Warfield as Porgy, and Cab Calloway as Sportin' Life, a role that Gershwin had composed with him in mind. The role of Clara was played by a young Maya Angelou. Price

neg: Porgy and Bess racially charged theme, a 1976 Houston Grand Opera production gained it new popularity, and it is now one of the best-known and most frequently performed operas. Gershwin read "Porgy" in 1926 and proposed to Heyward to collaborate on an operatic version. In 1934, Gershwin and Heyward began work on the project by visiting the author's native Charleston, South Carolina. In a 1935 "New York Times" article, Gershwin explained why he called "Porgy and Bess" a folk opera: Porgy and Bess is a folk tale. Its people naturally would sing folk music. When I first began work in the music I

neg: Porgy and Bess (film) Bess launches into the duet "I Loves You Porgy". In the film the line is spoken. The recitatives themselves did not have to really be rewritten, because they do not rhyme, while the words in all the songs do. Because of its themes of fornication, drug addiction, prostitution, violence, and murder, "Porgy and Bess" proved to be difficult to cast. Many black actors felt the story did nothing but perpetuate negative stereotypes. Harry Belafonte thought the role of Porgy was demeaning and declined it. So many performers refused to participate in the project that Goldwyn actually considered Jackie Robinson, Sugar

neg: Music in Charleston Heywards insisted on an African American cast for their play and hired the real Jenkins Orphanage Band to portray themselves on stage. Only a few years later, DuBose Heyward collaborated with George and Ira Gershwin to turn his novel in to the now famous opera, Porgy and Bess. George Gershwin spent the summer of 1934 at Folly Beach outside of Charleston writing the "folk opera." Porgy and Bess is considered the Great American Opera and is widely performed. Charleston's influence on the music of Porgy and Bess and therefore the American opera tradition is undeniable. Charles Theodore Pachelbel was a

neg: DuBose Heyward some of them were written in collaboration with Ira Gershwin, a full-time lyricist, whose reputation in the musical theater was firmly established before the opera was written. But most of the lyrics in Porgy - and all of the distinguished ones - are by Heyward. I admire his theater songs for their deeply felt poetic style and their insight into character. It's a pity he didn't write any others. His work is sung, but he is unsung. The Gershwin opera "Porgy and Bess" was produced in 1935, featuring top African-American singers and chorus. Large sections of dialogue from the play

neg: Dorothy Heyward met DuBose Heyward. They married that year and she changed her name. When her husband was writing his novel "Porgy", Dorothy Heyward saw dramatic possibilities in the story. She convinced him that it would work as a play. They collaborated to adapt it to the stage. The 1927 Theatre Guild production ran for 367 performances. Their play was later adapted as the opera "Porgy and Bess" (1935), with music by George Gershwin and lyrics by DuBose Heyward. This was adapted as a film by the same name in 1959. Dorothy Heyward Dorothy Heyward née Kuhns, (June 6, 1890 – November

neg: Singin' and Swingin' and Gettin' Merry Like Christmas her tour with "Porgy and Bess" "the biggest party by far of the book". McPherson calls "Singin' and Swingin"' "Angelou's praisesong" to the opera. Angelou has "fallen hopelessly in love with the musical", even turning down other job offers to tour with its European company. McPherson also calls "Porgy and Bess" "an antagonist that enthralls Angelou, beckoning and seducing her away from her responsibilities". As Lupton states, "Porgy and Bess" is Angelou's "foundation for her later performances in dance, theater, and song". Conflict, or Angelou's presentation of opposites, is another theme in "Singin' and Swingin' and Gettin' Merry Like Christmas".

neg: The Complete Porgy and Bess appear elsewhere on the album. Originally released by Bethlehem Records in 1956 (3BP-1); reissued in the 1970s (EXLP-1). Highlights from this recording released by Bethlehem as BCP 6040 and BCP 6009. On CD: Bethlehem Records #BET6028-2 (Released 1994), Rhino Records #75828 (Released 1999). The Complete Porgy and Bess This 1956 recording based on George Gershwin's opera Porgy and Bess was the second "complete" recording of the opera after the 1951 version, and the first recording of the work to feature jazz singers and musicians instead of operatic singers and a classical orchestra. Russell Garcia arranged Gershwin's work for the Bethlehem

neg: Porgy and Bess changes which Gershwin had made before the New York premiere, nor the ones made for the 1942 Cheryl Crawford revival or the 1959 film version. It allowed the public to take in the operatic whole as first envisioned by the composer. In this light, "Porgy and Bess" was accepted as an opera. Donnie Ray Albert and Robert Mosley alternated performances in the role of Porgy. Clamma Dale and Larry Marshall starred, respectively, as Bess and Sportin' Life. This production won the Houston Grand Opera a Tony Award—the only opera ever to receive one—and a Grammy Award. The conductor was John

neg: Porgy and Bess (1950 album) Porgy and Bess (1950 album) This album is a 1950 recording of selections from George Gershwin's opera Porgy and Bess, sung by the noted opera stars Robert Merrill and Risë Stevens. The album featured no black singers at all, even though the opera was written for a mostly African-American cast (the whites in the opera speak, but do not sing). It was recorded by RCA Victor on September 12 and September 13, 1950. The album was originally released on one twelve-inch 33 rpm LP with the catalog number LM 1124. Naxos Records re-released the album on CD along with the

neg: Porgy and Bess (1950 album) complete 1951 recording, though the Naxos CD omitted the chorus number "Gone, Gone Gone". (Naxos 8.110287-88) Porgy and Bess (1950 album) This album is a 1950 recording of selections from George Gershwin's opera Porgy and Bess, sung by the noted opera stars Robert Merrill and Risë Stevens. The album featured no black singers at all, even though the opera was written for a mostly African-American cast (the whites in the opera speak, but do not sing). It was recorded by RCA Victor on September 12 and September 13, 1950. The album was originally released on one twelve-inch 33 rpm LP

neg: Porgy and Bess location, considered Mamoulian's request a sign of disloyalty. Robert McFerrin dubbed the singing voice for Sidney Poitier's Porgy as did Adele Addison for Dorothy Dandridge's Bess. Ruth Attaway's Serena and Diahann Carroll's Clara were also dubbed. Although Dandridge and Carroll were singers, their voices were not considered operatic enough. Sammy Davis Jr., Brock Peters and Pearl Bailey (who played Sportin' Life, Crown and Maria, respectively) were the only principals who provided their own singing. André Previn's adaptation of the score won him an Academy Award, the film's only Oscar. The Gershwin estate was disappointed with the film, as the score

neg: It Ain't Necessarily So He also covered it as a duet in 1976 with Joe Pass on their album "Porgy and Bess". The Cal Tjader Modern Mambo Orchestra recored it in 1956 for Fantasy Records. In 1955, Ahmad Jamal released a cover on his album "Ahmad Jamal Plays". Peggy Lee released a cover of it on her album "Black Coffee" in 1955. Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald covered it their duet album "Porgy and Bess" in 1968. Lena Horne covered it in 1959 on her duet album with Harry Belafonte, "Porgy and Bess". In 1959, Sammy Davis Jr. also released a studio version of

neg: The Golden Apple (musical) the first Off-Broadway show to win the Best Musical award from the New York Drama Critics' Circle. Latouche's lyrics are much praised; Steven Suskin wrote: ""The Golden Apple" benefits from imaginative theatricality in all departments but it was the more-than-glorious score that carried this brilliant musical theatre experiment from Off Broadway to the Alvin", a Broadway theater. The musical is through-composed and exhibits features similar to more operatic musicals like "Porgy and Bess", "The Mother of Us All", "Candide", and "The Most Happy Fella". Jerome Moross was a classical composer of concert music and ballets, as well as a highly

neg: Of Thee I Sing Sing" was written by the same team, entitled "Let 'Em Eat Cake", and was produced on Broadway in 1933. It reused some of the music from "Of Thee I Sing". However, it was a critical and box office failure. "Let "Em Eat Cake" was the last Broadway musical that the Gershwins wrote (if one counts "Porgy and Bess" as an opera rather than a musical). Brooks Atkinson in the "New York Times" called the musical "a brisk musical comedy", writing that "There is dancing, both routine and inventive. There are lyrics done in Ira Gershwin's neatest style...Best of all, there

neg: DuBose Heyward his white eyes, wonderful, poetic qualities in the inhabitants of Catfish Row that makes them come alive." Heyward's biographer James M. Hutchisson characterized "Porgy" as "the first major southern novel to portray blacks without condescension" and said that the libretto to "Porgy and Bess" was largely Heyward's work. Many critics have described Heyward as sympathetic in his portrayal of the Southern blacks in his work. Others, however, have noted that the characters in "Porgy", though viewed sympathetically, are described in stereotypical ways. For the opera "Porgy and Bess," both Heyward and Ira Gershwin, the composer's brother and regular partner, worked

neg: Ukrainian folk music on a "Rainbow Quest" album and forgot about it. Joe Hickerson later added verses four and five. "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, although the song is also co-credited to Ira Gershwin by ASCAP. It has since become a jazz standard. While it is primarily a spiritual in the style of the African American folk music of late nineteenth century, the Ukrainian-Canadian composer and singer Alexis Kochan has suggested that some part of

neg: Summertime (George Gershwin song) and the Holding Company has been highly praised. David Starkey in his article "Summertime" says that Joplin sings the song "with the authority of a very old spirit". In Britain, a version by the Fun Boy Three reached no. 18 on the UK Singles Chart in 1982. Sources Summertime (George Gershwin song) "Summertime" is an aria composed in 1934 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, although the song is also co-credited to Ira Gershwin by ASCAP. The song

neg: Porgy and Bess musical scene recreating the opening of the original Broadway production of "Porgy and Bess". Included was the original Bess, Anne Brown, recreating her performance. The scene includes a more elaborate (and historically inaccurate) arrangement for the film of the song "Summertime", sung by Anne Brown as Bess with full chorus, but the Catfish Row set design is a virtual duplicate of the one seen in the 1935 Broadway stage production. The 1985 film "White Nights" featured a scene in which Gregory Hines performed "There's a Boat Dat's Leavin' Soon for New York" as Sportin' Life. Hines' rendition, before a Siberian

neg: Dubose Heyward House of South Carolina in 1920. In 1925 he moved to North Carolina, where he wrote "Porgy", his most significant claim to fame. It was unique at the time in present a southern African-American in a well-rounded and human light, and not as either a comic foil or propaganda piece. "Porgy" was the inspiration for George Gershwin's popular folk opera "Porgy and Bess", cementing the character's place in American culture. Heyward lived in this house between about 1919 and 1924. Dubose Heyward House The Dubose Heyward House is a historic house at 76 Church Street in Charleston, South Carolina. Now a

neg: DuBose Heyward DuBose Heyward Edwin DuBose Heyward (August 31, 1885 – June 16, 1940) was an American author best known for his 1925 novel "Porgy". He and his wife Dorothy, a playwright, adapted it as a 1927 play of the same name. The couple worked with composer George Gershwin to adapt the work as the 1935 opera "Porgy and Bess". It was later adapted as a 1959 film of the same name. Heyward also wrote poetry and other novels and plays. He wrote the children's book "The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes" (1939). Heyward was born in 1885 in Charleston,

neg: Willard White CD, entitled "My Way", is on the Sony label. His voice was heard as one of the operatic soloists in the Academy Award-winning motion picture "Amadeus". Among his most memorable roles are Mephistopheles in Berlioz's "The Damnation of Faust" and Porgy in "Porgy and Bess". He has starred in non-singing roles, such as a Royal Shakespeare Company production of "Othello" (1989), with Ian McKellen as Iago and Imogen Stubbs as Desdemona. He sang Porgy in the Glyndebourne production (1993) of the opera "Porgy and Bess". Both productions were directed by Trevor Nunn and both were videotaped for television. White appeared

neg: Anne Brown followed by an appearance in the 1939 Broadway play "Mamba's Daughters" in the roles of Gardenia and the "Lonesome Walls" Singer. Brown sang Bess in several revivals of "Porgy and Bess" during this time, including the 1942 Broadway revival. She also sang Bess for the Decca Records album "Selections from George Gershwin's folk opera Porgy and Bess" and sang some of Bess's music in an appearance in the 1945 Gershwin biography film "Rhapsody in Blue". Brown toured Europe as a concert artist from 1942 to 1948. Brown said that she left the United States because of continued racial prejudice. As

neg: Porgy and Bess saw the play as "detrimental to the race" and as a vehicle that promoted racist stereotypes. The play was cancelled due to pressure from the African-American community, which saw their success as proof of the increasing political power of blacks in Minneapolis–Saint Paul. The belief that "Porgy and Bess" was racist gained strength during the Civil Rights Movement and Black Power movement of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. As these movements advanced, "Porgy and Bess" was seen as more and more out of date. When the play was revived in the 1960s, social critic and African-American educator Harold Cruse called

neg: Porgy and Bess (Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong album) it, because this is not a trumpeter's opera – is characteristically good as gold. This marvelous album stands quite well on its own, but will sound best when matched with the Ray Charles/Cleo Laine version, especially the songs of the Crab Man, of Peter the Honey Man, and his wife, Lily the Strawberry Woman." All songs written by George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin and Dubose Heyward, except where noted. "Original LP (Verve MGV 4011-2)" Side one Side two Porgy and Bess (Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong album) Porgy and Bess is a 1958 studio album by jazz vocalist and trumpeter Louis

neg: Porgy and Bess (Miles Davis album) Porgy and Bess (Miles Davis album) Porgy and Bess (CL 1274) is a studio album by jazz musician Miles Davis, released in March 1959 on Columbia Records. The album features arrangements by Davis and collaborator Gil Evans from George Gershwin's 1935 opera of the same name. The album was recorded in four sessions on July 22, July 29, August 4, and August 18, 1958, at Columbia's 30th Street Studio in New York City. It is the second collaboration between Davis and Evans and has garnered much critical acclaim since its release, being acknowledged by music critics as the best of

neg: Porgy and Bess from George Gershwin's Folk Opera Porgy and Bess". After LPs began to be manufactured in 1948, the recording was transferred to LP, and subsequently, to CD. Also in 1940, baritone Bruce Foote released a 78-RPM album of selections from "Porgy and Bess". In 1942, Mabel Mercer and Cy Walter released a 78-RPM jazz album of excerpts from the opera on an obscure label. Although members of the jazz community initially felt that a Jewish piano player and a white novelist could not adequately convey the plight of blacks in a 1930s Charleston ghetto, jazz musicians warmed up more to the

neg: Porgy and Bess (1951 album) Porgy and Bess (1951 album) This 1951 recording of George Gershwin's opera Porgy and Bess was the first "complete" recording of the work from beginning to end, not a series of selections of popular songs from the work. (The recording did not include most of the music written by Gershwin which had been customarily cut from productions in the United States, however. As opposed to the complete three-hour opera, the album was two hours and nine minutes.) The recording came about as a result of Lehman Engel and Goddard Lieberson's desire to record albums of Broadway shows whose scores had

neg: Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong collaborations role being taken by Louie Bellson; Bellson is regarded as one of the greatest drummers in history right alongside Rich by critics. "Porgy and Bess", which came out in April 1959, is not to be confused with either the 1951 release by the same title or the 1956 release "The Complete Porgy and Bess" (which is also known as just "Porgy and Bess" too). All three albums draw on the material in George and Ira Gershwin's operatic stage drama of that name, a piece that had its original Broadway production in 1935. It should be noted as well that all

neg: Porgy and Bess replace the recitatives with naturalistic scenes. He did not use operatic voices in this production, but relied on musical theatre actors as leads. Gareth Valentine provided the musical adaptation. Despite mostly positive reviews, Nunn's production closed months early due to poor box office. This original cast of this version included Clarke Peters as Porgy, Nicola Hughes as Bess, O. T. Fagbenle as Sportin' Life, and Cornell S. John as Crown. Another production titled "The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess", directed by Diane Paulus, with book adapted by Suzan-Lori Parks, and music adapted by Diedre Murray, was presented by the American Repertory

neg: Porgy (play) best-regarded novel, "Porgy", which was inspired by a news story and drawn from his sympathetic observations of African American culture. The book was a best seller. "Porgy" was one of a number of works portraying black life written by white authors, but it was infused with human understanding at a time that such an approach was new. Heyward's wife, playwright Dorothy Heyward, roughed out a stage adaptation of the novel that persuaded her husband of the story's dramatic possibilities. They wrote the play together, strengthening the character of Bess, incorporating folk songs, and creating a more upbeat ending that shows

neg: Porgy and Bess (film) weeks to allow for reconstruction. During this period, director Mamoulian repeatedly clashed with the producer about every aspect of the film, and Goldwyn fired him. William Wyler was willing to step in if Goldwyn could postpone the project for a few months, but the producer opted to replace Mamoulian with Otto Preminger, who had started preparing both "Exodus" and "Anatomy of a Murder" but was willing to set them aside for the opportunity to helm "Porgy and Bess". Mamoulian was incensed not only that he had been dismissed after eight months of pre-production work, but that he had been replaced

neg: Samuel Goldwyn opera, "Porgy and Bess". Released by Columbia Pictures, the film was nominated for three Oscars, but won only one. It was also a critical and financial failure, and the Gershwin family reportedly disliked the film and eventually pulled it from distribution. The film turned the opera into an operetta with spoken dialogue in between the musical numbers. Its reception was a huge disappointment to Goldwyn, who, according to biographer Arthur Marx, saw it as his crowning glory and had wanted to film "Porgy and Bess" since he first saw it onstage in 1935. Goldwyn died at his home in Los

neg: Porgy and Bess (Glyndebourne album) "was" heard as Jake, while Gordon Hawkins played the role onscreen. Likewise, soprano Harolyn Blackwell's voice was heard as Clara, although Paula Ingram played the role. In the opinion of many critics, this version, along with the 1977 Houston Grand Opera recording, comes closest to the original opera as conceived by Gershwin, before the cuts made prior to the Broadway premiere. Originally released as EMI #7-49568-2, it was reissued as EMI #7243-5-56220-2-0 in 1997. A one CD highlights version is available as EMI #0777-7-54325-2-7. Porgy and Bess (Glyndebourne album) Porgy and Bess is a recording of the Glyndebourne Festival Opera

neg: Summertime (George Gershwin song) century". Composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim has characterized Heyward's lyrics for "Summertime" and "My Man's Gone Now" as "the best lyrics in the musical theater". Gershwin began composing the song in December 1933, attempting to create his own spiritual in the style of the African American folk music of the period. Gershwin had completed setting DuBose Heyward's poem to music by February 1934, and spent the next 20 months completing and orchestrating the score of the opera. The song is sung several times throughout "Porgy and Bess". Its lyrics are the first words heard in act 1 of the opera,

neg: Porgy and Bess and Bess"", Ira later renamed it "Catfish Row". In 1942 Robert Russell Bennett arranged a medley (rather than a suite) for orchestra which has often been heard in the concert hall, known as "". It is based on Gershwin's original scoring, though for a slightly different instrumentation (the piano was removed from the orchestral texture at the request of the conductor Fritz Reiner, for whom the arrangement was made). Morton Gould also arranged an orchestral suite in the 1950s. Bennett's 40-minute "Porgy and Bess", a concert version for soprano and baritone soloists, chorus and orchestra was prepared in 1956. It