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 century".[2] Composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim characterized Heyward's lyrics for "Summertime" and "My Man's Gone Now" as "the best lyrics in the musical theater".[3]
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.[4][5] 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.[6]
The song is sung several times throughout Porgy and Bess. Its lyrics are the first words heard in act 1 of the opera, following the communal "wa-do-wa". It is sung by Clara as a lullaby. The song theme is reprised soon after as counterpoint to the crapsgame scene, in act 2 in a reprise by Clara, and in act 3 by Bess, singing to Clara's now-orphaned baby after both parents died in the storm.
The song was recorded for the first time by Abbie Mitchell on July 19, 1935, with George Gershwin playing the piano and conducting the orchestra (on: George Gershwin Conducts Excerpts from Porgy & Bess, Mark 56 667).
Heyward's inspiration for the lyrics was the southern folk spiritual-lullaby "All My Trials", of which he had Clara sing a snippet in his play Porgy.[9][10] The lyrics have been highly praised by Stephen Sondheim. Writing of the opening line, he says
That "and" is worth a great deal of attention. I would write "Summertime when" but that "and" sets up a tone, a whole poetic tone, not to mention a whole kind of diction that is going to be used in the play; an informal, uneducated diction and a stream of consciousness, as in many of the songs like "My Man's Gone Now". It's the exact right word, and that word is worth its weight in gold. "Summertime when the livin' is easy" is a boring line compared to "Summertime and". The choices of "ands" [and] "buts" become almost traumatic as you are writing a lyric – or should, anyway – because each one weighs so much.[11]
Music
Musicologist K. J. McElrath wrote of the song:
Gershwin was remarkably successful in his intent to have this sound like a folk song. This is reinforced by his extensive use (one exception: the note B under the word "high") of the pentatonic scale (C–D–E–G–A) in the context of the A minor tonality and a slow-moving harmonic progression that suggests a "blues". Because of these factors, this tune has been a favorite of jazz performers for decades and can be done in a variety of tempos and styles.[6]
While in his own description, Gershwin did not use any previously composed spirituals in his opera, Summertime is often considered an adaptation of the African American spiritual "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child", which ended the play version of Porgy.[10][12][13]
Other versions
Statistics for the number of recordings of "Summertime" vary by source; while older data is restricted to commercial releases, newer sources may include versions self-published online. The Jazz Discography in 2005 listed 1,161 official releases, ranking the song fourth among jazz standards.[14]Joe Nocera in 2012 said there were "over 25,000" recordings.[15]Guinness World Records lists the website's 2017 figure of 67,591 as the world record total.[16]
Other versions to make the pop charts include those by:
In September 1936, a recording by Billie Holiday was the first to hit the US pop charts, reaching number 12.[6]
The most commercially successful version was by Billy Stewart, whose scat-laden R&B version reached number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 7 on the R&B chart in 1966;[19] his version also reached number 39 in the UK[20] and number 13 in Canada.
^. Loc.gov. 1926-08-02. Archived from the original on 2013-11-04. Retrieved 2013-12-29.
^Pollack, Howard (2006). George Gershwin: His Life and Work. University of California Press. p. 589. ISBN9780520248649. Retrieved 2013-12-29. Gershwin summertime spiritual style.
^Hyland, William (2003). George Gershwin: A New Biography. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 171. ISBN9780275981112. Retrieved 2013-12-29.
^ abJeffrey Paul Melnick, A Right to Sing the Blues, Harvard University Press 1999, ISBN0-674-76976-7, pp. 129–133
^Joanne Lesley Gordon, Art Isn't Easy: The Achievement of Stephen Sondheim, Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale, Illinois, 1990, p. 13
^Samuel A. Floyd Jr., ed. (1990). Black Music in the Harlem Renaissance: A Collection of Essays. New York: Westport. ISBN0-313-26546-1., p. 22
^Rosenberg, Deena (1991). Fascinating Rhythm: The Collaboration of George and Ira Gershwin. Penguin Books USA. ISBN0-525-93356-5., p. 281
^Phillips, Damon J. (2013). Shaping Jazz: Cities, Labels, and the Global Emergence of an Art Form. Princeton University Press. p. 22, Table 1.2. ISBN978-1-4008-4648-1. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
^Joe Nocera (January 21, 2012). "Variations on an Explosive Theme". The New York Times.
^"Most recorded song". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
^Whitburn, Joel (2003). Top Pop Singles 1955–2002 (1st ed.). Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 914. ISBN0-89820-155-1.
Betts, Graham (2004). Complete UK Hit Singles 1952–2004 (1st ed.). London: Collins. ISBN0-00-717931-6.
External links
"A Languid Look Back To Gershwin's 'Summertime'", NPR Music, October 23, 2008
April 16, 2023
summertime, george, gershwin, song, summertime, aria, composed, 1934, george, gershwin, 1935, opera, porgy, bess, lyrics, dubose, heyward, author, novel, porgy, which, opera, based, gershwin, summertime, songlanguageenglishreleased1935, 1935, genrejazzcomposer. 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 and Ira Gershwin 1 Summertime SongLanguageEnglishReleased1935 1935 GenreJazzComposer s George GershwinLyricist s DuBose HeywardIra GershwinThe 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 century 2 Composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim characterized Heyward s lyrics for Summertime and My Man s Gone Now as the best lyrics in the musical theater 3 Contents 1 Porgy and Bess 2 Analysis 2 1 Lyrics 2 2 Music 3 Other versions 4 See also 5 References 6 External linksPorgy and Bess EditGershwin 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 4 5 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 6 The song is sung several times throughout Porgy and Bess Its lyrics are the first words heard in act 1 of the opera following the communal wa do wa It is sung by Clara as a lullaby The song theme is reprised soon after as counterpoint to the craps game scene in act 2 in a reprise by Clara and in act 3 by Bess singing to Clara s now orphaned baby after both parents died in the storm The song was recorded for the first time by Abbie Mitchell on July 19 1935 with George Gershwin playing the piano and conducting the orchestra on George Gershwin Conducts Excerpts from Porgy amp Bess Mark 56 667 The 1959 movie version of the musical featured Loulie Jean Norman singing the song That rendition finished at 52 in AFI s 100 Years 100 Songs survey of top tunes in American cinema 7 8 Analysis EditLyrics Edit Heyward s inspiration for the lyrics was the southern folk spiritual lullaby All My Trials of which he had Clara sing a snippet in his play Porgy 9 10 The lyrics have been highly praised by Stephen Sondheim Writing of the opening line he says That and is worth a great deal of attention I would write Summertime when but that and sets up a tone a whole poetic tone not to mention a whole kind of diction that is going to be used in the play an informal uneducated diction and a stream of consciousness as in many of the songs like My Man s Gone Now It s the exact right word and that word is worth its weight in gold Summertime when the livin is easy is a boring line compared to Summertime and The choices of ands and buts become almost traumatic as you are writing a lyric or should anyway because each one weighs so much 11 Music Edit Musicologist K J McElrath wrote of the song Gershwin was remarkably successful in his intent to have this sound like a folk song This is reinforced by his extensive use one exception the note B under the word high of the pentatonic scale C D E G A in the context of the A minor tonality and a slow moving harmonic progression that suggests a blues Because of these factors this tune has been a favorite of jazz performers for decades and can be done in a variety of tempos and styles 6 While in his own description Gershwin did not use any previously composed spirituals in his opera Summertime is often considered an adaptation of the African American spiritual Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child which ended the play version of Porgy 10 12 13 Other versions EditStatistics for the number of recordings of Summertime vary by source while older data is restricted to commercial releases newer sources may include versions self published online The Jazz Discography in 2005 listed 1 161 official releases ranking the song fourth among jazz standards 14 Joe Nocera in 2012 said there were over 25 000 recordings 15 Guinness World Records lists the website s 2017 figure of 67 591 as the world record total 16 Other versions to make the pop charts include those by In September 1936 a recording by Billie Holiday was the first to hit the US pop charts reaching number 12 6 Sam Cooke US number 81 1957 Al Martino UK number 49 1960 The Marcels US number 78 1961 Ricky Nelson US number 89 1962 The Chris Columbo Quintet US number 93 1963 17 18 The most commercially successful version was by Billy Stewart whose scat laden R amp B version reached number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 7 on the R amp B chart in 1966 19 his version also reached number 39 in the UK 20 and number 13 in Canada In the UK a version by the Fun Boy Three reached No 18 on the UK Singles Chart in 1982 21 The version by Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald released on their 1959 album Porgy and Bess was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry BPI in 2022 22 Olivia Newton John recorded Summertime for her 2004 album Indigo Women of Song See also EditList of 1930s jazz standardsReferences Edit Summertime at ASCAP Archived 2006 02 11 at the Wayback Machine Robert Cummings Summertime at AllMusic A Century of Creativity DuBose and Dorothy Heyward Loc gov 1926 08 02 Archived from the original on 2013 11 04 Retrieved 2013 12 29 Pollack Howard 2006 George Gershwin His Life and Work University of California Press p 589 ISBN 9780520248649 Retrieved 2013 12 29 Gershwin summertime spiritual style Hyland William 2003 George Gershwin A New Biography Greenwood Publishing Group p 171 ISBN 9780275981112 Retrieved 2013 12 29 a b c Summertime at Jazzstandards com Retrieved 2013 12 29 100 Greatest Songs in Movies AFI www filmsite org AFI List of Top 100 Songs From U S Films Chicago Tribune Edward Jablonski Lawrence Delbert Stewart The Gershwin Years George and Ira Da Capo Press 1996 ISBN 0 306 80739 4 p 202 a b Jeffrey Paul Melnick A Right to Sing the Blues Harvard University Press 1999 ISBN 0 674 76976 7 pp 129 133 Joanne Lesley Gordon Art Isn t Easy The Achievement of Stephen Sondheim Southern Illinois University Press Carbondale Illinois 1990 p 13 Samuel A Floyd Jr ed 1990 Black Music in the Harlem Renaissance A Collection of Essays New York Westport ISBN 0 313 26546 1 p 22 Rosenberg Deena 1991 Fascinating Rhythm The Collaboration of George and Ira Gershwin Penguin Books USA ISBN 0 525 93356 5 p 281 Phillips Damon J 2013 Shaping Jazz Cities Labels and the Global Emergence of an Art Form Princeton University Press p 22 Table 1 2 ISBN 978 1 4008 4648 1 Retrieved 23 June 2020 Joe Nocera January 21 2012 Variations on an Explosive Theme The New York Times Most recorded song Guinness World Records Retrieved 23 June 2020 Whitburn Joel 2003 Top Pop Singles 1955 2002 1st ed Menomonee Falls Wisconsin Record Research Inc p 914 ISBN 0 89820 155 1 Betts 2004 p 497 Whitburn Joel 1996 Top R amp B Hip Hop Singles 1942 1995 Record Research p 421 Betts 2004 p 747 Betts 2004 p 302 British certifications Summertime British Phonographic Industry Retrieved 15 October 2022 Sources Betts Graham 2004 Complete UK Hit Singles 1952 2004 1st ed London Collins ISBN 0 00 717931 6 External links Edit A Languid Look Back To Gershwin s Summertime NPR Music October 23 2008 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Summertime George Gershwin song amp oldid 1146143347, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
