George Gershwin Porgy and Bess message. Porgy and Bess

"Porgy and Bess" is not only the first national opera in US history, but also belongs to the ten best musical works of the 20th century.

The libretto, written by Gershwin's older brother Ira in collaboration with DuBose Hayward, was based on the novel, which was quite popular at the time Dubose and Dorothy Hayward - "Porgy".

The authors of the original source vividly and truthfully depicted the life of poor African Americans living in the squalid shacks of Catfish Row. Hayward copied the image of the crippled Porgy from a beggar, legless African American, whom he often met on the way to work, when he drove around the streets in a cart pulled by a goat. Residents of Charleston knew the unfortunate man under the nickname Sammy the Goat.

The main characters of the book are kind, good people who, however, are doomed to suffer in the modern world. This deeply humanistic work appealed to sympathy and understanding, evoking compassion for the fate of the heroes among readers.

Hayward's novel amazed George Gershwin from the first pages. He immediately felt the amazing power of poetic images. Involuntarily, melodies on the theme “Porgy” began to appear in the composer’s head.

Without hesitation, Gershwin wrote Hayward a letter in which he announced his intention to compose an opera based on his plot. The writer approved this idea.

A week later they met to personally discuss the future opera. The idea captured the artists, but the heavy workload of both prevented them from immediately getting to work.

The described meeting took place in 1926, and only in 1935 the audience heard the opera “Porgy and Bess”.

The public received the new opera with even greater enthusiasm than Gershwin's previous works. Applause thundered for a quarter of an hour, and enthusiastic exclamations did not cease. All Boston critics, without exception, admired the composer's dramatic and melodic gift, and Elinor Hughes called Porgy and Bess a folk opera.

“Here, finally, is the first real and completely American opera,” the critics summed up.

From the very beginning of its triumphant march through the opera stages of America - first in Boston, then on Broadway - it has invariably remained in the modern opera repertoire.

PORGS AND THE BESS

Musical drama in two acts (nine scenes)

Libretto by Du-Bose Hayward and Ira Gershwin

based on the play by Du-Bose and Dorothy Hayward

Characters

Porgy, beggar................................................... ........................................................ ....baritone

Bess, a young black woman.................................................. ....................................soprano

Crown, longshoreman.................................................... ......................................baritone

Sporting Life, drug dealer.................................................... .......................tenor

Inhabitants of Catfish Row:

Robbins, loader................................................... .................................................baritone

Sirina, his wife................................................... ............................dramatic soprano

Peter, honey seller......................................................... ..............................................tenor

Lily, his wife................................................... ........................................................ ...soprano

Maria, Porgy's neighbor.................................................... ...................................mezzo-soprano

Frazier, lawyer................................................... ........................................... baritone

Jake, fisherman................................................... .................................... lyric baritone

Clara, his wife................................................... ........................................................ .soprano

Owner of the funeral supplies bureau ............................................baritone

Nelson................................................. ........................................................ ...........baritone

Trader of ripe strawberries.................................................... ..................................soprano

Mingo, Annie, Jim and other inhabitants of the black quarter, detectives, an investigator, a policeman, a crab merchant, children.

The action takes place in Catfish Row, a poor black neighborhood of one of the southern cities of the United States.

Summary

Act one.

Picture one. Catfish Row is a poor black neighborhood in one of the southern cities of the United States. A warm summer evening descended on squat buildings, gray unprepossessing houses, narrow streets and dead ends. A quiet song comes from somewhere. Clara, a poor black woman who lives with her fisherman husband in one of the nearby houses, lulls her little son to sleep.

Gradually, residents of the neighborhood gather in the vacant lot in front of the houses, returning after a hard day of work. Every evening they practice their favorite pastime here - playing dice. Loader Robbins appears with his wife Sirina. Ignoring his wife's protests, he immediately enters the game. The crippled beggar Porgy, moving on a disabled person’s cart, also gets out of his wretched home. He also wants to try his luck in the game.

Longshoreman Crowe comes to the wasteland. Bad fame accompanies this man. If rumors are to be believed, many unclean deeds lie on his conscience. This time, Krone is not alone. He is accompanied by his beloved, the beautiful Bess. Like her companion, the young black woman also enjoys a bad reputation in Catfish Row...

Also included in the game is a sneaky drug dealer, whom everyone here knows as Sporting Life from Harlem. And now he has come from New York to profitably sell a shipment of cocaine. While playing, he glances at Bess every now and then.

Gradually, the passions of the players flare up. Some people think that their partner played dishonestly. A fight breaks out. Crown, driven to a frenzy by Sporgang Life drinks, deals a fatal blow to Robbins. In the blink of an eye, not a single one of the players is caught in the vacant lot. Only the sharp trills of police whistles fill the streets of the black quarter. Taking advantage of the turmoil, Krone, hastily saying goodbye to Bess, disappears.

Left alone, Bess tries to hide, but the inhabitants of the nearby houses slam the doors in front of her in fear. Taking advantage of the girl’s confusion, Sportiag Life persuades Bess to run away with him to New York. A young black woman rejects the vile proposal... The police whistles are getting closer and closer. Another minute - and Bess will fall into their hands. But at the last moment Porgy appears on his cart. He cannot leave in trouble the one whom he has long and passionately loved. Together with him, Bess hides in the wretched home of a cripple.

Picture two. Black night falls on the block. The lingering howl of Sirina, wailing over the body of the murdered Robbins, chills the blood in the veins. One by one the neighbors come up. They throw money, sweat and blood-earned coppers into a bowl standing on the ground, otherwise poor Sirina will have nothing to bury her husband with. Those who come pick up the funeral cry of a grief-stricken black woman - the singing becomes louder and louder. A detective appears from somewhere. He rudely warns Syarina not to delay the funeral - let it take place tomorrow. Then he begins to interrogate eyewitnesses to the murder. As the main witness, he detains the good-natured honey seller Dieter and forces him to follow him. And the labor coins of the poor keep falling and falling into the bowl with a dull clink. But there is not enough money even for the most modest funeral. The owner of the funeral supplies store helps out, who, having mercy, agrees to arrange Robbins’ funeral, even at the expense of his own pocket.

Picture three. Several weeks have passed. Much has changed during this time in Porgy's life. True human happiness came to him. Now the miserable home in which Porgy huddles with his beloved seems like paradise to him. None of the neighbors recognize the good-natured, merry fellow as the gloomy and gloomy disabled person...

Fishermen are preparing to go to sea. Porgy wishes them happy fishing and jokes with his friends. Life seems cloudless to him, And it doesn’t matter that he is still poor: as long as Bess is next to him - her eyes, deep as the sky, her smile, caresses, songs - nothing in the world bothers him!

Sporting Life appears on the street. He tries to flirt with Bess, but frightened by Porgy's menacing appearance, he goes home. Neighbors start talking about the church's annual picnic. Knowing that Bess loves entertainment, they invite the young woman to take part in the celebration. They are joined by Porgy, who sincerely wants his beloved to have fun. Having agreed, Bess, joyful and happy, sets off.

There is only one Porgy left on the street.

Act two.

Picture one. Small green island. All festivals and festivities usually take place here. And now almost all the inhabitants of Catfish Row and other poor neighborhoods of the city have come here. The picnic is in full swing. Fun is on the island. Happy people are, their outfits are colorful.

The Storting Life appears, staggering. He's clearly drunk. Right and left he spouts flat, vulgar jokes, mocks church parables and rituals, and bullies those walking.

The ship's whistle sounds. The holiday is over. People are rushing to the pier. Among the latter is Bess. Suddenly, Crown jumps out of the roadside bushes. The young black woman is scared. She had long forgotten her lover. Bess asks Crown to leave her. But the loader, not listening to the girl, forcibly takes her away with him.

Picture two. Life in Catfish Row goes on as usual. Fishermen are getting ready for their next fishing trip. The berry seller is loudly inviting customers. Sellers of fish and crabs are also trying to sell their goods...

Meanwhile, in Porgy’s dark room, Bess lies in a fever. Next to her are Porgy and Sirina. Hopeless grief is written on the face of the unfortunate cripple: it seems to him that his beloved will never recover again... Sirina tries as best she can to console Porgy. Her prayers sound ardent and passionate.

Bess regains consciousness. She is horrified at the mere memory of Crown. Afraid that he will come back again. Porgy and Sirina do their best to calm the patient. An alarming bell ringing sounds outside the window - a warning of an impending storm. The whistling of the increased wind is heard. The house becomes completely dark.

Picture three. The hurricane was terrible. Frightened women crowded into Sirina's room to escape the raging elements. Suddenly there is a rough knock on the door. This is Krone. The weather did not stop him - he is looking for Bess. The loader laughs at the women's fear... But the storm seems to subside. Porgy's neighbor, Clara, looks out the window and immediately recoils in horror: the oncoming wave brought her husband's overturned fishing boat. Without even throwing a blanket over herself, the unfortunate woman runs out into the street. Crown rushes after her.

Scene four. Deep night. The storm has subsided. But Porgy and Bess, who is holding Clara’s child, are not sleeping. 3a Sporting Life runs by the window. He warns: Crown is approaching Porgy's home...

A loader appears. He has a knife in his hands. At that very moment, Porgy deftly knocks out the weapon and inflicts a fatal blow on Crown himself. “Now Bess has a real husband!” - he exclaims.

Scene five. A gloomy morning finds the residents of Catfish Row doing something unusual: they are carefully hiding the traces of a bloody incident. The police appear, having already managed to find out something... However, no matter who the guards go to, the doors and windows immediately slam shut in front of them. Detectives are trying to find out something from those who remained on the street. But the inhabitants of the block seemed to have taken their breath away: no, they had not heard anything about the night incident. Pretending to be Porgy's friend, the investigator finds out where his home is. The police take the crippled man away so that he can identify the murdered man.

Sporting Life is trying to take advantage of Porgy's absence. He assures Bess that her lover was taken as a criminal and that he will never return. The clever merchant again invites the young woman to go with him to New York, promising a luxurious, carefree life. He manages to wrest consent from Bess, distraught with grief.

Scene six. At the end of the week, Porgy returns. He yearned for home, for his beloved. Porgy happily greets his neighbors. For everyone he has a kind word or a small gift. And he brought Bess a beautiful dress...

Suddenly Porgy notices a hawk hovering over his home. A bad feeling grips his heart; this is a harbinger of misfortune... Porgy learns the whole truth from her neighbors. Bess is no longer with him...

The cripple is unable to come to terms with this. Silently, he bundles his few belongings into a knapsack and, on his unchanged old cart, sets off on a long, unknown journey - in search of his beloved. He is sure that he will find his beloved Bess - after all, love leads him.

The opera ends with the chorus “Lord, I am going to the Heavenly Land.” It sounds in the spirit of courageous, faith-filled spirituals.

Many melodies from the opera Porgy and Bess have taken on an independent life. “Lullaby” - “Summertime” (Clara’s aria) sounds in a variety of vocal and instrumental interpretations. The opera's musical themes became very popular after being performed by jazz performers - Charlie Parker, Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, Oscar Peterson and Joe Henderson

Summertime

And the livin" is easy

Fish are jumpin"

And the cotton is high

Your daddy's rich

So hush little baby

Don't you cry

One of these mornings

You"re going to rise up singing

Then you"ll spread your wings

And you"ll take to the sky

But till that morning

There's a "nothing can harm you

With daddy and mamma standing by

Summertime

And the livin" is easy

Fish are jumpin"

And the cotton is high

Your daddy's rich

And your mamma"s good lookin"

So hush little baby

Don't you cry

D. Gershwin opera “Porgy and Bess”

The cult composition “Summertime” is perhaps known to every jazz fan thanks to the excellent performance of Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald. This is Clara's lullaby from the first act of the opera. George Gershwin "Porgy and Bess." The performance is entirely based on jazz compositions, there are blues intonations, black hymns and psalms, and spirituals. In addition, it presents a sea of improvisation, what could we do without it, because we are talking not just about a classical opera, but about a jazz one. That is why it differs from the samples we are used to.

Read a summary of Gershwin's opera "" and many interesting facts about this work on our page.

Characters		Description
Porgy	baritone	disabled beggar
Bess	soprano	young Crown girl
Crown	baritone	loader at the port
Jack	baritone	fisherman
Clara	soprano	Jack's wife
Sporting-Life	tenor	Drug dealer
Robbins	tenor	resident of Catfish Row
Sirina	soprano	Robbins' wife
Peter	tenor	honey seller
Lily	soprano	Peter's wife

Summary

The fishing village of Catfish Row, located near Charleston. Poor African Americans live and work here in harmony. Warm summer evening. Clara, the wife of fisherman Jake, comes out into the street with the baby and sings a beautiful song to her son. A woman with a child heads to a large courtyard located between the houses, where the local population likes to gather to have a little fun and play dice after a hard day. After some time, the crippled beggar Porgy appears there. Local residents treat him with respect, but make fun of the poor fellow, because they know that he likes the beautiful Bess, the girlfriend of Crown, who enjoys a bad reputation as a longshoreman. Deciding to have fun, Crown and Bess come to this yard. They are tipsy from alcohol, but, in addition, they take the “powder of happiness”, which was provided to them by the visiting merchant Sporting Life. Crown begins to play dice, but under the influence of an intoxicating substance, he becomes aggressive. He started an argument that turned into a fight that ended in death. Crown killed local resident Robbinson and immediately fled. Fearing the approaching police, the people gathered in the courtyard are hiding in their rooms. Bess is left alone. Sporting Life, who has long had his sights set on the beauty, persuades the girl to go with him to New York, but Bess categorically refuses. Then, seeking refuge, she knocks on the doors of the villagers’ homes, but is met with refusal everywhere. Only poor fellow Porgy, who is secretly in love with the girl, comes to her aid.

After some time, the residents of the village gathered in the room of Sirina, the widow of the murdered Robbinson. They came to say goodbye to the deceased, sing ritual chants over the body of the deceased and collect at least a little money for burial. The police appear and rudely announce that the funeral must take place the next day, otherwise the corpse will be given to medical students for experiments. In addition, without conducting an investigation, they take with them the honey seller Peter, who was accused of murder without evidence. Following the guardians of the law, a funeral agent enters the room. Having learned that the money collected is not enough for the funeral, he takes pity and promises to provide his help.

Weeks passed. Bess and Porgy are together now. The unhappy and gloomy man was completely changed, and he turned into a good-natured, merry fellow. Porgy is happy because his beloved Bess is next to him. The neighbors rejoice at such happy changes in the life of the poor fellow. However, Sporting Life again appeared in Catfish Row, who, having met Bess, again tries to persuade the girl to leave with him. However, Porgy, noticing the annoying suitor’s claims to his beloved, gave Laft a solid thrashing.

Soon the neighbors who fell in love with Bess persuade her to go to a picnic organized by the church community. The girl does not want to leave Porgy alone, but the man in love, wanting to please her, lets Bess go. A cheerful holiday takes place on a small island. The people are having fun until the captain of the ship gives the signal to prepare to sail. Everyone is gathered on deck, but Bess is not there. She was detained in the forest by Crown, who was hiding on this island. Two days later the girl returned and immediately fell ill with delirious fever. Having regained consciousness, Bess admitted that she loved Porgy, but was afraid that Crown would not leave her alone.

An alarming bell ringing is heard from the street, signaling an impending disaster. The residents of the house, in fear of the raging hurricane, gathered in Sirina’s room, and Crown also comes there, looking for Bess. Suddenly, Clara, looking out the window, saw on the shore the crashed longboat of her husband Jake, who had gone fishing at sea the day before. The woman, having handed over the child to Bess, rushes out into the street, towards a terrible storm. Only Crown jumps out to help her, but does not have time, Clara dies.

When the destructive wind subsides, the villagers begin to mourn the dead sailors, and Bess sings a lullaby to the orphaned baby Clara and Jake. At this time, Crown again intends to return his woman, but in a brawl with a contrived cripple, he dies. Some time later, a detective appears and, in order to identify the loader's killer, takes Porgy with him for interrogation. Sporting Life took advantage of this situation. He convinces Bess that Porgy will be sent to prison, and she simply needs to go to New York. Maddened with grief, the girl finally agrees. A week later, Porgy returns home. Having learned from neighbors that his beloved has succumbed to the persuasion of Sporting Life, he goes to a distant city to find her.

Photo :

Interesting Facts

This is an example of the first US national opera, as critics dubbed it after the premiere. July 14, 1993 US Postal Servicerecognized the cultural significance of the opera by publishingcommemorative 29 cent postage stamp. In 2001, "Porgy and Bess" was proclaimed the official state opera of South Carolina.
It is interesting that the author himself, in his will, wished for folk opera to be performed by black artists, which is why he at one time refused a tempting contract with the Metropolitan Opera, where only white singers are present. This is not surprising, because not everyone is able to convey African-American culture and the rich flavor of a work.
In our country, the original full-fledged production of the play was staged more than 50 years ago, it was performed by the black troupe Everyman Opera. And in 1983, the ballet of the same name was staged to the music of George Gershwin.
By the way, the first production of the folk opera was carried out in Boston under the direction of Ruben Mamulyan, a native of Tbilisi who was educated in Moscow. The conductor was Alexander Smolensky, and the artist was Sergei Sudeikin, and he himself George Gershwin - the son of an emigrant from Russia.
Porgy and Bess was the first opera by American composers staged at the famous Italian opera house La Scala.
Experts called this work a folk opera, which occupied an intermediate place between the Broadway musical and opera.
At the time of its creation, the opera was called "Porgy", and only then was added "and Bess" to avoid confusion with DuBose Hayward's novel.
While working on this opera, Gershwin specially spent several months in Charleston in order to become as closely acquainted as possible with the culture, way of life and peculiarities of the people’s singing.
The mode-intonation system plays a special role in the expression of national identity. Major-minor with a low seventh is widely used.
Most of the lyrics were written by Dubozo Hayward, with only a few numbers written by the composer's brother.
In 1957, the legendary Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong’s album “Porgy and Bess” was released, which included aria Summertime . It was he who was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001, and was also recognized as the best adaptation of the opera.

The work was written by Gershwin in twenty months. However, the composer continued to make various edits and modifications to the score even during rehearsals. Work on the musical text was completely completed exactly one day before the premiere.
After the premiere, many American magazines and newspapers recognized Gershwin as a “serious composer.”
It’s curious, but today there are about 20 thousand versions of the legendary hit Summertime. It was this composition that entered the world top 10 best jazz melodies.
According to one version, Gershwin created his masterpiece after being impressed by one lullaby. There is an opinion that the Ukrainian song “Oh walk son kolo vikon” formed the basis of the hit Summertime.
It is curious that jazz versions of this opera appeared several times. For the first time - in 1957 thanks to Elle Fitzgerald And Louis Armstrong . Moreover, it was this version that was most loved by music fans. For the second time in 1958, Miles Davis made his own jazz version.
During its first tour of American cities in 1936, the troupe demanded that all spectators, including blacks, be allowed to be present in the theater. They put forward this proposal shortly before the performance in Washington, and the theater management agreed to the meeting, agreeing with this so as not to disrupt the long-awaited premiere.
Despite the great success during the premiere, the material costs of staging the opera could not be recouped, and the Gershwin brothers lost about 10 thousand dollars.

Popular arias from the opera “Porgy and Bess”

Clara's lullaby "Summertime" (listen)

Porgy's song "I Got Plenty o' Nuttin'" (listen)

Bess's song "What you want wid Bess" (listen)

Duet of Porgy and Bess "Bess, You Is My Woman Now" (listen)

The history of the creation of "Porgy and Bess"

The libretto of the play was written by DuBose Heyward and Ira Gershwin, based on the play Porgy by Dorothy and DuBose Heyward. The authors were able to preserve in the text of the opera the folk language of the original source, as well as a mixture of naivety, superstition and extraordinary temperament. When the composer first became acquainted with DuBose Hayward's work in 1926, he was so impressed that he immediately wrote him a letter inviting him to collaborate. He immediately had the idea of writing an opera. After a while they were able to get to work. In 1933, a contract was signed with the New York Theater Guild.

There is information that at first there were long disputes between the authors of the play and the composer, since the Haywards insisted on including spoken episodes (without musical accompaniment). Naturally, Gershwin, as a composer, had a different opinion and gave preference to the musical part. This is not surprising, since he created the first national American opera with a rich flavor.

Gershwin himself called his opera a “folk drama,” thereby emphasizing that the main character is the people. For the same reason, a large role is given to choral numbers, which are skillfully woven into solo ones.

Productions

The premiere of the play was a huge success on September 30, 1935 in Boston, at the Colonial Theater. Music and theater critics were delighted with the work. The conductor was Alexander Smallens.

The premiere in New York was less successful (directed by Ruben Mamulyan), despite this, the play ran for 124 performances in just 1.5 years.

The opera appeared on European stages in 1945 - in Denmark and Switzerland, by local artists. However, the play gained true success only when it was performed by an American black troupe.

The Russian public was able to appreciate Gershwin's work only in 1956, thanks to a troupe from the USA.

The opera was filmed in 1958 by director Otto Preminger. Subsequently, it was this film that received an Oscar in the category for “Best Soundtrack.”

In 1983, choreographer Mikhail Lavrovsky staged his version of the jazz ballet “Blues” based on Gershwin’s work. The premiere took place at the Tbilisi Opera and Ballet Theater. In 1987, the ballet film “The Dreamer” was released, based on the opera “Porgy and Bess”, starring M. Lavrovsky and N. Trubnikova.

We invite you to get acquainted with the first national American opera, plunge into mesmerizing jazz rhythms and feel the love story with "" George Gershwin .

George Gershwin opera "Porgy and Bess"

Place of first production

Boston, Colonial Theater

« Porgy and Bess» ( English Porgy and Bess) ― opera George Gershwin in four acts and nine scenes. First staged in 1935, the opera enjoyed moderate success at first, but began to gain widespread fame in the United States and then throughout the world in the 1950s. “Porgy and Bess” is one of the peaks of the composer’s work. The musical material chosen by Gershwin to create the opera is varied and based on jazz and blues motifs, black folklore, and improvisation. IN libretto an imitation of “wrong” folk pronunciation was used.

History of creation

In 1926, Gershwin became acquainted with DuBose Hayward’s novel “Porgy” and wrote a letter to the author, expressing his desire to create an opera based on this plot together. Hayward agreed, but Gershwin, busy with other projects and conducting activities, was able to begin full-time work on the opera only in 1934. During this time, Hayward and his wife Dorothy reworked the novel into a theatrical production with elements of music (spirituals were added). The play was a great success and ran for 367 performances.

At the end of 1933, Gershwin, Hayward and the New York Theater Guild signed a contract for the opera. The following summer, the composer went to Folly Beach, where, imbued with the local atmosphere and music, he began to create the work. The libretto of the opera and most of the text of some of the arias belong to Hayward, but for some numbers (including the famous “It Ain’t Necessarily So”) the poems were written by Ira Gershwin, the composer’s brother.

Gershwin completed the opera in New York, and the first (test) production took place on September 30, 1935 at the Colonial Theater Boston. A month later the opera was staged Broadway. This production was directed by a student Vakhtangov - Ruben Mamulyan. A total of 124 performances were given, which many considered a failure.

Characters

Porgy, crippled beggar - baritone
Bess, young black woman - soprano
Crown, longshoreman - baritone
Sporting Life, drug dealer - tenor

Inhabitants of Catfish Row: Robbins, loader - baritone Sirina, his wife is a dramatic soprano Peter, honey merchant - tenor Lily, his wife is a soprano Maria, Porgy's neighbor - mezzo-soprano Frazier, lawyer - baritone Jake, fisherman - lyrical baritone Clara, his wife is a soprano Funeral supplies business owner- baritone Nelson- baritone Strawberry vendor- soprano Mingo, Annie, Jim and other inhabitants of the black quarter, detective, investigator, policeman, crab merchant, children.

The action takes place in Catfish Row, a poor black neighborhood of one of the southern cities of the United States.

Plot

A quarrel breaks out in the courtyard of the house during a game of dice - a drunken loader Krone kills a neighbor and disappears. Everyone turns away from his girlfriend, the beautiful Bess. Only the crippled beggar Porgy lets her into his house.

A month later, Porgy calls Bess his wife. During a picnic on an abandoned island, Krone appears and takes Bess with him by force.

Bess lies delirious in Porgy's house. In a moment of enlightenment, she admitted to Porgy that she loved him, but could not resist Crown.

After the storm, Krone, who miraculously escaped, sneaks to Porgy's house and does not notice Porgy's hand with a knife. In the ensuing struggle, Porgy kills Crown - now he has become Bess's real husband.

A murder investigation begins. The police grab Porgy. A drug dealer from New York nicknamed Sporting Life persistently seduces Bess with cocaine and the delights of the big city - because Porgy will not return. A week later, Porgy returns. But terrible news awaits him at home: Bess has left for New York with a merchant. Porgy gets into his goat-drawn cart and heads north to fetch his beloved Bess.

Famous arias

« Summertime"(Clara's lullaby from the first act)
"My Man's Gone Now"
“It Ain’t Necessarily So” (Sporting Life song)
"I Love You, Porgy"

George Gershwin Porgy and Bess message. Porgy and Bess

History of creation

Characters

Plot

Famous arias

Notes

Links

see also

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