Porgy and Bess, dubbed a folk-opera by it's composer, George Gershwin, is a dramatic musical work that has impacted and influenced the worlds of opera, theater, concert music, jazz, and modern popular music, all while raising questions (and criticisms) about racial stereotypes present within the work. The music itself has evolved beyond its operatic origins into various adaptations, arrangements, interpretations, and derivative works that extend across all genres.
This website seeks to survey and document some of these more prominent musical adaptations--specifically those based on the aria "Summertime"--while providing a chronological context of the opera's musical evolution. It will also outline the various questions that undoubtedly arise from the historical and musical analyses contained herein.
Though this website is far from exhaustive, it is hoped that both the analyses and the questions they raise will serve as a point of departure for further discussions of the opera's artistic merits and apparent stereotypical depictions of the early black American experience in early twentieth century South Carolina.
This website seeks to survey and document some of these more prominent musical adaptations--specifically those based on the aria "Summertime"--while providing a chronological context of the opera's musical evolution. It will also outline the various questions that undoubtedly arise from the historical and musical analyses contained herein.
Though this website is far from exhaustive, it is hoped that both the analyses and the questions they raise will serve as a point of departure for further discussions of the opera's artistic merits and apparent stereotypical depictions of the early black American experience in early twentieth century South Carolina.