Gershwin Porgy and Bess Sheet Music, Program Notes and Recordings

The Great American Opera

For years, George Gershwin had been searching for a story that could serve as the foundation for a truly American opera, one that would be as artistically serious as the great European works but rooted in the native musical idioms he knew best. He found it in 1926 when he read DuBose Heyward's bestselling novel, Porgy. He immediately recognized its potential. To prepare for the immense task of composing the opera, Gershwin and Heyward spent the summer of 1934 on Folly Island, a small barrier island near Charleston, South Carolina. There, they immersed themselves in the local Gullah culture, listening to the unique speech patterns, the work songs, and the passionate, shouted spirituals of the people at their prayer meetings. Gershwin didn't just observe; he participated, joining in the singing and absorbing the rhythmic and melodic DNA of the community. This deep, immersive research provided the raw, authentic material that would allow him to create a score of unparalleled power and verisimilitude.

The Story: Love and Tragedy on Catfish Row A Powerful Libretto

The opera is set in Catfish Row, a close-knit but poor African American tenement community. The story centers on Porgy, a kind-hearted man disabled from birth, who gets around in a small goat-cart. He falls in love with Bess, a beautiful but troubled woman who is under the control of the violent stevedore Crown and the sly drug dealer Sportin' Life. When Crown kills a man in a drunken craps game and flees, Bess is left ostracized. Only Porgy offers her shelter and kindness, and a deep, transformative love develops between them. Their happiness is threatened when Crown returns to reclaim Bess during a community picnic. In a climactic struggle, Porgy kills Crown to protect Bess. While Porgy is taken by the police for questioning, the cynical Sportin' Life tempts the vulnerable Bess with "happy dust" and convinces her to run away with him to New York. The opera ends with Porgy’s heartbreaking return to Catfish Row, only to find Bess gone. Undeterred, he sets off in his goat-cart for New York, determined to find her in the opera’s famous, tragically optimistic final line: "I'm on my way. "

An American Folk Opera A Fusion of Styles

Gershwin subtitled his work an "American Folk Opera," and the score is a masterful realization of that concept. He built a sophisticated musical structure using the tools of European opera—including leitmotifs (recurring musical themes for specific characters or ideas) and sung-through recitatives—but filled that structure with the sounds of his homeland. The score is a rich tapestry of musical styles. Soaring, romantic arias worthy of Puccini, like the love duet "Bess, You Is My Woman Now," exist alongside banjo-driven folk tunes like "I Got Plenty o' Nuttin'. " The call-and-response patterns of gospel music are heard in the prayer scenes, while the seductive allure of jazz and ragtime are used to characterize the tempter, Sportin' Life. Throughout the work, Gershwin uses the blues scale and blues harmonies to create the score’s fundamental emotional language.

An Unforgettable Score A Parade of Hits

The score of Porgy and Bess is one of the richest in all of opera. It opens with one of the most famous melodies ever written, the languid, bluesy lullaby "Summertime," which perfectly establishes the hot, hazy atmosphere of Catfish Row. Porgy’s character is defined by his music, from the simple, joyous contentment of "I Got Plenty o' Nuttin'" to the profound declaration of love in "I Loves You, Porgy. " The villainous characters are likewise brilliantly drawn. Crown is given brutal, primal music, while Sportin' Life gets the opera's most sophisticatedly jazzy numbers, including the slinky, cynical sermon "It Ain't Necessarily So. " The chorus itself functions as a central character, representing the collective voice of the community through powerful prayers, work songs, and funeral dirges.

A Complex and Controversial Legacy The Question of Representation

From its premiere, Porgy and Bess has been at the center of a complex and vital cultural debate. In the 1930s, some Black intellectuals and artists, including the great Duke Ellington, criticized the work for what they saw as a stereotyped portrayal of Black life, focusing on poverty, violence, and superstition. The use of a white composer and librettist to tell a Black story has also been a recurring point of contention, raising important questions about cultural appropriation. Conversely, the work has been championed as a powerful, deeply felt human tragedy that broke down racial barriers. Gershwin’s insistence on a Black cast provided unprecedented, high-profile employment for classically trained singers who were barred from performing at major opera houses like the Metropolitan Opera. For many, the opera stands as a landmark that presents its characters with a depth, dignity, and humanity that was revolutionary for its time. This debate continues today, a testament to the work's enduring power and cultural resonance.

From Broadway to the Met The Journey to Acceptance

The opera's initial Broadway run in 1935 was a critical, but not a commercial, success. For decades, it occupied a liminal space between musical theater and grand opera, often performed in heavily cut versions. Its status as a true operatic masterpiece was finally and irrevocantly confirmed by two landmark productions. The first was the 1976 Houston Grand Opera production, which restored Gershwin's complete original score for the first time since 1935, revealing the work's full symphonic and dramatic power. This triumph led directly to the opera's historic 1985 premiere at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, nearly 50 years after it was composed. Today, it is a staple of opera houses around the globe, recognized as the definitive Great American Opera.