Summertime (aria)

Summertime is an aria from the opera Porgy and Bess ( 1935 ). The song grew from the end of the 1930s to become a classic among fans of classical music , jazz ,blues and pop music . Summertime was written by George Gershwin (music) and DuBose Heyward (text). The text is partially derived from the traditional All my trials.

Ira Gershwin was the main lyricist for Porgy and Bess, but at Summertime he has not contributed, although his name for business reasons by ASCAP stated. DuBose Heyward was the author of the novel Porgy, on which the opera is based. Only when the collaboration was with Heyward spoke, George Gershwin switched his brother Ira as librettist .

The opera begins when Clara Summertime as a lullaby sings to her baby. The melody then returns it back several times.

Summertime and the living is easy Fish are jumpin 'and the cotton is high Your daddy's rich and your mama's good lookin ' So hush little baby now, don't you cry.

Summertime (Gershwin / Heyward)

The melody starts as follows:

Contents
[verbergen]
 * 1 Instruments
 * 2 Versions
 * 3 Jazz Interpretations
 * 4 Languages
 * 5 Radio 2 Top 2000
 * 6 External links

[Instruments edit ]
The original is an operatic aria, sung by a (mezzo-) soprano, accompanied by a symphony orchestra and a choir. Today Summertime Connection has performances in different styles such as ska, South American (all rhythms), rock, house mixes in all shapes, all styles of jazz from Dixieland to bop and so-called improvised music.

Every conceivable instrument has been used (we report it to the first image ever on an instrument) of garden hose ( Noguru Hata on Dutch television), cow horn (Bengt Jonsson) and singing saw ( Matthew Beckman ) to conventional So (Korean flute) ( Lee Sang Gang ), theremin ( Lydia Kavina ), carillon ( Piet van den Broek ), xaphoon ( Arthur Mary on June 4, 2007 in Budapest ) and handbells (Rhapsody).

On July 23, 2007, Stone Jazz (a Korean formation) a version of Summertime given where the haegm (Korean violin); the piri (Korean oboe) and the gayagm (Korean harp) are combined with piano, bass and drums.

In 2007 China's 12 Girls Band recorded during a concert in Shanghai with guest singer Lila Downs also Summertime. It included the pipa, the erhu , the guzheng , the yang qin and the dizi used.

It should not go unmentioned the performance in 2007 on the hydraulophone (water pipe organ flute) by the inventor of this instrument, Steve Mann .

There are about 25 six-string electric cello in this world, there is a owned by Jennifer Adams, who along with her ​​husband duo Montana Skies forms. She plays her instrument standing and has already recorded a version of Summertime in 2006.

The dulzaina is a traditional Castilian instrument, a forerunner of the oboe can be considered. In January 2008 led Samuel Brogeras Summertime on this instrument.

Also, any style of singing is recorded: from a capella through karaoke and doowop to large mixed choirs, but also a performance in a pool because the extra echo was needed.

Versions [ edit ]
In 1935 the public was first acquainted with Summertime. That year, Porgy and Bess premiered and became the first plate version of Summertime recorded by Helen Jepson with choir and orchestra under the direction of Alexander Smal Lens. The oldest recording by Abbie Mitchell on piano by Gershwin himself a rehearsal recording from July 1935 which decades later emerged, was only released in 1991 on CD. Abbie Mitchell played the role of Clara in the first performances of Porgy and Bess. The success of the opera came only slowly. It was not until the fifties for Porgy and Bess as a classic was considered. Summertime was already through the cover versions of include Billie Holiday , Caspar Reardon , Maxine Sullivan , Sidney Bechet and Jerry Kruger become a jazz standard . Sam Cookes version 1957 is probably the first version aspop can be considered. In later years made ​​include Billy Stewart and Janis Joplin sure Summertime unless jazz is also considered as a pop classic. The Dutch band Brainbox in 1969 a hit with a rock arrangement of this song.

Sandra Reemer took in 1963 Snooze soft on - probably the first English version of Gershwin's classic.

[Jazz Interpretations edit ]

 * Sidney Bechet, 1939
 * Charlie Parker , Charlie Parker with Strings, 1949
 * Don Byas , Laura, 1952
 * Chet Baker, 1955
 * Bill Evans , How my heart sings! 1962
 * Booker T. & the MG's , And Now! 1966
 * Count Basie Good time blues, 1970 Lullaby Of Birdland, 1997
 * Stéphane Grappelli , Stephane Grappelli & friends in Paris 1996
 * George Benson concert in Carnegie Hall 1975
 * Ray Charles
 * John Coltrane , My Favorite Things 1961
 * Yannis Loussikoulou, "jazz for Delbo's bac", 2008 duo with Antoine Delbos (drums)
 * Miles Davis Porgy and Bess, 1958 arrangement by Gil Evans
 * Herbie Hancock Gershwin's World, 1998
 * Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong Porgy and Bess, 1957
 * Stan Getz Getz Au Go-Go 1964
 * Molly Johnson , Another Day, 2003
 * Joe Henderson
 * Annie Lennox
 * Billie Holiday Lady Day: The Complete Billie Holiday on Columbia, 1933-1944
 * Klazz Brothers & Cuba Percussion Jazz Meets Cuba, 2003
 * Biréli Lagrène and André Ceccarelli Jazz in Marciac
 * Aaron Neville, 2003
 * Renee Olstead , Renee Olstead, 2004
 * Billy Stewart , Billy Stewart Teaches Old Standards New Tricks 1966
 * Al Jarreau
 * Keith Jarrett
 * Nina Simone
 * Bessie Smith
 * Sarah Vaughan , Sarah Vaughan Sings Gershwin, 1998
 * Caetano Veloso , A Foreign Sound, 2004
 * Paolo Fresu , Kind of Porgy & Bess, 2002
 * Art Pepper , Modern Art, 1956. The Art Of Pepper - The Complete Omega Sessions Master Takes , 1957
 * Oscar Peterson
 * Gil Evans , Svengali, 1973
 * Albert Ayler , My name is Alber Ayler, 1963
 * Duke Ellington , Piano in the Foreground, 1961
 * Pat Metheny and Jim Hall , Jim Hall & Pat Metheny, 1999
 * Tal Farlow , The Return Of Tal Farlow 1969

Languages ​​[ edit ]
Summertime is originally written in English, but it has been interpreted in many languages. The Summertime Connection knows and Performances (in any language to any artist) Okazjonalny Quartet from Poland recorded a cabaret trilingual version where the stereotypes are discussed in the three languages.
 * Brazilian - Barbara Ohana
 * Bulgarian - Slavi Trifonov
 * Catalan - The Mimisikous Band
 * German - Peter Kraus
 * - Esperanto - Nicolin
 * Estonian - Optimistid
 * Finnish - Topi Sorsakoski
 * French - Joe Dassin
 * Fries - The Closet
 * Greek - Kanellopoulos
 * Hebrew - Shani Ezra - incomplete
 * - Hessian - Rhoihessisch
 * - Hohenloher - Annâweech
 * Hungarian - Tamás Sebesi
 * Italian - I Dalton
 * Japanese - The Dixie Saints
 * - Yiddish - Lee Colbert
 * Yugoslavian - Henda
 * Khmer - Ros Sereysothea
 * Latvian - SKAMP
 * - Malay - Titek Puspa
 * Maori - Wirimako Black
 * Dutch - Wilfred Clover
 * - Occitan - the Feliciana Lalonga
 * Austrian - Ernst Molden
 * Papiamento - Tropical Taste
 * Polish - Petra Janu
 * Portuguese - Nara Leão
 * Russian - Oleg Skripka
 * - Saarpfälzisch - Musikduo Udo & Marion
 * Serbian - Basa
 * Slovenian - Ursula Ramoveš
 * Slovak - Lucia Lužinská
 * Spanish - Cubismo
 * Czech - Hana Hegerova
 * - Tubegoshian - Miss Posey & Wessy
 * - Welsh - Sarah Glyn-Jones
 * - Yoruba - Angélique Kidjo
 * - Zulu - Amanda Strydom .

There is even a text in English as "Invitation to communion and / or Agnus Dei" by David Lee titled Bread is Broken, but unfortunately never implemented.