Sunday, June 25, 2017

George Gershwin and DuBose Heyward - Summertime from Porgy and Bess

Opera was the popular music in 19th and early 20th Century Europe.  It never really developed the same mass appeal on these shores.  But musical theater filled the void.  George Gershwin was perhaps the most successful composer of this form.

It's summer, so enjoy.

4 comments:

libertyman said...

The American musical, sort of a poor man's opera. I didn't really appreciate the genre, even though we all hummed the music from West Side Story as kids.

Wonderful music, no one else is like Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald has a voice that must be among the greatest ever .

Grat post -- (just back from the lake, BTW.)

libertyman said...

That would be "Great",not "Great" and thanks, as always for doing this.

libertyman said...

"Grat" , sigh.

Knucklehead said...

My bride to be worked at the Komische Oper back in the days where there was still an East Berlin. This was one of their popular "light opera" performances. I saw Fiddler there . It was well done. Being a crass, uncouth American I booed the mean Soviet character. Everyone was appalled but he smiled and chuckled.

Here's another version of Summertime I find very amusing:

https://www.wimp.com/girl-stuns-americas-got-talent-judges-with-her-mind-boggling-singing-ventriloquism/