121:'s version was captured when she sang it impromptu at a recording session. According to her biographer Nadine Cohodas, "Ray Hall, the engineer, had come out of the control room. But as soon as he heard Nina and then heard the bass player catch her groove, he hustled back to run a tape. "'From somewhere', Davis said of the bewitching moment, 'she called up the stamina to deliver with even more intensity and spirit a rare, perfect performance in one take, which could not possibly be improved.'"
99:. She sings that she will no longer hear his footsteps coming up stairs and that "ol man sorrow" will be her companion from now on, telling her she is old. The aria's music and lyrics refer to popular African American spiritual songs and are accompanied by melodic wails which are picked up by the chorus.
238:
refers to the song as an example of "substituting the minor for the major third in the descending 5–3–1 progression, we have a phrase which has been much used to express an 'incoming' painful emotion, in a context of finality: acceptance of, or yielding to grief; discouragement and depression;
239:
passive suffering; and the despair connected with death." Gershwin uses it to express "the despair of Serena... as she laments that her murdered husband will never come home to her again—'My man's gone now'."
115:
that it was important to express the "cultural context that is captured in the music." Speaking to an aspiring singer, she said that the song's distinctive sighing refrains must be "like moaning in church."
646:
687:
575:
53:
591:
606:
652:
755:
226:, it creates a distinctive "informal, uneducated diction and a stream of consciousness" that defines the verbal style of the characters.
386:
638:
661:
623:
600:
711:
450:
750:
583:
188:
148:
615:
499:
222:
719:
680:
134:
513:
379:
703:
695:
568:
163:
551:
527:
350:
631:
520:
372:
437:
335:
318:
276:
Dvořák to Duke
Ellington: A Conductor Explores America's Music and Its African American Roots
234:
193:
200:
8:
745:
358:
220:
has expressed his deep admiration for Dubose
Heyward's lyrics, writing that, along with
534:
87:
In the opera, the aria is sung by Serena, the grieving widow, at her husband
Robbins's
217:
482:
467:
205:
88:
49:
28:
291:, University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 2002, p. 198.
477:
432:
396:
354:
271:
180:
108:
64:
60:
37:
32:
344:
739:
411:
154:
72:
472:
416:
313:
255:
229:
168:
112:
76:
443:
139:
118:
96:
68:
339:
304:, Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale, Illinois, 1990, p. 13
129:
91:. He has been murdered by Crown, a drunken stevedore, during a game of
143:
45:
364:
647:
The Modern Jazz
Quartet Plays George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess
175:
92:
688:
Selections from George
Gershwin's Folk Opera Porgy and Bess
125:
24:
152:, and then by Davis again in 1981 on the live album
302:
289:
Princess Noire: The
Tumultuous Reign of Nina Simone
262:, Oxford University Press, New York, 1996, p. 116.
737:
278:, Oxford University Press, New York, 2004, p. 70
48:, it has been covered by many singers, notably
322:, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1963 p. 133
380:
111:, who regularly played Bess, once said in a
579:(Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong album)
387:
373:
124:The song has repeatedly been adapted for
67:(who would later sing the part of Bess),
595:(Sammy Davis Jr. and Carmen McRae album)
738:
610:(Harry Belafonte and Lena Horne album)
601:Oscar Peterson Plays Porgy & Bess
368:
260:Ira Gershwin: The Art of the Lyricist
756:Songs with lyrics by DuBose Heyward
656:(Oscar Peterson and Joe Pass album)
451:Porgy and Bess: A Symphonic Picture
198:The song is included in 2019 album
186:The song is included in 2000 album
173:The song is included in 1986 album
161:The song is included in 1984 album
44:Sung in the original production by
13:
394:
14:
767:
329:
212:
82:
681:Highlights from Porgy and Bess
307:
294:
281:
265:
249:
135:Sunday at the Village Vanguard
1:
720:The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess
242:
7:
569:The Complete Porgy and Bess
361:, Washington D.C., May 2000
102:
95:played in the courtyard of
10:
772:
632:Porgy & Bess Revisited
751:Songs from Porgy and Bess
715:(1989 Glyndebourne album)
672:
560:
544:
521:Bess, You Is My Woman Now
491:
460:
425:
404:
35:, written for the opera
16:Aria from Porgy and Bess
528:It Ain't Necessarily So
514:I Got Plenty o' Nuttin'
146:in 1959 on their album
691:(1940 and 1942 albums)
642:(Buddy Collette album)
300:Joanne Lesley Gordon,
665:(Joe Henderson album)
319:The Language of Music
235:The Language of Music
194:Grover Washington Jr.
128:versions, notably by
627:(Mundell Lowe album)
192:by jazz saxophonist
673:Operatic treatments
587:(Miles Davis album)
359:Coolidge Auditorium
164:The Las Vegas Story
619:(Hank Jones album)
535:I Loves You, Porgy
733:
732:
729:
728:
507:My Man's Gone Now
31:, with lyrics by
21:My Man's Gone Now
763:
662:Porgy & Bess
639:Porgy & Bess
624:Porgy & Bess
558:
557:
389:
382:
375:
366:
365:
347:
323:
311:
305:
298:
292:
287:Nadine Cohodas,
285:
279:
269:
263:
253:
218:Stephen Sondheim
204:by jazz bassist
179:by jazz pianist
79:, among others.
771:
770:
766:
765:
764:
762:
761:
760:
736:
735:
734:
725:
668:
561:Jazz treatments
556:
540:
487:
483:Dorothy Heyward
468:George Gershwin
456:
438:Film adaptation
421:
400:
393:
345:
332:
327:
326:
312:
308:
299:
295:
286:
282:
270:
266:
254:
250:
245:
215:
206:Larry Grenadier
105:
85:
50:Ella Fitzgerald
29:George Gershwin
17:
12:
11:
5:
769:
759:
758:
753:
748:
731:
730:
727:
726:
724:
723:
716:
712:Porgy and Bess
708:
704:Porgy and Bess
700:
696:Porgy and Bess
692:
684:
676:
674:
670:
669:
667:
666:
658:
654:Porgy and Bess
650:
643:
635:
628:
620:
616:Porgy and Bess
612:
608:Porgy and Bess
604:
597:
593:Porgy and Bess
589:
585:Porgy and Bess
581:
577:Porgy and Bess
573:
564:
562:
555:
554:
548:
546:
542:
541:
539:
538:
531:
524:
517:
510:
503:
495:
493:
489:
488:
486:
485:
480:
478:DuBose Heyward
475:
470:
464:
462:
458:
457:
455:
454:
447:
440:
435:
429:
427:
423:
422:
420:
419:
414:
408:
406:
402:
401:
397:Porgy and Bess
392:
391:
384:
377:
369:
363:
362:
355:Audra McDonald
342:
331:
330:External links
328:
325:
324:
306:
293:
280:
272:Maurice Peress
264:
247:
246:
244:
241:
214:
213:Critical views
211:
210:
209:
196:
184:
181:Mulgrew Miller
171:
159:
149:Porgy and Bess
122:
116:
109:Leontyne Price
104:
101:
84:
81:
65:Audra McDonald
61:Leontyne Price
55:Porgy and Bess
38:Porgy and Bess
33:DuBose Heyward
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
768:
757:
754:
752:
749:
747:
744:
743:
741:
722:
721:
717:
714:
713:
709:
706:
705:
701:
698:
697:
693:
690:
689:
685:
683:
682:
678:
677:
675:
671:
664:
663:
659:
657:
655:
651:
649:
648:
644:
641:
640:
636:
634:
633:
629:
626:
625:
621:
618:
617:
613:
611:
609:
605:
603:
602:
598:
596:
594:
590:
588:
586:
582:
580:
578:
574:
571:
570:
566:
565:
563:
559:
553:
550:
549:
547:
543:
536:
532:
529:
525:
522:
518:
515:
511:
508:
504:
501:
497:
496:
494:
490:
484:
481:
479:
476:
474:
471:
469:
466:
465:
463:
459:
453:
452:
448:
446:
445:
441:
439:
436:
434:
431:
430:
428:
424:
418:
415:
413:
410:
409:
407:
403:
399:
398:
390:
385:
383:
378:
376:
371:
370:
367:
360:
356:
352:
348:
343:
341:
337:
334:
333:
321:
320:
315:
310:
303:
297:
290:
284:
277:
273:
268:
261:
257:
252:
248:
240:
237:
236:
231:
227:
225:
224:
219:
207:
203:
202:
197:
195:
191:
190:
185:
182:
178:
177:
172:
170:
166:
165:
160:
157:
156:
155:We Want Miles
151:
150:
145:
141:
137:
136:
131:
127:
123:
120:
117:
114:
110:
107:
106:
100:
98:
94:
90:
80:
78:
74:
73:Sarah Vaughan
70:
66:
62:
58:
56:
52:(on the 1958
51:
47:
42:
40:
39:
34:
30:
26:
22:
718:
710:
707:(1951 album)
702:
699:(1950 album)
694:
686:
679:
660:
653:
645:
637:
630:
622:
614:
607:
599:
592:
584:
576:
572:(1956 album)
567:
506:
473:Ira Gershwin
449:
442:
395:
317:
314:Deryck Cooke
309:
301:
296:
288:
283:
275:
267:
259:
256:Philip Furia
251:
233:
230:Deryck Cooke
228:
221:
216:
201:The Gleaners
199:
187:
174:
169:The Gun Club
162:
153:
147:
133:
113:master class
86:
83:In the opera
77:Shirley Horn
54:
43:
36:
27:composed by
20:
18:
552:Discography
444:Catfish Row
426:Adaptations
140:Miles Davis
132:in 1961 on
119:Nina Simone
97:Catfish Row
69:Nina Simone
746:1935 songs
740:Categories
500:Summertime
340:genius.com
243:References
223:Summertime
130:Bill Evans
144:Gil Evans
138:, and by
46:Ruby Elzy
461:Creators
103:Versions
41:(1935).
23:" is an
405:Sources
351:YouTube
336:Lyrics
75:, and
545:Media
492:Songs
433:Opera
412:Novel
346:Video
176:Work!
93:craps
57:album
417:Play
189:Aria
142:and
126:jazz
89:wake
25:aria
349:on
232:in
167:by
59:),
742::
357:,
353:,
338:,
316:,
274:,
258:,
71:,
63:,
537:"
533:"
530:"
526:"
523:"
519:"
516:"
512:"
509:"
505:"
502:"
498:"
388:e
381:t
374:v
208:.
183:.
158:.
19:"
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.