Michael Huerta

10/11/17

Harlem Renaissance

Betts

Porgy and Bess: A Review

According to historian Betsy Schwarm and her account of the opening of the Opera

Porgy and Bess in 1935, “Porgy and Bess met with limited success, running for only 124

performances.” The manner in which the opera was written was said to have “stereotyped

[African American] culture presenting it as one involving drinking, gambling, violence, and

drug dealing.” This interpretation sees the opera as almost satirical and insulting in nature.

However, I believe the Porgy and Bess draws on these controversial topics of drugs and

violence to give an accurate interpretation on Black Life in the early 1900’s and show how

African Americans had a strong sense of community and their place in society during that

time of American history. Porgy and Bess uses the sophistication of classical opera as well as

the influences of jazz to encompass everyone no matter their race.

Through his blending of both classical opera and jazz, Gershwin was able to paint a

vivid picture of Catfish Row in South Carolina. Establishing a strong setting provided

Gershwin with the opportunity to clearly show what African American community consisted
of in the early twentieth-century. In an interview about Porgy and Bess, composer and

musician Rob Kalikow emphasizes the eight-bar introduction to “Summer Time” but more

specifically, the very last note. “That one note brings us into the world of Catfish Row. It’s

amazing, the power of a single note.” As the musical line gets slower, the change in one

pitch and key, causes a change in setting ultimately bringing the audience into Catfish Row.

This intro is immediately followed by Bess’s song to her child. She describes the living as

easy however, we know that “The living is anything but easy.” Kalikow stresses the

“Languor in one note” on the word “easy.” The slow and dragging nature of the song

suggests that the living is not easy but they live in a community in which it is bearable. This

not only helps bring Catfish Row to life, but also parallels Black society in the early

twentieth-century. Struggling every day to make ends meet but coming home to a place to

call home and where one feels they truly belong. Bess later strengthens this idea through

her voice and lullaby to her baby. She sings with hope that her baby will “rise up singing,

spread [it’s] wings, and take up to the sky.” These lyrics instill a sense of love and home in

catfish row. Bess sings to her baby that “Nothing can harm you with daddy and mamma

standing by,” establishing the familial aspect of black society within the opera. Shortly after,

Porgy comes to sing to his son. His fatherly warning of “A Woman Is a Sometime Thing” can

best be interpreted as a paternal song from father to child. Sharing a significant moment

with both mother and father, further strengthens a sense of family and community in

Catfish Row. By doing this, Gershwin portrays a place where the living is easier.
 In addition to using music as a conduit to explore ideas of community and family,

Gershwin also uses Jazz and blues in his opera in order to further parallel and identify with

20th century society. By doing so, he was able to fully capture the Afro-American’s low social

standing within society as well as what African Americans viewed as valuable. Conductor

Michael Gilson Thomas emphasizes that Gershwin’s musical style was completely his own

“blending black and Jewish influences.” Gershwin was able to take the Afro-American music

of jazz and blues, and turn into his own music by adding his own personal spin on it. In the

song “I got plenty O’ Nuttin’,” Porgy’s jazzy swung melody explains the brutal southern

black life in a nonchalant way. Stating that “nuttin’s plenty for [him]” Porgy brushes away

the material objects casually as if they mean nothing to him. He explains that whites “got a

lock on de door ‘Fraid somebody’s a-goin’ to rob ‘em,” representing the racism and

skepticism that social norms placed upon the African American population in early

twentieth century America. By expelling materialism from his life, Porgy is able to focus on

important aspects of his life such as his wife, baby, and community. Porgy becomes a

symbol for all African Americans and their need for community in a time where they had no

material wealth and were considered to be criminals of society.

Gershwin successfully painted a picture of what the African American community

truly represented in the early 20th century. The opera often faced backlash for its themes of

violence and drugs within African American community that was created by a white man.

However, For Gershwin, “there was this belief that he could create an imaginary world that

would be authentic to his imagination, if not to the reality of Charleston, South Carolina.”
Gershwin intended to do the same thing with the story as he did with the music; make it

into something that was original and though provoking. By including the influence of African

culture, he is able to tie the music and story back to black identity and what it meant to be

an African American in the south. The vast amount of chorus interludes and gender based

songs reveal the social dichotomies and importance of community in Southern Afro-

American culture. To some individuals during the time this creation was deemed as

offensive and satirical. The opera was considered to be “an example of Uncle Thomism,” as

stereotypical white superiority piece of work. However, “African-Americans asserted their

rightful place in American society” in the mid-1970’s and Porgy and Bess became a symbol

of what black society and identity used to be rather than what it was becoming.

Gershwin’s classic work, Porgy and Bess has become one of the most important

piece of American music written in the 20th century. It explores ideas of racism, violence,

and everything that encompasses black society in the early 20th century. It has become a

reminder of how far Afro-American society and has progressed and developed into what it

is today. By including wide raged of music from Jazz and Blues to traditional classical

Gershwin was able to grab the interests on many different audiences. Creating the street

called Catfish Row in South Carolina, Porgy and Bess emphasizes the importance of how

African Americans were viewed in early 20th century America as well as their strong sense of

community. Gershwin was able to create a masterpiece that’s message will echo for years

to come.
 Works Cited
"Citation." I Got Plenty O' Nuttin' [From Porgy and Bess] Lyrics. N.p., n.d. Web.
"How Gershwin Captured the Essence of Summer in a Lullaby." PBS. Public Broadcasting Service, 23
Sept. 2015. Web.
Lunden, Jeff. "'Porgy and Bess'." NPR. NPR, 08 Oct. 2000. Web.
Nocera, Joe. "Variations on an Explosive Theme." The New York Times. The New York Times, 21 Jan.
2012. Web.
Schwarm, Betsy. "Porgy and Bess." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 10 Jan.
2014. Web.