Catfish Row
Encyclopedia
"Catfish Row", originally titled "Suite from Porgy and Bess
", is an orchestral work by George Gershwin
based upon music from his famous opera. Gershwin completed the work in 1936 and it premiered at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia on January 21 of that year, with Alexander Smallens
conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra
. Gershwin played the piano part, including the piano solo in the opening moments. This piece preserves some of the darkest and most complex music Gershwin ever wrote.
It should not be confused with Porgy and Bess: A Symphonic Picture
, scored at the behest of Fritz Reiner
by Robert Russell Bennett
in 1942, and premiered by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
in 1943.
Gershwin divided his work into five sections:
Gershwin conducted all of the ensuing performances before his death in 1937. The suite was virtually forgotten until it was discovered, in March 1958, by Ira Gershwin
's secretary, Lawrence D. Stewart. Ira Gershwin decided to title to work "Catfish Row" to distinguish it from Robert Russell Bennett's medley.
Porgy and Bess
Porgy and Bess is an opera, first performed in 1935, with music by George Gershwin, libretto by DuBose Heyward, and lyrics by Ira Gershwin and DuBose Heyward. It was based on DuBose Heyward's novel Porgy and subsequent play of the same title, which he co-wrote with his wife Dorothy Heyward...
", is an orchestral work by George Gershwin
George Gershwin
George Gershwin was an American composer and pianist. Gershwin's compositions spanned both popular and classical genres, and his most popular melodies are widely known...
based upon music from his famous opera. Gershwin completed the work in 1936 and it premiered at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia on January 21 of that year, with Alexander Smallens
Alexander Smallens
Alexander Smallens was a Russian-born American conductor and music director.Smallens was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and emigrated to the United States as a child, becoming an American citizen in 1919...
conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra
Philadelphia Orchestra
The Philadelphia Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. One of the "Big Five" American orchestras, it was founded in 1900...
. Gershwin played the piano part, including the piano solo in the opening moments. This piece preserves some of the darkest and most complex music Gershwin ever wrote.
It should not be confused with Porgy and Bess: A Symphonic Picture
Porgy and Bess: A Symphonic Picture
Arranged by Gershwin's good friend and sometimes assistant Robert Russell Bennett in 1942, Porgy and Bess: A Symphonic Picture includes most of the best-known songs from the Gershwin opera Porgy and Bess, although not exactly in the order of their appearance...
, scored at the behest of Fritz Reiner
Fritz Reiner
Frederick Martin “Fritz” Reiner was a prominent conductor of opera and symphonic music in the twentieth century.-Biography:...
by Robert Russell Bennett
Robert Russell Bennett
Robert Russell Bennett was an American composer and arranger, best known for his orchestration of many well-known Broadway and Hollywood musicals by other composers such as Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Cole Porter, and Richard Rodgers. In 1957 and 2008, Bennett received Tony Awards...
in 1942, and premiered by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The orchestra's home is Heinz Hall, located in Pittsburgh's Cultural District.-History:...
in 1943.
Gershwin divided his work into five sections:
- Catfish Row contains the Introduction, "Jazzbo Brown's Piano Blues", which was cut from the opera until 1976 (a blues development of the overture theme), and the first iteration of "SummertimeSummertime (song)"Summertime" is an aria composed by George Gershwin for the 1935 opera Porgy and Bess. The lyrics are by DuBose Heyward, the author of the novel Porgy on which the opera was based, although the song is also co-credited to Ira Gershwin by ASCAP....
" with a short coda. - Porgy Sings contains one of Porgy's arias: "I Got Plenty o' Nuttin'" and Porgy and Bess's duet "Bess, You Is My Woman Now" bridged by some of the introduction to the latter song.
- Fugue contains the dark music from the murder of Crown in Act III scene 1.
- Hurricane features the music from the hurricane sequence (12 more measures than the R. R. Bennett Porgy and BessPorgy and BessPorgy and Bess is an opera, first performed in 1935, with music by George Gershwin, libretto by DuBose Heyward, and lyrics by Ira Gershwin and DuBose Heyward. It was based on DuBose Heyward's novel Porgy and subsequent play of the same title, which he co-wrote with his wife Dorothy Heyward...
"Symphonic Picture" medley). - Good Morning, Sistuh contains the Act III Prelude from the final scene of the opera, as well as the final song, "Oh, Lawd, I'm on My Way".
Gershwin conducted all of the ensuing performances before his death in 1937. The suite was virtually forgotten until it was discovered, in March 1958, by Ira Gershwin
Ira Gershwin
Ira Gershwin was an American lyricist who collaborated with his younger brother, composer George Gershwin, to create some of the most memorable songs of the 20th century....
's secretary, Lawrence D. Stewart. Ira Gershwin decided to title to work "Catfish Row" to distinguish it from Robert Russell Bennett's medley.