Four numbers from Gershwin's opera "Porgy and Bess":
1) Summertime
Scoring: Wind decet plus optional double bass
Date: 2026A wind decet arrangement of the famous song "Summertime", in which the flute takes the leading solo role (originally sung by Bess) followed by the oboe. Both should be played with as much laid-back blues-iness as possible. The horns, bassoons and cor anglais provide the opening downward chord sequence to D major to provide a silky smooth atmosphere for the two solo instruments, while other instruments supply delicate background sparkles. Imagine a lazy hot day by a gently flowing river!
Links: pdf (score) - pdf (parts) - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6
2) It ain't necessarily so
Scoring: Wind decet plus optional double bass
Date: 2026A wind decet arrangement of the eccentric song "It ain't necessarily so" from the opera. After a noisy introduction with all instruments playing, the two clarinets provide the sleasy solo line, echoed each time by several other instruments. This is contrasted by the triplet-based theme (accompanied by a marching, duplet rhythm), which appears both in the middle and also near the end. It should all be played with plenty of razzmatazz.
3) Bess, you is my woman
Scoring: Wind decet plus optional double bass
Date: 2026A wind decet arrangement of the romantic song "Bess, you is my woman" from the opera. The cor anglais starts straight away with Porgy's theme, while the bassoons, horns and clarinets provide a jaunty accompaniment which drives the song along. On a couple of occasions, after a slightly faster passage, a beautifully tender repeated quaver passage is played by the piccolo, flute or oboe, giving a feeling of genuine affection to the song.
Links: pdf (score) - pdf (parts) - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6
4) I got plenty o' nuttin'
Scoring: Wind decet plus optional double bass and voices
Date: 2026A final wind decet arrangement of the crazy song "I got plenty o'nuttin'" from the opera, with the possibility of including singers on the vocal line. The song is marked "Moderato con gioia" ("with joy"!) This is an opportunity perhaps to include the audience sing along, as the melody and lyrics are highly memorable and great fun. A mandolin is sometimes used to accompany the voices, and here it is the cor anglais which again gets to double the melody in the first verse. However, the entry of the piccolo in the second verse confirms the levity of this song and it ends, after a spoken "no use complaining!", with a bass flourish in the clarinets and bassoons.
Links: pdf (score) - pdf (parts) - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6
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