"Summertime": Museum Object and Cultural History
"Summertime": publishing date: 1935. composer: Gershwin, George. lyricist: Gershwin, Ira.
The object in the museum catalogue
This sheet music is for the song “Summertime,” with music by George Gershwin and lyrics by DuBose Heyward and Ira Gershwin. It was published by Gershwin Publishing Corp. in New York, New York in 1935.
”Summertime” was featured in the 1935 Broadway production of Porgy and Bess, with music by George Gershwin, libretto by DuBose Heyward, lyrics by DuBose Heyward and Ira Gershwin, based on the play Porgy by DuBose Heyward and Dorothy Heyward. The world premiere performance took place at the Colonial Theatre in Boston on September 30, 1935. Porgy and Bess opened on Broadway on October 10, 1935 at the Alvin Theatre and closed on January 25, 1936 after 124 performances.
The cover art for this sheet music was made by American artists Benjamin “Jorj” Harris (1904-1957) and Georgette Harris (1902-1963). The couple was known for their airbrush art and Art Deco style.
Materials, dates and provenance
- publishing date: 1935
- composer: Gershwin, George
- lyricist: Gershwin, Ira
- publisher: Gershwin Publishing Corp.
- Object Name: sheet music
- Physical Description: paper (overall material)
- Physical Description: ink (overall material)
- Measurements: overall: 12 in x 9 in; 30.48 cm x 22.86 cm
- place made: United States: New York, New York
- ID Number: 2014.3013.203
- nonaccession number: 2014.3013
- catalog number: 2014.3013.203
- Data Source: National Museum of American History
Sources and reuse
Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of American History through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed.
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