{"id":7487,"date":"2018-05-07T08:00:32","date_gmt":"2018-05-07T12:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=7487"},"modified":"2018-05-07T15:56:33","modified_gmt":"2018-05-07T19:56:33","slug":"jewish-american-heritage-month-george-and-ira-gershwin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=7487","title":{"rendered":"Jewish American Heritage Month – George and Ira Gershwin"},"content":{"rendered":"
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George and Ira Gershwin. Image Source<\/span><\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\n

In 2006, President George W. Bush proclaimed that the month of May in the United States would officially be known as Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM) – a month to celebrate the significant and varied contributions of Jewish Americans to American culture. The proclamation of JAHM was the long-awaited success of the Jewish Museum of Florida and South Florida Jewish community leaders who, aided by members of Congress, advocated for the proclamation. 2018\u2019s JAHM theme is \u201cJewish Contributions to American Music,<\/span><\/a>\u201d and diving into this particular contribution, one barely knows where to begin! From Irving Berlin to Barbra Streisand, from Aaron Copland to Leonard Bernstein, the list of beloved Jewish American singers, songwriters, composers, musicians, and conductors in practically endless. SCRC houses many records on music and the performing arts in the 20th century, and we are fortunate enough to hold records on one of the most famous Jewish American music duos of all time – George and Ira Gershwin. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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George Gershwin. Image Source<\/a>.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

Born in New York City in 1896 and 1898 respectively, Ira and George Gershwin were a dynamic duo when it came to making music. George composed and was an extremely talented pianist. Ira was a witty and gifted lyricist, and often composed lyrics to his brother\u2019s tunes. From 1924 on they were a powerhouse duo on the American Musical Theatre scene. Some of their most famous songs to hit the radio and be featured in films were <\/span>I Got Rhythm<\/a>, S\u2019Wonderful<\/a>, They Can\u2019t Take That Away From Me<\/a>, Someone to Watch Over Me<\/a>, <\/span><\/i><\/span>and <\/span>Let\u2019s Call The Whole Thing Off<\/a>. <\/span><\/i><\/span>On his own, George Gershwin composed some of the most recognizable pieces of music in American history, including <\/span>Rhapsody in Blue<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/span> and <\/span>An American in Paris<\/a><\/span>. <\/span><\/i>However, the brothers\u2019 magnum opus would manifest in the creation of their landmark, as George called it, \u201cfolk opera:”\u00a0<\/span>Porgy and Bess.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

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Ira Gershwin. Image Source<\/a><\/span>.<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Porgy and Bess<\/span><\/i> tells the story of Porgy, a disabled African American street-beggar living in Catfish Row, a slum of Charleston, South Carolina. Throughout the Opera, Porgy encounters Bess, an African American woman suffering under and wishing to be released from the clutches of her lover Crown and her drug dealer, Sportin\u2019 Life. The two eventually begin living together and fall in love, with many consequences ensuing. Adapted from the play <\/span>Porgy<\/span><\/i> by Dorothy Heyward, which was itself adapted from the novel of the same name by DuBose Heyward, <\/span>Porgy and Bess <\/span><\/i>was a joint effort by George (music), Ira (lyrics) and a libretto written by Heyward, the original author. The three began working on the opera in 1933, and finished it by 1934. The opera contains such beloved songs as Summertime<\/a><\/em><\/span>\u00a0and I Got Plenty of Nothing<\/a><\/em>,<\/span> which are now apart of the American Operatic Canon. From the beginning, the opera was met with controversy regarding its treatment of African American racial stereotypes, and overall was a commercial failure and met with little critical success. It wasn\u2019t until 1942 when a Broadway revival brought it back to the American public\u2019s attention did the opera begin to receive success, and cemented it as a cultural touchstone. Eventually in 1952 a large European tour was undertaken by Robert Breen and Blevins Davis of the American National Theatre and Academy (ANTA.) SCRC houses many posters from this tour in the Porgy and Bess posters collection<\/a><\/span>, which eventually returned and toured North America. Please enjoy a selection of these posters from the European tour below.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Poster from a performance of Porgy and Bess<\/em> at La Scala in Milan, Italy, February 22, 1955, Porgy and Bess poster collection, C0145, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Poster from a performance of Porgy and Bess<\/em> at the Chicago Civic Opera House, circa 1950s, Porgy and Bess poster collection, C0145, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Poster from a performance of Porgy and Bess<\/em> at the Hippodroom in Antwerp, Germany, circa 1950s, Porgy and Bess poster collection, C0145, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Poster from a performance of Porgy and Bess<\/em> at Aarhus-Hallen in Copenhagen, Denmark, circa 1950s, Porgy and Bess poster collection, C0145, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Audra McDonald and Norm Lewis in the 2012 revival of\u00a0Porgy and Bess.\u00a0<\/em>Image Source<\/a><\/span>.<\/p><\/div>\n

Porgy and Bess<\/em> continues to be performed to the day, and was successfully revived in 2012 on Broadway. The production starred Audra McDonald as Bess, Norm Lewis as Porgy, David Alan Grier as Sportin’ Life, and Phillip Boykin as Crown. Songs from <\/span>Porgy and Bess<\/em>, as well as many other Gershwin Brothers’ tunes have been sung and covered by some of the most legendary musical performers, not just in the United States, but internationally. Their musical legacy on American culture and the world at large is the definition of indelible.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sources<\/strong><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.playbill.com\/production\/porgy-and-bess-richard-rodgers-theatre-vault-0000013747<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Porgy_and_Bess<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/George_Gershwin<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ira_Gershwin<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

http:\/\/gershwin.com\/publications\/porgy-and-bess\/<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Porgy-and-Bess<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Follow Special Collections Research Center on Social Media at our\u00a0Facebook<\/a>,\u00a0Instagram<\/a><\/span>, and\u00a0Twitter<\/a><\/span>\u00a0accounts. To search the collections\u00a0held at Special Collections Research Center, go to our\u00a0website<\/a><\/span>\u00a0and browse the finding aids by subject or title. You may also e-mail\u00a0us at\u00a0speccoll@gmu.edu<\/a><\/span>\u00a0or call 703-993-2220 if you would like to\u00a0schedule an appointment, request materials, or if you have questions. Appointments are not necessary to request and view collections.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In 2006, President George W. Bush proclaimed that the month of May in the United States would officially be known as Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM) – a month to celebrate the significant and varied contributions of Jewish Americans to American culture. The proclamation of JAHM was the long-awaited success of the Jewish Museum of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":101014,"featured_media":7508,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,121],"tags":[580,554,622,620,159,615,122,617,616,621,618,619,479,541,614,89,75,92],"class_list":["post-7487","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-scrc-interest","category-scrc-picks","tag-african-american-history","tag-anta","tag-chicago","tag-denmark","tag-european-theater","tag-george-gershwin","tag-germany","tag-gershwin-brothers","tag-ira-gershwin","tag-italy","tag-jewish-american-heritage-month","tag-jewish-american-history","tag-music-history","tag-musical-theater","tag-opera","tag-robert-breen","tag-theater","tag-theatre"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/porgyandbess3.jpg?fit=3240%2C4976&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8Ep5i-1WL","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":10982,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=10982","url_meta":{"origin":7487,"position":0},"title":"My Archival Journey by Vilma Chicas Garcia","author":"Amanda Menjivar","date":"May 24, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Vilma Chicas Garcia is the L. 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I have always felt very lucky to have discovered this profession when I did.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "SCRC interest"","block_context":{"text":"SCRC interest","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=5"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/vilma2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/vilma2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/vilma2.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/vilma2.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/vilma2.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/vilma2.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7809,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=7809","url_meta":{"origin":7487,"position":1},"title":"The Jerome Epstein Papers – Part One","author":"Amanda Menjivar","date":"August 6, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"The post was written by Ben Brands, the 2018 L. Claire Kincannon Intern at the George Mason University Libraries Special Collections Research Center. He holds a B.A. in History from the College of William and Mary and an M.A. in History at George Mason University, and is currently a PhD\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Internships"","block_context":{"text":"Internships","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=516"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/JEps-and-Family.jpg?fit=705%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/JEps-and-Family.jpg?fit=705%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/JEps-and-Family.jpg?fit=705%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/JEps-and-Family.jpg?fit=705%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11181,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=11181","url_meta":{"origin":7487,"position":2},"title":"Recapping the Zelda Fichandler Speakers Event","author":"Meghan Glasbrenner","date":"October 4, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 The Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) and George Mason University (GMU) Libraries recently hosted a speaker\u2019s event focused on the life and work of Zelda Fichandler. Known for her leadership and innovation as a director and educator in theater during the mid-20th century, Zelda was one of the founders\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "SCRC interest"","block_context":{"text":"SCRC interest","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=5"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Zelda_03.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Zelda_03.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Zelda_03.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Zelda_03.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Zelda_03.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Zelda_03.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5647,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=5647","url_meta":{"origin":7487,"position":3},"title":"About the Special Collections Research Center","author":"admin","date":"June 9, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"The Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) in George Mason University Libraries serves the scholarly community and beyond. While our services are used mainly by students and faculty, we are open to the public for research or for personal interest. The SCRC staff is dedicated to preserving, organizing, and collecting various\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "oral history"","block_context":{"text":"oral history","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=104"},"img":{"alt_text":"Poe,Edgar Allan, The Raven, PS2609 .A1 1884, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/PS2609_A1_1884FB-240x168.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6228,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=6228","url_meta":{"origin":7487,"position":4},"title":"Ok…So we found THIS during Rare Book Inventory.","author":"Bob Vay","date":"March 27, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"We are in the midst of doing an inventory or our rare books collection in SCRC. While working in the folio section, a colleague and I stumbled upon this disturbing yet intriguing volume. \u00a0Wie die Ostmark ihre Befreiung Erlebte: Adolf Hitler und sein Weg zu Grossdeutschland (How Austria Experienced its\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Rare Books"","block_context":{"text":"Rare Books","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=326"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Hitler_Book_03.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":11750,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=11750","url_meta":{"origin":7487,"position":5},"title":"Archives Neighbors: George Washington’s Mount Vernon","author":"Meghan Glasbrenner","date":"January 23, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 The Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) is excited to present another entry in our Archives Neighbors blog series. SCRC has recently had the opportunity to visit with some of our neighbor archives in the Northern Virginia-D.C. Metro area. 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