Product Description
"Summertime" from 'Porgy and Bess' by Gershwin; as played by pianist Roger Williams.
The original was written in 4/4 time or sometimes written in cut-time. This arrangement is unique in that it is written as a jazz waltz; which Gershwin would later play on various piano rolls. The Roger Williams performance; on which this arrangement is based; follows Gershwin's example.
"Summertime" is an aria composed in 1934 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, and Ira Gershwin.
The song soon became a popular and much-recorded jazz standard, described as "without doubt ... one of the finest songs the composer ever wrote ... Gershwin's highly evocative writing brilliantly mixes elements of jazz and the song styles of blacks in the southeast United States from the early twentieth century"
Roger Williams (born Louis Jacob Weertz; October 1, 1924 October 8, 2011) was an American popular music pianist. Described by the Los Angeles Times as "one of the most popular instrumentalists of the mid-20th century", and "the rare instrumental pop artist to strike a lasting commercial chord," Williams had 22 hit singlesincluding the chart-topping "Autumn Leaves" in 1955 and "Born Free" in 1966and 38 hit albums between 1955 and 1972.
He was a Navy boxing champion, played for nine U.S. Presidential administrations, and had a gold Steinway & Sons grand piano model named in his honor.
This product was created by a member of ArrangeMe, Hal Leonard's global self-publishing community of independent composers, arrangers, and songwriters. ArrangeMe allows for the publication of unique arrangements of both popular titles and original compositions from a wide variety of voices and backgrounds.