After George Gershwin’s death, Ira writes a letter to DuBose Heyward passing along his and George’s respect and affection for the author.  Take a look at Ira’s letter of August 2, 1937, to DuBose, held at the South Carolina Historical Society. By Frances Sobolak By the middle of 1937, just shy of two years after the premiere of Porgy and Bess, George Gershwin’s growing brain tumor, undetected at the time, was causing him severe headaches and fainting spells. On July 11, after having fallen into a coma two days before, George underwent extensive brain surgery—but the 38-year-old composer passed […]

Having piqued the interest of Porgy author DuBose Heyward, George and DuBose correspond to secure the operatic rights of the pending opera. Take a look at George’s May 20th, 1932, letter to DuBose provided by the South Carolina Historical Society.  By Frances Sobolak 1932 was a productive year for the Gershwins. The Boston Symphony Orchestra premiered George’s Second Rhapsody in late January, George composed Cuban Overture in June and July, and the brothers’ Of Thee I Sing became the first musical to win a Pulitzer Prize. In the midst of all this, George and Porgy author DuBose Heyward were working towards […]

The South Carolina Historical Society holds letters of correspondence between George Gershwin and DuBose Heyward that detail their the process of creating Porgy and Bess.  In this letter, George Gershwin writes to DuBose Heyward in March of 1932 to discuss a possible folk opera collaboration. Frances Sobolak is an undergraduate student at the University of Michigan pursuing a Linguistics major and Music minor. She joined the Gershwin Initiative team in the fall of her sophomore year through the university’s undergraduate research opportunity program.   In 1926, George Gershwin was busy with musical rehearsals for the upcoming premiere of Oh, Kay!—so busy, in fact, that […]

Check out this letter from George Gershwin to Dorothy Heyward! It offers us a window into the working relationships between George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, and literary couple Dorothy and DuBose Heyward. The famous collaboration between the Gershwins and librettist DuBose Heyward resulted in the creation of one of the best known American operas, Porgy and Bess, whose production forged lasting professional and personal relationships between the three men. George, Ira, and DuBose regularly kept in touch, exchanging new lyrics, novel-to-stage adjustments, and production ideas. DuBose’s wife Dorothy Heyward, herself a playwright, was also a part of this circle and frequently […]

The South Carolina Historical Society holds letters of correspondence between George Gershwin and DuBose Heyward that detail their the process of creating Porgy and Bess. Take a look at the first of our series of posts on this group of sources.  Frances Sobolak is an undergraduate student at the University of Michigan pursuing a Linguistics major and Music minor. She joined The Gershwin Initiative team in the fall of her sophomore year through the university’s undergraduate research opportunity program. George Gershwin and the author of the novel Porgy, DuBose Heyward, kept in regular touch via mail about their developing project. Their […]