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06558New York: Random House 1935. One of the Great Signed American Musical Landmarks<br /> The Sumptuous Limited Edition of Porgy and Bess<br /> <br /> GERSHWIN George. Porgy and Bess. An Opera in Three Acts by George Gershwin. Libretto by Dubose Heyward. Lyrics by Dubose Heyward and Ira Gershwin. Production directed by Rouben Mamoulian. New York: Random House 1935.<br /> <br /> First edition limited to 250 copies of which this is no. 167 signed by George Gershwin Ira Gershwin DuBose Heyward and Rouben Mamoulian.<br /> <br /> Large quarto 12 1/4 x 9 1/4 inches; 310 x 235 mm. xiv 559 1 blank pp. Including color frontispiece and pictorial color title-page by George Biddle commissioned in connection with the original production. With the signed limitation leaf inserted at rear.<br /> <br /> Publisher's full red morocco front cover decoratively blind stamped and with a gilt-lettered black morocco label spine with two raised bands and two black morocco labels lettered in gilt straw endpapers top edge gilt. Spine with only the faintest touch of darkening. Housed in a later red cloth slipcase. A superb copy and one of the finest examples we have encountered.<br /> <br /> A particularly desirable example of one of the most important American musical publications of the twentieth century: the deluxe signed issue of Porgy and Bess issued in the year of the opera's first performances. The work opened first in Boston on September 30 1935 and reached New York's Alvin Theatre on October 10 1935 under the direction of Rouben Mamoulian. From the beginning it was understood as an ambitious and unprecedented undertaking - Gershwin's own attempt to unite operatic form with jazz spiritual folk and theatrical idioms in a distinctly American work.<br /> <br /> The present limitation is especially appealing in that it bears the signatures not merely of the composer but of the principal creative collaborators responsible for bringing the work to the stage: George Gershwin lyricist Ira Gershwin librettist DuBose Heyward and director Rouben Mamoulian. Copies signed by all four figures capture the collaborative nature of the production in a way few American musical books can match. The Library of Congress records the existence of this 1935 limited edition within the Gershwin materials further underscoring its place as the formal book publication of the original production.<br /> <br /> Few works of American musical theater or American opera have had a comparable afterlife. Whatever the critical debates that have accompanied it Porgy and Bess endures as Gershwin's most ambitious stage composition and one of the central monuments of American music. <br /> <br /> In the present handsome morocco binding and in such striking condition this is an unusually choice copy of a book that is increasingly difficult to secure well preserved. New York: Random House, 1935 unknown
1935174953New York: Random House 1935. Summertime an' the livin' is easy": the Gershwins' masterpiece signed by George and Ira First edition signed limited issue number 141 of 250 copies signed by George and Ira Gershwin DuBose Heyward and Rouben Mamoulian. The show was a landmark for the American stage and for the casting of African Americans in the lead roles. Copies are rare in this condition. In the summer of 1926 and in one sitting George Gershwin read DuBose Heyward's 1925 novel Porgy about the Gullah community in South Carolina. "The potential of this book to become the basis of a powerful opera - his opera - jumped out at him. In the morning he wrote to Heyward saying they ought to get together to discuss the idea" Rimler p. 21. The immediate plan to adapt it into an opera was curtailed by Heyward's wife first adapting the novel as a stage play Porgy and Bess which opened in 1927. It was not until 1933 that Heyward and Gershwin settled on working on a musical adaptation with the agreement on 3 November 1933 that Gershwin would write the score Heyward the libretto and that Heyward and Ira would collaborate on the lyrics. On its opening night 30 September 1935 Boston's Colonial Theatre gave the performance a 15-minute standing ovation. The work opened on Broadway on 10 October 1935 and ran for 124 performances. "Combining the dramatic structure of opera and the musical style of jazz and Tin Pan Alley the work was especially important in the development of American musical theater. Although it did not recoup its investment Porgy and Bess was an outstanding achievement that brought black singers to the Broadway stage in significant roles" American National Biography. Quarto 311 x 230 mm. Colour frontispiece and pictorial title page by George Biddle. Original red morocco spine lettered in blind with raised bands black morocco label to front board lettered in gilt with publisher's device in blind top edge silver silken straw weave endpapers. With the original raffia-covered slipcase. Playbill for the original Broadway production at the Alvin Theatre loosely inserted. Foot of spine a little worn spine toned minor soiling to front cover slight separation at gutter between gatherings and endpapers slipcase a little worn; box bumped and faded: a near-fine copy in like slipcase. Walter Rimler George Gershwin: An Intimate Portrait 2009. hardcover
1935190205New York: Random House 1935. Gershwin's masterpiece - signed by George and Ira First edition signed limited issue number 229 of 250 copies bound in publisher's full red morocco and signed by George and Ira Gershwin DuBose Heyward and Rouben Mamoulian this copy in exceptional condition the vulnerable spine labels present in entirely unrestored condition. In summer 1926 and in one sitting George Gershwin read DuBose Heyward's 1925 novel Porgy about the Gullah community in South Carolina. "The potential of this book to become the basis of a powerful opera his opera jumped out at him. In the morning he wrote to Heyward saying they ought to get together to discuss the idea" Rimler p. 21. Heyward's wife thwarted the immediate plan to adapt it into an opera by adapting the novel as a stage play Porgy and Bess which opened in 1927. On 3 November 1933 however it was agreed that Gershwin would write the score Heyward the libretto and that Heyward and Ira would collaborate on the lyrics. On its opening night 30 September 1935 Boston's Colonial Theatre gave the performance a 15-minute standing ovation and the work is now considered Gershwin's masterpiece. "Combining the dramatic structure of opera and the musical style of jazz and Tin Pan Alley the work was especially important in the development of American musical theater. Although it did not recoup its investment Porgy and Bess was an outstanding achievement that brought black singers to the Broadway stage in significant roles" ANB. Quarto 311 x 230 mm. Original red morocco spine lettered in blind with raised bands black morocco label to front board lettered in gilt with publisher's device in blind top edge gilt silken straw weave endpapers. Housed in the original raffia-covered slipcase. Colour frontispiece and pictorial title page by George Biddle. Bookseller's ticket to rear pastedown of Frank Rosengren San Antonio Texas. Spine toned small chip to second spine label slight contact discolouration to front and rear blanks from endpapers light wear to fragile raffia slipcase. A superior copy. Walter Rimler George Gershwin: An Intimate Portrait 2009. hardcover
193070729New York: New World Music Corporation 1930. First edition association copy inscribed by both George and Ira for Newman Levy with quotations from the show: "He's a man of very high degree not low - but high!". Accompanying the inscription is a sketch by Ira of a man bowing. Newman Levy was a lawyer who graduated from New York University in 1911 and served as Assistant District Attorney New York County 1916-19. A student of the Algonquin habitué Deems Taylor he wrote light verse which was published in the New Yorker and Saturday Evening Post and collected in book form. He also reviewed operas and musicals and composed skits for Broadway revues. A friend of the Gershwins he is best remembered for his swift riposte to George's musing as to whether his music would still be performed in a hundred years' time: "Yes if you're around to play it!" Heavily influenced by Gilbert and Sullivan Strike up the Band was the Gershwins' first fully integrated score for a book musical. It failed on tryout in Philadelphia in 1927 so for its Broadway run three years later Ryskind rejigged various elements of the story. The Gershwins added 12 new songs and rewrote many others both melodically and lyrically. Overall the effect was to make the show more in tune with the developing swing craze. Red Nichols led the pit orchestra at the Times Square Theater which included Benny Goodman Glenn Miller Gene Krupa Jimmy Dorsey and Jack Teagarden. Quarto. Contemporary red cloth purple label to spine and green patch label on front board top edge gilt original wrappers bound in. Housed in custom black cloth solander box. Slightly rubbed at the extremities a little soiled light toning the first few leaves with minor restoration to the margins: a very good copy. hardcover
06561New York: Random House 1932. A Superb Association Copy Across Two Generations of Great Songwriters<br /> Signed by George Gershwin and Inscribed by Ira Gershwin to Leslie Bricusse<br /> <br /> GERSHWIN George composer. George Gershwin's Song Book. Illustrated by Constantin Alajalov. New York: Random House 1932.<br /> <br /> Limited first edition one of 300 copies signed by George Gershwin and Alajalov this being copy No. 201.<br /> <br /> Large quarto 12 3/4 x 9 1/2 inches; 324 x 241 mm. Frontispiece portrait photograph of Gershwin at the piano by Maurice Goldberg. xii 160 pp. followed by an 8-page bibliography. Profusely illustrated with striking full-page color designs by Alajalov. Complete with the often-missing 8-page sewn booklet containing the song "Mischa Yascha Toscha Sascha" here preserved in the rear pocket.<br /> <br /> Publisher's full blue morocco expertly and almost invisibly rebacked with the original spine laid down covers decoratively ruled and lettered in gilt with characteristic sweeping gilt lines extending from spine and fore-edge blue endpapers top edge gilt. Front inner hinge with neat reinforcement. <br /> <br /> A handsome and well-preserved copy of a book seldom encountered in superior condition. Exceptionally accompanied by the original color pictorial dust jacket from the trade edition - an unusual and highly desirable survival.<br /> <br /> Additionally inscribed by Ira Gershwin on the limitation page: "To Leslie Bricusse / With unlimited admiration and affection / From Ira Gershwin / Beverly Hills June 1973."<br /> <br /> Accompanied by a loosely inserted fine typed letter signed TLS from Ira Gershwin to Leslie Bricusse dated June 13 1973 in which Gershwin warmly congratulates Bricusse on his score for Feeling No Pain and notes with characteristic wit that he has "taken the liberty" of adding his signature to the page already signed by his brother and Alajalov humorously expressing the hope that this "doesn't decrease the value of the book."<br /> <br /> One of the most celebrated American musical publications of the twentieth century George Gershwin's Song Book represents the composer's work at its most refined and enduring. Issued in a luxurious limited format it brings together a selection of Gershwin's finest songs drawn from Broadway and Hollywood arranged for piano and voice and presented with the vivid and sophisticated color illustrations of Constantin Alajalov whose work lends the volume a distinctive Art Deco elegance.<br /> <br /> Signed examples are always sought after; however the present copy is elevated far beyond the norm by its remarkable association. The inscription from Ira Gershwin to Leslie Bricusse links two of the most important figures in twentieth-century songwriting. Bricusse an Academy Award - winning lyricist and composer was responsible for such enduring works as Stop the World-I Want to Get Off The Roar of the Greasepaint The Smell of the Crowd Doctor Dolittle and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory as well as songs including "What Kind of Fool Am I" "Feeling Good" "Goldfinger" and "Pure Imagination." Their longstanding friendship is reflected in the warmth of the inscription -"unlimited admiration and affection" - a phrase that speaks to genuine personal regard rather than formality.<br /> <br /> Provenance: From the collection of Leslie Bricusse assembled over many decades with the close involvement of David Brass who first met Bricusse in 1968 and remained a trusted advisor and friend until his death in 2021.<br /> <br /> A copy of exceptional depth and character: not merely a signed limited edition but a document of musical lineage linking the Gershwins to one of their most distinguished successors. Rarely does a copy so clearly embody both the artistic achievement of its creators and the enduring influence of their work. New York: Random House, 1932 unknown
06559New York: Gershwin Publishing Corporation 1935. A Presentation Copy to Leslie Bricusse from Ira Gershwin <br /> With a George Gershwin Signature<br /> As George and Ira so aptly put it "Who could ask for anything more"<br /> <br /> GERSHWIN George. The Theatre Guild Presents Porgy and Bess. Music by George Gershwin. Libretto by Dubose Heyward. Lyrics by Dubose Heyward and Ira Gershwin. Settings by Sergei Soudeikine Orchestra Conductor Alexander Smallens Production directed by Rouben Mamoulian. New York: Gershwin Publishing Corporation 1935.<br /> <br /> First edition. Inscribed by Ira Gershwin: "For Leslie Bricusse-With warmest regards-Ira Gershwin."<br /> With an additional clipped signature of George Gershwin mounted beneath the portrait.<br /> <br /> Large quarto 12 1/16 x 9 1/8 inches; 306 x 232 mm. iv 559 1 blank pp. <br /> <br /> Publisher's stiff gray wrappers front cover lettered in black black spine near fine. Chemised in a maroon cloth folder housed in a quarter brown calf slipcase spine with five shallow raised bands decoratively ruled and lettered in gilt in compartments.<br /> <br /> A copy of exceptional resonance presented by Ira Gershwin to his friend and fellow lyricist Leslie Bricusse - one of the most accomplished figures in twentieth-century popular music. Bricusse was the recipient of two Academy Awards a Grammy and eight Ivor Novello Awards and was inducted into the American Songwriters' Hall of Fame - only the fourth Englishman so honored after Noël Coward John Lennon and Paul McCartney.<br /> <br /> His work spans more than forty musical shows and films including Stop the World - I Want to Get Off The Roar of the Greasepaint The Smell of the Crowd Doctor Dolittle and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and includes such enduring songs as "What Kind of Fool Am I" "Feeling Good" "Goldfinger" and "Pure Imagination" recorded by artists ranging from Frank Sinatra to Michael Bublé. Their friendship well documented and longstanding places this inscription within a genuine circle of artistic exchange rather than a formal or casual presentation.<br /> <br /> The libretto by DuBose Heyward is drawn from his 1925 novel Porgy and subsequent stage adaptation preserving the rhythms and cadences of life in Charleston's Catfish Row while shaping them into a dramatic structure of unusual cohesion for American musical theater. Heyward's text augmented by lyrics from both himself and Ira Gershwinprovided George Gershwin with a literary and emotional framework of rare depth allowing the score to move fluidly between operatic form spiritual blues and popular song. The result is one of the few American stage works in which music and text are so fully integrated as to justify Gershwin's own insistence that Porgy and Bess be regarded as an opera rather than a musical.<br /> <br /> Provenance: From the collection of Leslie Bricusse assembled over several decades with the close guidance of David Brass who first met Bricusse in 1968 and remained a trusted advisor and friend until his death in 2021.<br /> <br /> This direct and personal provenance - linking creator recipient and the dealer who helped form the collection - gives the volume a narrative strength rarely encountered in the market. New York: Gershwin Publishing Corporation, 1935 unknown
19242957New York: Aeolian Hall 1924. First edition. Very Good. ORIGINAL PROGRAM FOR THE FIRST PERFORMANCE OF GERSHWIN'S RHAPSODY IN BLUE. About six weeks before the premiere of Rhapsody in Blue George Gershwin was shooting pool at the Ambassador Billiard Parlor on Broadway and 52nd Street when his brother Ira entered the hall carrying an early edition of the New York Tribune. Ira proceeded to read an article from the paper announcing a new experimental music concert organized by bandleader Paul Whiteman. In this concert Ira continued a piece by George Gershwin would be performed. Adrian Symphony Orchestra<br /> <br /> This was news to Gershwin who had been asked some months earlier by Whiteman to contribute a piece but had turned down the request believing the several months not enough time. And now Gershwin had only six weeks. Whiteman as it turned out had decided to include Gershwin’s name after learning his musical nemesis—Vincent Lopez—would be releasing a similar concert series. Whiteman knew Gershwin’s name would bring his concert more coverage and went ahead with the inclusion hoping to propel his concert above Lopez’s Adrian Symphony Orchestra.<br /> <br /> Understanding Whiteman’s difficult position Gershwin agreed to write the piece planning to begin work during an upcoming train ride from New York to Boston where he was headed for an out-of-town preview for a new musical of his. Gershwin later claimed that the sounds of this train hitching and roaring down the track inspired the thematic division of his score into five themes: Ritornello Train aptly named Stride Shuffle and Love. Gershwin hoped to harness the energy of modern machinery in this piece to convey the hustle and bustle of city life. Adrian Symphony Orchestra; Dotsey<br /> <br /> As Gershwin later commented on his writing process:<br /> <br /> “I set to work composing with unwonted rapidity. No set plan was in my mind – no structure to which my music would conform. The rhapsody as you see began as a purpose not a plan. I tried to conceive the composition as a whole. I heard it as a sort of musical kaleidoscope of America – of our vast melting-pot of our unduplicated national pep of our blues our metropolitan madness.†Dotsey<br /> <br /> Gershwin himself had been raised in close contact with the diverse musical traditions of the Lower East Side exposed to the competing influences of Russian Eastern European African American and popular American music. Resultantly he decided that a mixture of jazz classical in conjunction with the rhythmic and thematic implements of almost all these styles was the perfect medium for portraying the city’s kaleidoscopic bustle. Adrian Symphony Orchestra<br /> <br /> Rhapsody in Blue received mixed reviews upon its release. The New York Times noted the piece displayed “extraordinary talent†and public opinion was largely positive. Still many critics felt that Rhapsody in Blue lacked focus calling it a string of disconnected themes. Hebblethwaite Adrian Symphony Orchestra<br /> <br /> Much of this confusion stemmed from the genuinely innovative fusion at the heart of Rhapsody in Blue. As mentioned Gershwin took classical form and infused it with the varied musical influences of his youth—blues ragtime Jewish folk music and Harlem jazz. To some extent Gerswhin’s intention was to write these genres in a way which concentrated their essence within small segments of a classical concerto as a more culturally dominant format of music. Though some viewed these borrowings as derivative of their original cultural contexts Gershwin’s usages of Klezmer-like arrangements for example nonetheless represented a groundbreaking expansion of popular music enabling the usage of non-classical genres in dominant American culture. Adrian Symphony Orchestra; Dotsey<br /> <br /> Later reflecting on his work Gershwin wrote about his usage of Jazz:<br /> <br /> “There had been so much chatter about the limitations of jazz not to speak of the manifest misunderstandings of its function. Jazz they said had to be in strict time. It had to cling to dance rhythms. I resolved if possible to kill that misconception with one sturdy blow.†Dotsey<br /> <br /> Although Gershwin hoped to expand the possibilities of jazz he failed to credit the African American traditions that clearly inspired him claiming in this program that jazz “sprang into existence ten years ago from nowhere in particular.†In this way Gershwin’s Great American kaleidoscope remained incomplete.<br /> <br /> Despite being one of the most famous works of the 20th century audiences will never know exactly what the original performance sounded like. Pressed for time Gershwin improvised many of the solo parts himself. This program is one of the very few surviving records of that original performance. Although enough programs were printed for a 1100 seat hall only a few examples survive. No copies exist at auction and there are only three institutional holdings— at the New York Public Library the George and Ira Gershwin Collection at the Library of Congress and the Center for Popular Music at Middle Tennessee State University. <br /> <br /> Rhapsody in Blue is loud dramatic and undeniably iconic—but few if any living people remember the sensation and sound of its improvised premiere. Very few material records have been preserved. This program offers a rare opportunity to relive the texture of that historic moment. <br /> <br /> The show’s program provides biographies of Whiteman’s collaborators. The biography of Gershwin reads as follows:<br /> <br /> “Mr. Gershwin has written a “Rhapsody in Blue†which he has consented to play accompanied by the orchestra. He is capable of everything from “Swanee†to “A Stairway to Paradiseâ€: from “Ingenue Baby†and “Virginia†to “Do It Again.†Delicacy even dreaminess is a quality he alone brings into Jazz music. Gershwin’s sense of variation in rhythm of shifting accents of emphasis and color is faultless. He has moreover an insatiable curiosity about everything connected with his work and for that matter with music in general. He is learning and he is not forgetting and being one of the youngest of the composers he is actually one of the brightest hopes of our popular music.â€<br /> <br /> Further descriptions of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue:<br /> <br /> “This is the first rhapsody written for solo instrument and modern orchestra. Prophesy being not the function of an annotator it may be said that the importance of the rhapsody quite apart from its own value must depend to an extent upon its being kept alive in a repertoire—and there is no organization to do this unless the present concert is as its conductor hopes only the beginning of a series. Gershwin is a close student of music and a listener; yet there is not a derivative phrase in his work. He has composed a rhapsody and has chosen to build it out of materials known to him: the rhythms of popular American music the harmonies produced by American jazz bands. None of the thematic material has been used before; the rhapsody is not a pastiche. The structure is simple and it resembles concertos written by pianists in what seems at first the predominance of the single instrument. Mr. Gershwin’s manuscript is complete for the piano. The orchestral treatment was developed by Mr. Grofé.<br /> <br /> The rhapsody is a free development of almost all of Gershwin’s qualities alluded to in the earlier pages of this program. It has a little more crispness a shade more of jazz and a shade less of gentleness than some of his compositions; there is more of “A Stairway to Paradise†than of “Do It Againâ€; and this is natural in a composition intended specifically for jazz orchestra.<br /> <br /> Those who care for jazz will naturally be grateful to Mr. Whiteman for urging Mr. Gershwin to compose this Rhapsody. He had had it in mind for some time but had no intention of going to work upon it until the announcement was made that the Rhapsody would be played at this concert. For those who remain skeptical another test-case may be provided. It is not inconceivable that an intelligent conductor of a symphony orchestra may want to play the rhapsody; it would probably need re-scoring but the saxophone which has been used ever since Meyerbeer in serious music need not be exiled.â€<br /> <br /> The program also includes photos of Mr. Whiteman and his band alongside collaborators such as Gershwin and Victor Herbert.<br /> <br /> Provenance: With signature and Yale address of "Frederick Ullman" in pencil on back. Anecdotally later gifted by Ira Gershwin's wife Lenore to her vocational nurse and caretaker; appearing on the market now for the first time. <br /> <br /> New York: Aeolian Hall 1924. Concert program measuring 9.5 x 6.25 inches. 12 pages in original decorated textured grey wrappers; side-stitched with original blue cord. Housed in custom silk box. Abrasion to text at bottom of page 1 with loss of a few words. Wrappers in a remarkable state of preservation; very clean and fresh with some light rubbing to cover decoration corresponding to the textured ridges on cover. <br /> <br /> EXCEEDINGLY RARE: We find no records at auction and three institutional holdings only: at the New York Public Library the George and Ira Gershwin Collection at the Library of Congress and the Center for Popular Music at Middle Tennessee State University. Aeolian Hall unknown
2013CNAP098bSan Francisco: The Arion Press 2013. Hardcover. New. Kara Walker. Quarto 12-5/8 by 9-3/4 inches 136 pages. Prints editioned by Derrière L’Etoile Studio NYC under the supervision of Maurice Sanchez. Bound with red leather spine and printed cotton sides in slipcase. Edition of 400 numbered and signed copies for sale. Additional suite of four lithographs different from the images in the book signed and numbered by the artist. This artist book of Porgy & Bess the libretto by DuBose Heyward and Ira Gershwin is the occasion for Kara Walker’s first series of lithographs. The book contains 16 lithographs with another four images not in the book in a separate portfolio. <br /> <br /> Porgy & Bess has been controversial since its premiere in 1935; Kara Walker is known for her controversial art on themes of race violence and American history. In her Artist’s Statement she says of the characters: "they’ve become archetypes of another no less grand drama that of: ‘American Negroes drawn up by white authors and retooled by individual actors amid charges of racism and counter charges of high-art on stage and screen in the face of social and political upheaval over generations." <br /> <br /> This fraught status along with memories of her mother’s reaction to a cast recording led her to render them in a straightforward way "…more an homage to the feeling of the music. And to that feeling I had as a child of a heavy atmosphere hanging around a timeless act of love."<br /> <br /> ___POSTAGE: International customers please note that additional postage may apply as the standard does not always cover costs; please inquire for details.<br /> <br /> ___Swan's Fine Books is pleased to be a member of the ABAA ILAB and IOBA and we stand behind every book we sell. Please contact us with any questions you may have we are here to help. The Arion Press hardcover
19351246541935. First Edition. Signed. GERSHWIN George. Porgy and Bess. An Opera in Three Acts. By George Gershwin. Libretto by DuBose Heyward. Lyrics by DuBose Heyward and Ira Gershwin. Production Directed by Rouben Mamoulian. New York: Random House 1935. Folio original full red morocco raised bands black leather label on front cover top edge gilt. Housed in a custom clamshell box. $48500.Deluxe limited edition of the piano-vocal score of Porgy and Bess number 103 of only 250 copies signed by George Gershwin Ira Gershwin DuBose Heyward and director Rouben Mamoulian additionally inscribed by Gershwin to his lover Kay Swift who was intimately involved in the composition of the piece: For Kay / Best / George / Nov. 1 1935. According to Ohl best their code word for love allowed them to be discreet.This deluxe edition of the piano-vocal score according to Fuld no orchestral score has ever been published was published in 1935 the year of Porgy and Bess premiere almost simultaneously with the first edition and is boldly signed on the limitation page at the rear by George and Ira Gershwin and the other principal creators of Porgy and Bess: librettist DuBose Heyward and director Rouben Mamoulian. Fuld 539. The recipient Kay Swift met Gershwin in 1925. A highly educated beauty of prominent social position she was not yet known as a songwriter her first big hit would be in 1929 with ""Can't We Be Friends"". ""If one measures by the dedication of his Song-Book to her his generous gifts of paintings manuscripts and other keepsakes that betokened affection plus the many hours he spent with her Gershwin obviously had a special place in his heart for Kay Swift With Kay Gershwin probably came as close to settling down with one woman as he ever did"" Schwarz 190. Swift was extensively involved with the composition of Porgy and Bess almost from the beginning: Swift was Gershwin's guest at the premiere of the play version by Heyward's wife. When composing the operamuch of which occurred at a cottage on Swift's country estateSwift was often in her words Gershwin's ""soundboard"" for new ideas. ""'He'd call me and tell me to rush over to play the orchestra part of a song. He couldn't sing. Neither could Ira. But we'd all sing Ira's or DuBose Heyward's lyrics sounding like a chorus of crows Each day as the work grew a few of usBill Daly his close friend and favorite conductor and myself Ira of course and DuBose Heyward who wrote the libretto as well as some of the lyrics were probably present much of the time. It was thrilling to hear the themes develop the recitatives build into such an inevitable part of the score that they flowed as naturally as spoken words would. The whole sparkled with a fantastic quality of imagination She also had an even more direct part in the opera's development. In addition to listening singing and playing the work in progress Swift sometimes notated portions of pieces for Gershwin evidently to expedite his later work on the compositions. He believed she wrote faster and more neatly than she could."" Extensive portions of the original manuscript now in the Gershwin collection at the Library of Congress are in Swift's hand demonstrating ""her role as an assistant to the composer and signify the trust he must have placed in her and her notational and musical abilities"" Ohl 95-96. During actual production Swift attended most rehearsals and was present at many of the casting decisions. After the preview run in Boston it was clear that the four-hour opera was too long so ""Gershwin Mamoulian composer Alexander Steinert and Kay Swift walked the Boston Common in the early hours of the morning deciding which portions to cut""; one month later at the premiere in New York ""Swift was seated between George and Ira"". Later Swift would deliver lectures throughout the country as part of the promotion of Porgy and Bess. ""Ira recalled that she had memorized the entire 559-page score and would be illustrating songs from it at the piano"" Ohl 97-98. ""After her yeoman's effort during Porgy and Bess he presented her with a leather-bound autographed score the present copy that reads simply 'Tosic Kay. Best. George.' 'Best' their code word for 'love' allowed them to be discreet"" Ohl 115. Interior fine spine somewhat toned light rubbing to spine ends. A near-fine copy with an extraordinary association. hardcover
