Monday, September 16, 2013

Toward a Go-To Gershwin Edition


Ira Gershwin Trust
Someone to watch over their musical legacy: Ira, left, and George Gershwin in 1937.
Is it to-may-to or to-mah-to? That question may be unanswerable, but an agreement between the estates of George and Ira Gershwin and the University of Michigan, to be announced on Sunday, aims to create the first definitive edition of the Gershwins’ entire joint body of work, including such landmark pieces as “Rhapsody in Blue,” “Porgy and Bess” and “An American in Paris.”

United States Information Service
From left, George Gershwin, DuBose Heyward and Ira Gershwin in 1935. In writing, the Gershwins wish him well on the opening of "Porgy and Bess," on which the three collaborated.

The project, which is expected to require several decades of note-by-note and word-by-word analysis, will allow University of Michigan scholars unrestricted access to Gershwin scores, letters and compositional drafts, which are at the Library of Congress and will remain there. From that material, at least 35 volumes are to emerge, in both book and electronic form, with the goal of cementing the Gershwins’ reputation as uniquely American geniuses and providing a reliable road map for future performances.

“George and Ira Gershwin are seminal figures in American culture, and their legacy remains stronger than ever as classical and popular forms become increasingly intertwined,” said Christopher Kendall, dean of the School of Music, Theater & Dance at the University of Michigan. “The Gershwins were at the cutting edge of that phenomenon, so there’s no question that this project is a singular opportunity for the university and the Gershwin legacy.” 

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