Horowitz Joseph - On my way: the untold story of Rouben Mamoulian, George Gershwin and Porgy and Bess

Moral Fire:
Musical Portraits from Americas Fin de Sicle

Artists in Exile:
How Refugees from Twentieth-Century War and Revolution
Transformed the American Performing Arts

Classical Music in America:
A History

Dvok in America:
In Search of the New World

The Post-Classical Predicament:
Essays on Music and Society

Wagner Nights:
An American History

The Ivory Trade:
Music and the Business of Music
at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition

Understanding Toscanini:
How He Became an American Culture-God
and Helped Create a New Audience for Old Music

Conversations with Arrau

This interlude, created by Mamoulian, was recapitulated as the Occupational Humoresque in Porgy and Bess. The following text may be found in the Rouben Mamoulian Archive, Library of Congress, box 115, folder 7. Mamoulians R, L, and C mean right, left, and center; RC is right center.

(The stage is empty except for one Negro asleep at foot of steps. Gradually noises off stage start and grow in volume until in about two minutes the court is alive with noise and people. The windows open as follows.)

1JohnsonTop floor left

2MusaSecond floor R2

3Blue at Serenas [window]Over steps center R. back. Both C. Top floor left

4RemsenSecond floor left over arch

5FrancisDoor second floor left

Then the rest open at once.

Start on count.

Curtain up on 3rd full count of 3rd measure.

1 beatpound of iron

3snore

1pound iron

2sweep

3snore

4sweep

1iron

2sweep

3snore

4sweep

1pound

2sweep

3snore

4sweep. Kid [Eddie] comes from Serenas room to Lillian

Eddie: Can I have a piece of candy?

2sweep

Lillian: Its too early for candy. (Kid goes up stairs)

3snore. Embry enters from Arch L. cross to C.

4sweep. Musa and Johnson open window.

1pound

2sweep, pan. Embry drops bucket[,] wakes Taylor, they argue. She goes to Maria.

3bottle, Lily Holmes enters and goes to tub under stair. Maria comes on stage after Embry enters her shop

Maria: Good morning, Musa

(Annie opens windows. Lily enters and goes to tub.)

4sweep, Wilson enters gate with bundle, crosses to arch.

1pound

2sweeppan

3snorebottle noise

4sweeppan clash.

1pound. Blue slams door. Beat carpet on first and second beat until children come out.

2sawingJohnson snaps rugpan clash

3sawingpanMusa and Johnson sniprug

4sawingJohnson snaps rug

(When Blue starts beating rug Maria sharpens knife on 3rd and 4th beat or each count until Embry comes out with her pail, crosses L. exits and hurries back on for Porgys entrance. The children enter on Embrys entrance)

Eddie (come from Serenas): Can I go out?

(Mingo comes from Lilys door and comes down to Marias.)

Ruth (comes from arch left): Me too.

Mingo: Got any shark steak Maria? (Mingo goes over L. [to] talk to Perry)

Sylvia (comes on with Ruth): I want to play.

(Scipio and four small boys from the band enter from Lilys door. And all play tag and where the pounding increases their voices rise with it until the patrol bell soundsthey quiet down then)

(They enter and play. Allen from left arch enters, goes to box. Mahon [?] follows Allen, sits up L. with shove when Musa starts to shake her rug. Booth washes her window.)

(Allen and Taylor beat three measures until Serena starts down stairs[;] as she comes down stairs the count becomes and the pounding stops. On the measure they beat out the Charleston. Thomas pushes vegetable cart across from left to R. singing his wares. After which he comes on and stands by window R2. As Charleston starts police Bell. Both go to forths [ sic ] and all crowd up to gate to see who it is. When bell sounds Mingo runs off stage into Peters house.)

POLICE/BELL/MOTOR

(The patrol bell off L. sounds loudly. They go to gate and look to see what it is. Everybody PORGY ! Porgy outside the gate. His air is one of mystery, he enters. They part for him and he comes to L. of table R.C. Porgy gives Scipio bundles. Policeman who brought Porgy on exits. Mingo is R. of table. Maria below table. Bruce above table. Serena at foot of steps. Lily Holmes is L. of Porgy. Porgy is L. of table)

ACT 1, SCENE 1: CATFISH ROW

Saturday evening. Jasbo Brown plays the piano. Clara, with child, sings the lullaby Summertime. Her husband, Jake, takes the baby and sings A Woman Is A Sometime Thing. Porgy arrives, then Crown, a stevedore, and Bess, his woman. Crown is drunk. During a craps game, he picks an argument with Robbins and slays him with a cotton hook. Everyone quickly disperses, with Bess going to Porgys room.

ACT 1, SCENE 2: SERENAS ROOM

Robbinss body is lying on a table. Mourners, collecting money for the funeral, sing Gone, Gone, Gone. Porgy and Bess enter. Serena refuses Besss contribution, thinking the money is Crowns. When it is explained that the money is Porgys, it is accepted. The mourners sing Overflow. A white detective enters and orders that the body be buried the next day. He accuses Peter, an old man, of the murder. Peter, terrified, identifies Crown as the killer. Peter is taken away as a witness until Crown can be found. Serena, Robbinss widow, sings My Mans Gone Now. The undertaker arrives and agrees to bury the body. Bess leads a spiritual: Leavin For The Promise Lan.

ACT 2, SCENE 1: CATFISH ROW

A few weeks later. Jake and the fishermen are repairing their nets: It Takes A Long Pull. Clara warns of September storms. Porgy sings I Got Plenty O Nuttin. Maria chases away the dope-peddling Sporting Life: Friens Wid You, Low Life? Lawyer Frazier enters looking for Porgy and sells him a divorce. Mr. Archdale, a white lawyer, chastises Frazier; he assures the community he will put up bail for Peter. A buzzard flies overhead: Porgys Buzzard Song. People prepare for the picnic on Kittiwah Island. Porgy and Bess, alone, sing Bess, You Is My Woman Now. The Orphanage Band enters. Picknickers sing Oh, I Cant Sit Down. Maria (who has accepted Bess) urges Bess to join the group. Maria and Bess depart for the picnic.

ACT 2, SCENE 2: KITTIWAH ISLAND

Sporting Life tells the picknickers It Aint Necessarily So. They depart by steamboatbut Bess is detained by Crown, who has been hiding from the police on the island. They quarrel: the duet What You Want Wid Bess? But Bess submits.

ACT 2, SCENE 3: CATFISH ROW

Defying storm warnings, the fishermen take their boats out to sea. Bess, returned from Kittiwah Island, is delirious in Porgys room. Serena prays: Oh, Doctor Jesus. The Strawberry Woman, the Honey Man, and the Crab Man sing street cries. Bess regains consciousness: I Loves You Porgy. The hurricane bell sounds.

ACT 2, SCENE 4: SERENAS ROOM

Dawn the following day. The storm rages: Oh, De Lawd Shake De Heavens. Pounding is heard above the din: Oh, Deres Somebody Knockin At De Do. Crown enters looking for Bess. He drowns the lamenting with A Red-Headed Woman. Clara screams: she sees Jakes boat capsized. She rushes into the storm. Crown rushes after her. Prayer resumes.

ACT 3, SCENE 1: CATFISH ROW

The storm has passed. The community grieves for those lost: Clara, Dont You Be Down-Hearted. Crown enters the empty courtyard and crawls towards Porgys door. Porgy slays Crown.

ACT 3, SCENE 2:

The white detective and coroner arrive to investigate Crowns murder. They take Porgy away to identify Crowns body. Sporting Life tempts Bess: Theres A Boat Dats Leavin Soon For New York.