Preview: Summertime
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SKU: A0.955721
Composed by Dorothy Heyward, Du Bose Heyward, George Gershwin, and Ira Gershwin. Arranged by Phil Thrift. Jazz. Score and parts. 13 pages. Phil Thrift #5333957. Published by Phil Thrift (A0.955721).Everyone has heard the very evocative song Summertime from the opera "Porgy and Bess" many times. I hope you’ll enjoy my interpretation written for solo viola and string quintet: 2 violins, tutti viola, cello, and bass.
After the introduction, the soloist is given plenty of space to make the most of the rich sound of the viola’s lowest octave. The accompaniment is thickened marginally when tutti viola and bass join in at letter B. At letter C the soloist repeats the melody but one octave higher, gradually adding more and more decoration as the accompaniment builds and reaches a climax in measure 36. That is followed by a strong statement from the quintet which ebbs away to give the soloist space again to take us into the concluding section (watch out for those 5/4 measures!) with long notes allowing the listener to fully appreciate the sound of the viola and a quasi-cadenza to round off this arrangement.
This is a good chance for your viola player to step briefly into the limelight and show us what the viola can do! Although my version follows the original closely, the soloist should not feel constricted to the notes of the written part, should try to achieve a slightly more "jazzy" style, playing a little "behind the time" while the accompanying quintet sticks rigidly to the tempo.
The quintet parts could be played by a small string orchestra instead of solo instruments.
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