Gershwin’s “Summertime” unites elements considered both classical and contemporary. I did not even know Billie Holiday’s “Summertime” was a cover from Porgy and Bess, and it is difficult to believe, after listening to her recording, that this was extracted from an opera.

Gershwin employs the aria but combines jazz elements that make it sound more song-like. The slow harmonic line and minor tonality add a “blues” vibe to the song, and the necessary vocal range to sing this song is so extreme that I cannot even imagine how difficult it is to sing!

The song is opened with the sound of trumpets, and the fragment almost sounds like Hunding’s leitmotif in Die Walküre, which is transformed into a two-note melody played by the clarinet that is subsequently repeated by other instruments. Once the singing begins, we can still hear the underlying repetitive melody, almost rocking the baby to sleep.

However, despite the underlying melody, it is still difficult to believe that “Summertime” is a lullaby. The two-note melody seems to be battling with the rest of the instruments and eventually loses. Gershwin sets up another juxtaposition between a higher pitch, “Summertime…,” and a lower pitch, “easy.” Ironically, the “high” in the “cotton is high” is sung in the lower pitch.

Furthermore, the minor tonality and the accompanying lyrics are far from cheery lullabies. She sings to her baby to wait until his arrival in Heaven; but, in the meantime, nothing will harm him “with your daddy and mammy standing by.” However, the “by” almost sounds like a scream, offering little reassurance that no harm will occur.