"What has always been missing from George Gershwin's opera is what the situation of Porgy and Bess says about the white world."
TheTrebleCLEF NOVEMBER 2022 T h e M u l t i c u l t u r a l M u s i c G r o u p N e w s l e t t e r Black Women and Opera: On Porgy and Bess fro-PeruvianCelebration:Santurantikuy nSaturday,December17that8pm tLaCumbanchitaBushwick
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- James Baldwin
Theonlyreason Porgy and Bess isabelovedAmericanoperaisbecausethe showdoesnotexplainwhyblackpeoplewere,andcontinuetobe,forced toliveunderthedeplorableconditionsthatcompriseCatfishRow,a docksideareaofCharleston,SouthCarolinaintheyear1930.
JamesBaldwinagreedwhenhewroteaboutthe1959filmversion,“What hasalwaysbeenmissingfromGeorgeGershwin'soperaiswhatthe situationof Porgy and Bess saysaboutthewhiteworld.Itisbecauseofthis omissionthatAmericansaresoproudoftheopera.Itassuagestheirguilt aboutNegroesanditattacksnoneoftheirfantasies!”(1)The“fantasy”of DuBoseHeyward,GeorgeGershwin,andIraGershwinseemslikea spectacleofsuffering,especiallyasexperiencedbythecharacterofBess.
B l a c k W o m e n a n d O p e r a : o N p O R G Y A N D b e s s
Intheoriginalopera,Bessfacesconstanthardshipfromherfirstappearanceonstagetoherlast.Sheisanoutcast amongtheoutcastsintheslum-villageofCatfishRow,wheresheisregardedasano-goodharlotbyeveryone exceptforthedisabledbeggar,Porgy.OnecouldarguethattheaffectionthatgrowsbetweenPorgyandBessisa briefrespitefromthehorrorsofBess’dailylife.Yet,IwouldcontendthattherelationshipwithPorgyisforged fromdesperationalone;PorgyistheonlypersonintheentirecommunitywillingtoofferBessshelterwhenher physicallyviolentexboyfriend,Crown,abandonsBessaftercommittingamurder.(2)TheonlyotheroptionBess hasforprotectionandsurvivalisthedrugpusher,namedSportin'Life,whoseekstoprofitfromheraddiction.
ItisimportanttonotethattheoriginalscriptdescribesBessusingthewords,“beautifulandbeguiling,”evokinga characterakintoBizet’sCarmen.Yet,unlikeCarmen,Bessisunceasinglypunishedforherbeautybythemen andwomeninCatfishRowwhorefusetoacceptBessaspartoftheircommunity;thatis,untilsheisclaimedby Porgy.Despitehisstatusasadisabledbeggar,Porgy’ssocialcapitalissignificantlyhigherthanBess’duetothe factthatheisanoldermanwithareputationforhonesty.Watchingbeautifulwomensufferonstageisnot specificto Porgy and Bess,yettheGershwinbrothers’operastrikesadistincttonesincetherearereal-life consequencestothepervasivenarrativethatblackwomenareuniquelycapableofwithstandingphysicaland emotionalviolence.
"There are real life consequences to the pervasive narrative that black women are uniquely capable of withstanding physical and emotional violence."
Inahistoricalcontext,itiscrucialtopointoutthatthe1920’s and30’ssawaspikeinlynchingsacrosstheUnitedStatesfueled bytheracistnotionthatwhitewomenwerefragilevictimsof blackmen,whenthewidespreadrealitywasthatblackwomen weretherealvictimsofviolenceatthehandsofwhitemen.(3) Inherbook, The Strange Career of Porgy and Bess: Race, culture, and America’s most famous opera,historianEllenNoonanstates, “Thedistortedculturaldepictionsofblacklifedidnotendwhen slaverydid.AfterReconstruction,thenationhealeditselfby turningitsbackonthefreedspeopleandleavingthemtothe viciousnessofsouthernwhitesupremacyanditslabor arrangements;thishorrificpolitical,economic,andsocial bargainofnationalreunionfoundculturalexpressioninthe nationalcultureofminstrelsy.”(4)Thenation“turneditsbackon freedspeople”byofferingnoenforcementofhumanrightsfor blackAmericans,despitethefactthattheycouldnolonger legallybeconsideredpropertyafterfederalemancipation.
Policeintheshowtwiceabductinnocentblackmenwithoutanyproofofguilt,butthetruevictimoftheir absenceistheblackwomenleftbehindwithnoprotectionorlivelihood.WhenPorgyisarrestedfora crimehedidn’tcommit,hespendsmonthsawayfromBess,whoisleftwithnootheroptionforsurvival thantotakethedrugsSportinLifeoffersandfollowhimtoNewYork,asheharasseshertodothroughout theshow.BessisonlyabletodeclineSportinLife’smanyentreatieswhenPorgyispresenttosupporther. Inotherwords,anolderblackmanwhocanonlymovewiththeassistanceofagoatdrawncart,andwho subsistsonthegenerosityofhisequallydestituteneighbors,hasinfinitelymorerightsandautonomythana young,able-bodiedblackwoman. I
Incontrast,ScottJoplin’s Treemonisha, (1911)writtenmore thantwodecadesbefore Porgy and Bess, isaboutapowerful blackwomanwhoiskidnapped,rescuedandreturned home.TheoperaendswithTreemonishabecominga championforeducationinhercommunity.Asablack composeratthebeginningofthetwentiethcentury,Scott Joplinsymphonicworksweresounjustifiablyignored duringhislifetimethathewasposthumouslyawardedthe 1976PulitzerPrizeinmusicfor Treemonisha,aftera successfulrevivalbytheAtlantaSymphonyin1972.(5)Scott Joplin’soperahighlightsthedangersofsuperstitionamong formerslavesandtheirdescendants,proclaimingthe messagethateducationislifesavingforbothmenand women.
AlmostacenturyafterNYCvenuesresistedGershwin'srequestfor Porgy and Bess tohaveablackcastinsteadofwhiteactorsin blackface(Schwarm2022),MetropolitanOpera’s2021-2022 seasonopenedwithTerrenceBlanshard’s Fire Shut Up in My Bones,towidecriticalacclaim.Manynewspapercolumnistsand reporterslaudedtheMETforfinallypresentinganoperabyablack composer.WhilethestagingofBlanchard’soperaisundoubtedly anartisticaccomplishment,weshouldbeadmonishingtheMET operaestablishmentfortakingfartoolongtorecognizetheworks ofAfrodescendantcomposers.Thisyear,theMETisfeaturing anotherofTerrenceBlanshard’sworks,called The Champion;thus cementingBlanshard’srightfulplaceamongthefewliving composersofanyracetostagemultipleoperasinNewYorkCity.
1.Baldwin,"OnCatfishRow,”180.ThisreviewwasoriginallypublishedinCommentaryinSeptember1959. 2.Schwarm,B.(2022)."PorgyandBess".EncyclopediaBritannica,10Jan.2014,https://www.britannica.com/topic/Porgyand
3.West,CarolynM."Battered,black,andblue:AnoverviewofviolenceinthelivesofBlackwomen."Women&Therapy25.3
4Noonan,EllenThestrangecareerofPorgyandBess:Race,culture,andAmerica’smostfamousoperaUNCPressBooks,2012 5Treemonisha[Web]RetrievedfromtheLibraryofCongress,https://wwwlocgov/item/ihas200035812/ T h e C h a m p i o n ( 2 0 2 2 ) NOTES NOTES T e r r e n c e B l a n s h a r d
Bess.
(2002):527.
S a t u r S a t u r 2 3 7 3 7 Upcoming Events aFRO PERUVIAN aFRO PERUVIAN sANTURANTICUY sANTURANTICUY T H E M U L T I C U L T U R A L M U S I C G R O U P P R E S E N T S :
