Summertime by George Gershwin

[elyoda12]

sublime!

[schallrd1]

George would have liked this rendition.

[16081935]

Emozioni del tempo perduto...

[uplift56]

That lady lit that up like the fourth of July- sing mama!

[GhostOnTheWind]

Outside of singing "summertime: during the actual musical - when the role is played by an African American women - I fail to see the significance of the race of the person singing it during any other situation. The composer is not African American, and that did not disqualify him from creating this beautiful song.

[archer641]

WOW! Terrific. Gershwin was a genius. His music is "one of kind" and can never be duplicated.

[flopsterj]

I love playing this on the clarinet! I can't help but sway when I play and listen to this master piece.

[somedayfc]

great, nice channel i m a singer visit my channel ;)

[MaxB6851]

Who is the singer?

[efrainamaya]

@MaxB6851 Cecily Nall, soprano

[nubapowner5000]

@efrainamayaBeautifulsingershe­is

[MaxThomas01]

109 people obviously like it when it rains...

[MrDevonpianochris]

Wish I could Sing that High :)

[LadyBlueFeather]

mono?

[efrainamaya]

@LadyBlueFeather Sorry, something happened when I uploaded the video and it ended up in mono.... It makes me angry now to try to upload it again because I will lose all the hits... I might upload it again anyway.

[h3adcrabbio]

Protip: Originally a ukrainian lullaby.

[rikahs19]

@h3adcrabbio Not true. It was BASED off a Ukrainian lullaby, but it was actually written to chronicle the struggles of black people as opposed to white people. Its mean to be sung by a black woman, she is supposedly singing to a white child describing his life to him....

[nothingbutrandomhere]

Never heard it being sang so unnaturally high but it sounds awesome!!

[natalierosen]

utterly beautiful, genius ... brings me to tears!

[alpha0548]

What say ? Just .... wonderfull !

[fabfourgroupie]

fantastic voice

[OoOBexxOoO]

it's really beautiful! But is it acutally in the original key?

[apercrumbie]

@OoOBexxOoO I'm fairly sure it's the original key. I can't remember if this is the original or the version that's a semitone higher. Singers such as Ella Fitzgerald made the song famous in a much lower key but it was originally written for sopranos.

[MaxThomas01]

@OoOBexxOoO yeah original key of E :)

[Tommyfazz]

Q: 'How many female singers does it take to sing ''Summertime''?'

A: 'All of them - apparently'

[mariomarinato]

Wow!

[mrwickwiz23]

Expecting this to be stereo... To go with Oreo.

[efrainamaya]

@mrwickwiz23 Sorry.. I don't know what happened but YouTube loaded only one track!

[richxl7]

Great !! Thank you. (Right up there with Janis Joplin and Susan Boyle.)

[Thorneycroft1937]

A performance like this deserves better applause! thanks for sharing!

[juliabegulia]

WOW what a voice

[0101Marion]

les 2 versions sont excellentes (celle-ci et celle de Ella Fitzgerald)

[JoshuaTaylor]

One of the most gorgeous melodies ever written. It never "wears out".

[TommyHaggarty]

this is 4 u wee rosie posie our wonderful mum taken from us on 12th june 2010.heaven will b a such a lovely place with u in it.have fun with dad & the rest of the gang.luv & miss u always n 4ever.till we meet again.

thomas,claire,ryan,jay&cara.

[grenadian11]

A star is or should be born; one of the best versions bar none! time to add Ms. Nall to Wikipedia. Bravo!

[WildeNotesMusic]

Lovely.

For the record, the music for this song (& the whole opera) is by George Gershwin and the lyrics are by Ira Gershwin, based on the book "Porgy" by Dubose & Dorothy Heyward.

[bcrich52]

sounds just like sublime

[idiotboy172]

@bcrich52

Yup.... Bradley knew his shit.... I miss him....

[googenshlagen]

@bcrich52

this is where they got it from...

[MrTwinTowers]

so great

[oilcraze]

What a great marvelous singer. Just can't find other songs sung by her on Youtube. What a pity!

[sil2417]

Готов слушать бесконечно. Шедевр.

[LukewarmKoolaid]

excellent

[kay52022]

Thanks for posting this. It is one of my favorites. I needed to escape today and found this, one of my favorites. It gives me chills. Those who have never heard it are certainly the losers.

[XE1GXG]

Helluva lot better than that insufferable BEyoncé and other nonsense

[mazbev1]

Beautifully played, beautifully sung .... chills

[frizelmac2]

this is a true and pure version of this song with a spectacular voice

doing the song justice

[GETTINGYOUNGERONE]

@frizelmac2 Lovely, but also listen to a couple of different interpretation, one by Charlie Parker on sax, and the other by the Geroge Benson Quartet from the late 60s

[Mysterio13410]

30's ♥

[jorgebodila]

ES UNA JOYA!

[kisslittlesunshines]

i will sing this song next week :)

[galenatt]

Though beautiful, I must confess I prefer the jazz version with the non soprano voice.

[wavygravynet]

This sends chills up and down my spine. Wonderfu, absolutely electrifying.

[ecrowders]

just can't be a better version

[PressCtrlG]

this is the original? Omg , this is sooo hard to sing!

[fizzypepsi]

It is really hard to sing...the whole song is in your upper register!

[west07626]

Thank you for posting, I was searching for a classical version of this song, this is beautiful. Her last note was really perfect, it takes great skill to do it that way. Also check out Liza Sobel, a teenage soprano, she recently uploaded this song too.

[AnnieLives]

i think some of the most beautiful music coms from the time when musical theatre and opera crossed paths, this is definitely an example. ( : Gershwin is an opera lord xD

[otheusrex]

well said

[thechinadesk]

@AnnieLives

I agree. I like the fact the opera, operetta, and musical theater are immediate neighbors on the musical spectrum.

I see no need to reject the one merely because I like the other.

Bernstein's "West Side Story" could also be placed in the same crossover category

[NateisTrippin]

whoa this is tite. weird how sublime covered this song

[joanabanyeres]

Tres bien chanté, en version originelle. En si meneur,

[Artemanopum]

qué hermosa versión

[RainbowRatatouille]

Is this the original B minor? Or a? x

[efrainamaya]

This version is in a minor. Both are available for rental.

[efrainamaya]

The original is in b minor!

[highlyaddictiv1]

Actually in the score Clara sings it in b minor and then Bess sings it in a minor.... since they're both in the score wouldn't they BOTH be original?

[efrainamaya]

@highlyaddictiv1

Sure thing! I guess I was talking of the soprano. Hers is in b minor.

[622KV]

@efrainamaya for rental ?

[efrainamaya]

@622KV

The score and parts are rented out by the publisher for performances! That's what I mean when I say for rental! 

[622KV]

@efrainamaya wow sweet, how does that work, you just write them ?

[armageddonff]

...she's singing it down a step...oh well.

[Nerced]

is this the 1st version of the song? i love it

[singingatUMich2013]

lovely, just lovely. i am totally singing this song:)

[nblfyb]

That sounded nice. MOre Gershwin. I had a dream and his name was mentioned. I'm a producer, so...

Benson and Tonic Productions

[koliodimitrov]

wunderschön

[dhstrombone]

We're playing an arrangement of Summertime in jazz band this year.

[Faerie113]

we are too!

[TheGilmer]

Haha, same here, dhstrombone. I play trombone, and I would assume the same goes for you! :P

[beriflor]

george g....a jewish kid from brooklyn became the greatest writer of music in history, from pop to classical to jazz, and he didn't even live that long, how does one human being have so much talent?

[KissesFromHeaven07]

Great job!

[Josh21994]

Yeah Dizfunky what instrument do you play because I think we go to the same school because we play this song and two others that are A little Ragtime and House of the rising sun. I just heard this song by Charlie Parker and the Sax solo is amazing.

[TheLilyvonshtupp]

September 26, 1898 July 11, 1937

111 years from today one of the biggest composers was born

...And the livin' is easy...

[Sara92DD]

amazig...... now  i got a lot of innsperation, THANKS :D

[Dizfunky]

We are playing an arrangement of Porgy and Bess for marching band this year. Part of this is in it =)

[Josh21994]

Hey Dizfunky what instrument do you play because I think were in the same band. are the other two song "A Little Ragtime", and "House of the Rising Sun"

[mechanite]

My marching band is doing Rhapsody in Blue.

[freakyretriever]

One of my best friends also did this song she was amazing!!! Not with an orchestra but like piano accomp!! She did an amazing bend at the end!! and this lady is amazing!!!! I LUV OPREA !!!! GO GEORGE GERSHWIN!!!

[SawyersSexy]

Wow, beautiful!

[username14657]

Amazing!!

[paulostroff99]

Oh lord,when is the next coming of another genius such as the beloved George Gershwin!!!!!

[pscripter]

I love every version of this song. I don't think it can be ruined, but this version is one of the best!

[shitxpark]

oo my Good

I can't believe on her voice .... !

summertime is one of the best song. ever : D

[thewindsofsong]

my mom used to sing this to me when i was little...its been years since i last heard it all. it brings back a lot of good memories.

[OpalEl]

@thewindsofsong My mom too! I have a lot of love for this song because it reminds me of my lovely mother! I love her so much. Hehe <3

[TheHumanAgenda]

@thewindsofsong did she die

[ClubComix]

Sublime did a loose cover of this song (Doin' Time), but I would like to do a full, punk rock cover of this song.

[GeminiNightOwl]

Love Gershwin and all his songs. Summertime was written in 1934 and privately performed in 1935 before becoming a huge success.

[GeminiNightOwl]

Love Gershwin and all his songs. This song is particularly haunting in a way. Also, to correct - this song was composed and written in 1934 with a private performance in 1935 at Carnegie Hall. By 1936 it was a big hit.

[blueeyedwhatsit]

oh damn I have to do this for a singing competition at school! My version of the high B leans more to the screaming side of things than the singing...hmm...

[dana299]

The most beautiful song in the world! Gershwin? A genius!

[pscripter]

DOUBLE DITTO on the most BEAUTIFUL SONG EVER WRITTEN IN THE WORLD! I love Gershwin for this song.

[atmeneti2]

why hear only the right channel??

[efrainamaya]

You know I don't know why is doing that! It might have been when we uploaded the file ... mm I'll try to find the original and put it in there!

[djdjany]

one of the best songs ever. Written in 1936 !!!!!

[reynaldopinto]

Essa música é genial. My favorite é na interpretação de imortal Janis Joplin.

[TalmaLennon]

George Gershwin is a musical genius!!

[imreadytogo07]

beethoven is a legend he was a genius!!

[kready]

wow... you know she hit that high a just to show off... pretty amazing stuff

[InspiredbyLiszt]

Nah. That note is in the music...

[sisqoooooooooo]

love it!

[aseretkavon]

oh man, she did SUCH a great job with that!

Too bad it's so quiet because there weren't any microphones. Although, at the same time, that's mighty impressive.

[isoarcars]

I don't know who she is but this is one great soprano serveing her art.

[loreeth]

This is indeed wonderful, and was awarded the best [number 1] song in the 20th century. But I would be remiss if I left out that I believe "Bess, you is my Woman" is even better. It's also from Porgy & Bess. Tell me if I'm not right !! I double dare you. Triple dare !!! The rhythms are incredible !!!!

[pscripter]

I love the opera and many of the songs are incredible, but I disagree. Summertime is the best song ever written, and no one can deny that the instrumentation is totally genius.

[symbolt]

why not stereo? :(

[efrainamaya]

I don't know what happened ... the original is in stereo but when I uploaded it only put it in one channel...

[headbanger623]

He is the richest composer of all time.

[lialyss]

negative

[irenehoogveld]

agreed. Bernstein and Mozart (if we're talking about all times) are much more fulfilling (at least in my opinion)..

[Arufeltz]

well... i love bach more than any other composers... but i think comparing any of them is just useless, as each composer has his own uniqueness and beauty

[nakedBison69]

the five greatest musical composers of all time are, in chronological order, Handel, Bach, Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven

[jinkers14]

Love love love Handel!

[Audrey2877]

Totally agree with you!

[deke1984]

Totally disagree. These are my personal favorites in no particular order. Schubert, Ravel, Ives, Rachmaninoff, and I guess I'll give you Beethoven for his "Emperor Concerto". Also Mahler. I realize that I am biased but I don't think you can say one composer is great and another not since it is pretty much all personal preference. Sure some might be more important historically and because of their musical developments, but you can't just make a broad statement about greatness like that.

[Alessandro1985]

Any great composers list must include: CHOPIN and Debussy (ok i'm a pianist!), as well as Bruckner and Mahler.

[RdSoxFan618]

You are a pianist but didn't include Franz Lizst? We learned about all these guys this year in my Understanding Music class that I had to take...it wasn't that bad of a class actually.

[Alessandro1985]

And rachmaninoff and mendelssohn and schubert ect

[pscripter]

Beethoven for his 7th symphony Allegretto, opus 92. He may have written that just for me!

[pasxizeis]

nakedBison you forgot Brahms...

[BEANSKEEZ]

im playing a jazz version of this song at my school

[stealthswimmer]

it is a jazz song. It's just that for the play it was like opera...but jazz opera. Some other folks have done it in a more formal style.

[headbanger623]

George Gershwin used Jazz from Tin Pan Alley and spliced it with European harmony and rhythms/tonality of Popular music of the time.

So, to call it a specific Genre would not be very honoring. Not that you did.

[GorbyGwapoh]

Ahh..,. Ive been looking for the title of this piece. At last! Ive found it..,. LOL..,.

[flyingfishlu]

i played the trombone on that

[Kenpachi189]

Im playing this for my spring concert at school

[bartlettbooks]

I like this! Also I like to hear it played on a harmonica.

[musicoschidos]

molto bellisimo! la interpretazione e molto bene, io ho gustato molto questa interpretazione, e sensazionale

ciao!

[tisha812]

1933...unbelievable.

[Itaudia]

If this is the original version, there is a few things wrong with the disc we have to listen to in school... but if it's not... yeah. ^^ My teacher got me hooked on this song, and I'm not really a big fan of opera, so this is good! Her voice is nice, and the instruments play well, but I don't really know how to criticize this because I don't know much... so my opinion doesn't count? I now love this song, and can't get enough of it. ^^ Thanks for putting this up.

~~ Itaudia Uukihi

[xoxoemariexoxo]

i love this song, its amazing.<3

[SmashingKinpumps]

lol! I can't believe sublime made their own version of this song.

[Lauri987]

This peace is from Opera called Porgy and Bess and Gershwin was actually a classical composer with jazz influences. So I guess it's the opposite ;)

[3FingeredGus]

actually the first 2 lines of the chorus and the whole cord progression are the same.. so actually its quite similar

[harveyardman]

Gershwin was a popular composer who wrote some classical pieces, such as Rhapsody in Blue. He also wrote "I Got Rhythm" and "Someone to Watch Over Me," and "Liza" and "Fascinating Rhythm" and a thousand other songs.

[Meleoffs]

They touched on this song. Only the opening phrase "Summertime and the living is easy".

[jodete81]

clasico

[GILL999SMITH]

Nice performance, nicely restained both in tempo and delivery.

[emilysayshi1234]

this song is so fun to play on my violin

[ChoralSoprano]

ah wow. this is helpful. im singing this for my grade 6!

[ACunit300]

good luck! =D

[chips150]

i hav to play this for my grade 5 cello, so this video is really helpful, ty! omg, its sooooooooooooooooooooo hard!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! gd video though!

[summersnowxy]

fantastic.

touched my heart deeply

[Mropera111]

I love she didn't say cotton, but cottn'!!

[DannyW542]

very nice voice.. prefer ella fits gerald and louis arstrong version tho but stiil grade A

[singerboyshad]

this is the original version of the song. the way it was written in "Porgy and Bess"

[guccichic18]

SHE IS FU**ING AMAAAAZZZZZIIIIINNNNGGG!!!! just fantastic! so beautiful.

[arindo]

beautiful.

[amphibian62]

My long lost frister would like this video. I wonder what happened to her,my little Gayla.

[kngiht84]

Very clear diction, unlike that version of Renee Fleming (great techniques, muddy diction ruining the whole spirit)

[amiewami91]

I have to sing this on wednesday for my AS level exams, this really puts me in place. Brillian voice.

[ninjutsukan]

i'd say good luck, but i'm sure they're past now. so i hope you did well ^__^

[tanu0425]

I love this song brings tears to my eyes

love it beautiful she sings beautiufully

[ottokees]

So wonderful video !!!...mille grazie!!!, ~Sergio.

[username14657]

Absolutely enchanting!

[Ligeti92]

This is my all time favorite song.

[omarieswifey]

that sounded bautiful...i'm studying some of geor gershwin's works and my friend has to sing this voice and it will be extremely difficult as it is totally out of her comfort zone...."'m singing nice work if you can getit"

[druidwriter]

Woo Hoo! Thank you!

[BigBirdy100]

Excellente

[basketpro]

agh, i'm sort of dissappointed, only cuz it's not in the same key as i've heard it in. I recordings of Kathleen Battle and Renee Fleming doing this in b minor, and it sounds absolutely awesome! I mean don't get me wrong, Cecily Nall is fantastic, but this just isn't truly a "soprano" performance! idk maybe i'm just being stupid and way too picky!lol

[mzKIRAlee]

i am learning this song in singing. its so beautiful

[homegirrl]

Wow, that was excellent. If it wasn't so excellent I would've trashed it for not being bluesy enough. But wow.

[seanie678]

lets hear ella sing it like this

[LindsayMarloe]

umm personally i believe ella fitz can sing much better because she has some real soul ... she can relate to the lyrics where as this woman obviously has never had to struggle because of racial issues.

she did wonderfully but i dont think you should be comparing her to ellas fitz. because they are two different singers with different styles.

[lidijapcello]

nice

[swordstick]

I only knew the version of Helge Schneider so far *g*

[HotogovMailgan]

Awesome classic version of this song, which I also love singing myself.

Happy New Year! :D

[gildog]

so beautiful!

[jameshlewis]

Great voice. Such discipline. Terrific!

[cherryblossom12]

how blessed she is to have such a fantastic voice. while i do prefer the bluesier version of this, she does a fantastic job of the original version. cheers!

[dogwiskers]

nice