American Manuscripts & other Property from the Collection of Elsie and Philip Sang
American Manuscripts & other Property from the Collection of Elsie and Philip Sang
Property from the Collection of Elsie and Philip Sang
GEORGE GERSHWIN | Letter agreement for performances of Porgy and Bess in Europe, signed by George Gershwin and his collaborators.
Lot Closed
October 14, 05:27 PM GMT
Estimate
1,500 - 2,500 USD
Lot Details
Description
Property from the Collection of Elsie and Philip Sang
GEORGE GERSHWIN
TYPED LETTER AGREEMENT FOR ROYALTY DISTRIBUTION FOR BRITISH AND EUROPEAN PRODUCTIONS OF PORGY AND BESS, SIGNED BY GEORGE GERSHWIN AND HIS COLLABORATORS
1 page (13 x 8 1/4 in.; 330 x 210 mm), [New York, c. 1935–1936]; tears with some paper loss along top margin (not affecting text), horizontal folds.
Signed by composer Georgge Gershwin, lyricist Ira Gershwin, author DuBose Hayward and Theatre Guild representative Warren P. Munsell.
Due to his untimely death in 1937, George Gershwin did not live to see a European production of his opera. He would likely have been horrified to know that the first European production was staged in Copenhagen in 1943 during the Nazi occupation, with an all-white cast performing in blackface.