who wrote porgy and bess?
George Gershwinâs idea to write Porgy and Bess can be traced to 1926 when he first read the novel Porgy by DuBose Heyward, which was set on the fictitious Catfish Row in the Deep South. After signing a deal with the author, Gershwin began composing in 1934 and Heyward wrote the words to âSummertimeâ. The song appears more than once in the opera. Its first appearance is as a lullaby, sung by Clara, at the beginning of Act I and later it is sung by Bess.