Summertime Variations is the third arrangement I have made of Gershwin's Summertime - and the first for solo piano. It begins and ends very quietly and cantabile with a meditation on the well-known opening motif. The complete melody then forms the basis for the swinging and extremely virtuoso Presto Variations of the central section.

The work was composed as a concert piece for my classical solo recitals, but I alos play Summertime Variations as an encore in my regular performances in jazz festivals such as in Montreux. (Fazil Say).

An arrangement of Gershwin's famous melody for solo piano, using both jazz ballad and up-tempo bebop jazz styles. Performance duration is about 4 minutes 45 seconds, and a performance can be viewed at youtube.com/c/rupertaustin/videos.

The arrangement begins in a slow moody jazz ballad style with a four bar introduction and two presentations of the 16 bar melody; with the second (from bar 21) exploring aspects of the melody in improvisatory syle. The performer can optionally omit the extensive up-tempo section that follows, and jump from end of bar 34 to bar 136, providing a fairly brief ballad performance. Alternatively the tempo picks up at bar 35 and six up-tempo improvisatory explorations of the melody, with much use of syncopation, are given (double bar lines marking beginning of each of the six sections). This is followed by a slowing of the tempo from bar 134 and a quiet close of the piece. Swinging quavers should be used between bars 35 and 135, with the final two bars returning to straight quavers.

Here's how to play "Summertime" by George Gershwin on piano!

With this sheet music, you can play the famous jazz standard "Summertime" in a beautiful arrangement which is not too hard to play, and sounds fantastic.

The full melody is included in the piano part, so this arrangement makes for a wonderful instrumental (piano solo) version.
However, you can also use this sheet music to accompany a singer, or sing along yourself - the song's full lyrics and chords are included!

George Gershwin composed "Summertime" for his 1935 opera "Porgy and Bess".

It became one of his most famous compositions, and has been recorded by countless great artists such as Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, Janis Joplin and Billy Stewart.

Now you can play "Summertime" on piano, too!

Here are the full lyrics to George Gershwin's "Summertime":

Summertime, an' the livin' is easy
Fish are jumpin' an' the cotton is high.
Oh, yo' daddy's rich and yo' ma is good-lookin'
So hush, little baby, don' you cry.

One of these mornin's you goin' to rise up singin'
Then you'll spread yo' wings an' you'll take the sky.
But till that mornin', there's a nothin' can harm you
With Daddy an' Mammy standin' by.