Porteriana

Speranza

In Porter's so very civilised outlook revealed thru his urbane verses and his compelling music, Porter never stopped writing the kind of songs he once did merely to amuse his friends.

In fact, he never ceased writing to amuse his friends.

This did not mean he wasa dilettante.

On the contrary, he was always a meticulous, painstaking craftsman.

Yet his detached manner towards the theatre did allow him to take pleasure in his own works.

The premieres of Cole Porter musicals invariably found the composer, surrounded by the smartest of the smart set, enjoying himself thoroughly from an orchestra seat as if he were listening to his own creations for the very first time.