PORTERIANA

Speranza

Following a lackadaisical twelve-year apprenticeship, Porter startled New York and London in 1928 with sharp, dazzling lyrics and tuneful (if less dazzling) music.

His work continued fresh and imaginative until 1935, when he seemed to hit a dry spell.

Then came is 1937 accident, which seems to have had a permanent effect on his writing -- the fun was gone.

The next decade contained an impressive number of successful shows -- mostly energetic wartime hits -- but few of the songs were at all comparable to the earlier work.

WIth the brilliant KISS ME, KATE, Porter instantly caught up with his contemporaries and the newcomers who had passed him by.

But the creative renaissance proved to be temporary.

It is disconcerting (and somewhat surprising) to discover that the majority of Porter's songs are really quite ordinary.

But the good music is often VERY GOOD, and the GOOD LYRICS are always SUPERB, more than enough to earn Porter a well-deserved reputation.