Easy to Love (from "Born to Dance"): Piano/Vocal/Chords

This collection captures Porter at his most inventive, with "Easy to Love" and "Night and Day" representing the kind of sophisticated popular song that rewards repeated study. The accompanying analysis and rare archival materials give singers and pianists genuine insight into how these songs functioned in their original contexts, transforming what could be just sheet music into a window onto American musical theater history.

Porter's melodies carry sophistication without pretension; they breathe with the conversational ease of someone who has genuinely lived. "Easy to Love" feels almost conversational in its straightforwardness, while songs like "Night and Day" build emotional architecture through repetition and harmonic tension. There's a consistent elegance here, a sense that every note and chord was chosen deliberately.

Pianists and vocalists working on American standards, music theater students building their audition and performance repertoire, and teachers seeking authoritative editions of classic songs with historical context. Anyone preparing Porter's music for recital, lessons, or ensemble performance will benefit from having these carefully curated selections in one resource.

• Study the harmonic movement underneath the melody; Porter's chords often move in unexpected directions that create sophistication without sounding overwrought. Let those progressions shape your phrasing rather than fighting them.
• Distinguish between the needs of the melody line and the character implied by the lyrics. Porter writes sophisticated melodies for characters who are often witty or world-weary, so avoid overly earnest delivery.
• Use the piano part as a conversation partner, not a mere support. Porter crafted accompaniments that contain their own musical ideas; allow them space to be heard.
• Pay attention to Porter's use of repeated rhythmic figures in both melody and accompaniment. These patterns create momentum and cohesion, especially in uptempo numbers.

Feature individual selections in a recital exploring American songwriting across different moods and tempos. You might program "Easy to Love" alongside lighter Porter numbers, then shift into something more introspective like "Night and Day" to show his range. These songs also work well in educational contexts where you're teaching singers how to interpret standards or demonstrating the craft of American popular song composition.

• Phrasing across jazz-influenced chord changes and unexpected harmonic movement
• Balancing conversational vocal delivery with lyrical melody shapes
• Reading and interpreting chord symbols in a jazz-influenced context
• Understanding how melodic shape and harmonic function work together
• Identifying and executing the rhythmic and harmonic patterns that give Porter's songs their distinctive character