What Is This Thing Called Love?: Lead Sheet

This collection gathers Porter's most enduring standards in a single, practical resource. The lead sheet format invites vocalists and pianists to collaborate while building skills in chord reading and accompaniment, and these songs reward repeated listening and performance because their craftsmanship deepens with familiarity.

These songs capture New York sophistication, romantic wit, and polished elegance. They swing naturally, sit comfortably in the voice, and invite you to lean into the clever wordplay while maintaining musical dignity.

Pianists and vocalists working in jazz, cabaret, or musical theater settings will find essential repertoire here. Students learning to accompany singers from lead sheets and developing jazz harmonic awareness benefit from Porter's sophisticated chord writing.

• Respect the lyrical phrasing as much as the melodic line; Porter's words and music are inseparable, and rushing or ignoring the text weakens the song's impact.
• Explore the chord progressions on piano before performing. Many Porter standards contain unexpected harmonic turns that become expressive tools when understood and highlighted.
• Work with your collaborators (vocalist and pianist, or pianist and instrumentalist) to establish clear communication about tempo and feel; these songs thrive on ensemble sensitivity rather than rigid metronomic playing.

Pair these standards with a cabaret concert, jazz ensemble showcase, or vocal recital program. They work equally well as teaching material in jazz history courses or as supplementary repertoire for students developing sight-reading fluency and accompaniment skills.

• Reading and interpreting lead sheet notation (melody, lyrics, chord symbols)
• Identifying and playing jazz chord extensions and alterations
• Accompanying singers with intuitive harmonic awareness
• Phrasing vocal lines with text awareness and musical sensitivity
• Recognizing and executing swing rhythm and jazz interpretation