Cole Porter

Cole Porter (b. 1891; d. 1964) stands among the great artists of the past century as one of the greatest compositional minds to lay pen to staff paper. His compositions have captivated the American public onstage, onscreen and and off for the past eight decades.

Cole was born into a well to do family in Peru, Indiana and his life was laid out for him from an early age. His pre-determined profession was, very much to the delight of his family, to be law. At an early age he was given some music instruction. The young Cole began taking violin lessons at the age of six and he later learned piano at the age of eight, from his mother Kate. Although he was given these early music lessons, these things were nothing more than a practical formality of the time. During this age, most people were brought up with some musical training because of its sensibility. These music studies gave individuals the ability to participate in and provide social entertainment at events within their circle. Cole, however, took very much to music beyond this trivial experience and was very serious about studying the art form. With the help of his mother, the young man composed his first operetta at the age of eleven.

After graduating from high school, Cole took up studies at Yale. He also had a continuing interest in musical studies. At Yale he participated in and became president of the school's glee club. Upon graduation, he went to Harvard law and it seemed as if his pre-determined destiny of becoming a lawyer was well on its way to becoming a reality. Nonetheless, Cole's passion was still with music and, during the time of his legal studies, he vigorously continued his compositional studies and practices. This passion became so overwhelming that, upon the recommendation of the dean of the law school, Cole decided to switch his major to composition.

Once his scholarly collegiate expedition was complete, Cole moved back home and continued to pursue his compositional dreams. He wrote music that was included in scores to a few Broadway productions and was able to, with the help of his family, produce two shows that featured his own scores. Yet, these independent ventures were a flop and Cole resigned to France where he joined the French Foreign Legion. Once his term of service was concluded, he moved to Paris and became a part of the Lost Generation. While enjoying the beauty of the Parisian landscape, Cole was said to have composed most of the music that would make him famous in the coming decade of the 1930's. During this time, he also met his wife to be Ms. Linda Lee Thomas. She was to be his faithful companion and most trusted ally for the duration of her life.

During the time of his stay in France, Cole was able to get his music heard by Richard Rodgers and the composer greatly admired the young man's music. The elder composer's appreciation of Cole's music was warranted. Although there were composers who went above the status quo and delved deeply into the harmonic intricacies of music, Cole Porter's music had a combination of harmonic and melodic beauty and sophistication that made his compositions stand out among all others. Porter's frequent use of double entendre and metaphor gave his lyrics meaning far beyond the face value of the words. The harmonies that Porter chose to incorporate also compliment the soaring melodies in such a way that both of them are equally admirable for their beauty and enhance one another. They do not detract from the other's stelliform. His studies in orchestration and counterpoint at the Schola Cantorum with Vincent d'Indy are ever-present in his music. Proter's sense of unrelenting melody, accompanied by harmonic variation is reminiscent of a great master of the preceding century, Richard Wagner.

Cole Porter led a very interesting life that has been depicted a few time via motion picture. My personal favorite is Irwin Winkler's De-Lovely of 2004. Kevin Kline gorgeously depicts the famed composer and the beautiful Ashley Judd takes on the role of his wife, Linda. She does so with an amazingly wonderful poise. The movie takes special care in the attention that it pays to the way that the unconventional relationship between the two unfolds. Porter's alleged homosexuality has long been rumored and the movie depicts Linda's relationship with Cole as a companionship that, not romantic, was the greatest of loves. In the movie, the two of them share a bond that rivals the greatest stories of the most star-crossed lovers. Cole's love for Linda appropriately culminates in So In Love, of Kiss Me Kate. This show was the composer's great comeback and it both rejuvenated the composer's career and was his biggest hit. The haunting configuration is quite possibly the most emotionally evocative pairing of melody and harmony that this renowned individual ever published. It is equally demonstrative of the composer's love for his wife and his being deeply troubled over her ailing health. Although there was no question that Porter's ultimate love was music, it is also equally apparent that his second great love was the companionship of the lovely Linda Lee Thomas.