The Artistry of the Gershwin Brothers: Love is Here to Stay

A recent conversation with a Master Chorus Eastside singer regarding a number in our upcoming May 19 Simply Gershwin concert set me pondering the consummate artistry of George and Ira Gershwin.  As we talked about one of their best known songs, Love is Here to Stay, I suddenly found myself laying out an analysis of the skillful interworking of music and poetry as if I had studied it in depth.  I hadn’t!  It was simply there, in the bones of the piece, and it quite unexpectedly rose to the surface, beautifully executed in a way that elevates it above the run-of-the-mill Broadway tune.

But first, here it is, sung by Johnny Mathis in his inimitable style.

Notice how the music expresses the unease conveyed in the opening lyrics; the world is an unpredictable and incomprehensible place, so the melody “capers” agitatedly, with repeated descending leaps, quick-changing, restless harmonies, and phrase endings that seem to hang questioningly in the air.  That is, until “we’ve got something permanent;” there the tune begins to steady, moving by step instead of leap, and a bright D major chord suddenly converges with “I mean in the way we care,” as if throwing a beam of light on the lyric.

And then comes the famous refrain, “It’s very clear,” and the melody arcs upward in optimism and then settles to rest in a simple, two-note inflection on “our love is here to stay,” a complete antithesis of the opening.  Phrases end with long-held whole notes, the harmonic rhythm slows its pace; and then that prolonged, immovable note on the word “stay”—delicious!

Whole notes disappear, downward trending tune and quickly passing chord changes return as the lyrics address the “passing fancies” of radio, telephone and movies (just think about the ongoing transformation of telephones and media in this last decade!), but still the melody moves serenely, by steps, not leaps, suggesting permanence in the face of an inconstant world.

This stability is underscored by the return to the opening bars of the refrain.  And then the “passing fancies” melody reappears, this time set to “the Rockies may crumble, Gibraltar may tumble,” the tune gradually sinks like collapsing rocks, and rapid harmonies slide downward,  tumble and crumble before our eyes.

“But…” and that word soars high in the air like a beacon of hope…”our love is here to stay,” and stay and stay with that satisfying long note and final chord rooted in the tonic key.

This is mature Gershwin, full of meaning and expressiveness in music and poetry.  It was the last piece the brothers wrote together because George died in 1937 shortly after writing the tune.  Savor its artistry.

 

Dr. Linda Gingrich

Artistic Director and Conductor

Master Chorus Eastside