Cole Porter (1891–1964), “Wunderbar” from Kiss Me Kate (1948), mm. 1–16 of refrain

Kiss Me Kate was Cole Porter’s most successful musical, winning the Tony Award^®for Best Musical in 1949 and surprising many critics who claimed that he had passed his prime. In the musical, Fred, the egotistical director of a Broadway show, sings this song with Lilli, an old flame. They are remembering an operetta that they performed together years earlier. Porter references the operetta through the song’s recall of the Viennese waltz as well as its German keyword and title.