Irving Berlin was born 126 years ago today. A composer and lyricist of Belarusian Jewish origin, Berlin was one of the greatest songwriters in American history. He published his first song, Marie from Sunny Italy, in 1907 and had his first major international hit, Alexanders Ragtime Band in 1911. Alexanders Ragtime Band sparked an international dance craze in places as far away as Berlins native Russia, which also flung itself into the ragtime beat with an abandon bordering on mania. Over the years Berlin was known for writing music and lyrics in the American vernacular: uncomplicated, simple and direct, with his aim being to reach the heart of the average American whom he saw as the real soul of the country. He wrote hundreds of songs, many becoming major hits, which made him a legend before he turned thirty. During his 60-year career he wrote an estimated 1,500 songs, including the scores for 19 Broadway shows and 18 Hollywood films, with his songs nominated eight times for Academy Awards. Many songs became popular themes and anthems, including Easter Parade, White Christmas, Happy Holiday, This is the Army, Mr. Jones, and Theres No Business Like Show Business. His Broadway musical and 1942 film, This is the Army, with Ronald Reagan, had Kate Smith singing Berlins God Bless America which was first performed in 1938. Smith still performed the song on her 1960 CBS television series, The Kate Smith Show. After the September 11 attacks in 2001, Celine Dion recorded it as a tribute, making it #1 on the charts. Berlins songs have reached the top of the charts 25 times and have been extensively re-recorded by numerous singers including Fred Astaire, Ethel Merman, Frank Sinatra, Ethel Waters, Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand, Linda Ronstadt, Rosemary Clooney, Cher, Diana Ross, Bing Crosby, Rita Reys, Frankie Laine, Johnnie Ray, Al Jolson, Nat King Cole, Billie Holiday, Doris Day and Ella Fitzgerald. Composer Douglas Moore sets Berlin apart from all other contemporary songwriters, and includes him instead with Stephen Foster, Walt Whitman, and Carl Sandburg, as a great American minstrel—someone who has caught and immortalized in his songs what we say, what we think about, and what we believe. Composer George Gershwin called him the greatest songwriter that has ever lived,“ and composer Jerome Kern concluded that Irving Berlin has no place in American music—he is American music. Berlin died in 1989 at age 101. Here, is the complete 90-minute 100th birthday special of Irving Berlin from Carnegie Hall on May 11, 1988.
Posted on: Sun, 11 May 2014 04:56:01 +0000
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