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Irving Berlin
In 1948
In 1948
Background information
Birth nameIsrael Isidore Beilin
BornMay 11, 1888
Mogilev, Russian Empire (now Belarus)
DiedSeptember 22, 1989 (aged 101)
New York City, New York, United States
Genre(s)Broadway musicals, revues, show tunes
Occupation(s)Songwriter, composer, lyricist
Years active1911 – 1962

Irving Berlin (May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989) was a Russian-born naturalized American composer and lyricist, and one of the most prolific American songwriters in history. Events 330 - Byzantium is renamed ''Nova Roma'' during a dedication ceremony but is more popularly referred to as Constantinople Year 1888 ( MDCCCLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a The Russian Empire ( Pre-reform Russian: Pоссійская Имперія Modern Russian: Российская Империя translit: Rossiyskaya Belarus ( Belarusian Беларусь / Biełaruś is a Landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered by Russia to the north and east Events 66 - Emperor Nero creates the Legion I Italica. 1236 - The Lithuanians Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) The City of New York New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Broadway theater, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 39 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located Musical theatre is a form of Theatre combining Music, Songs spoken Dialogue and Dance. A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical Entertainment that combines Music, dance and sketches. A show tune is a Popular song originally written as part of the score of a "show" (or stage musical, especially if the piece in question has become A songwriter is someone who writes the Lyrics to songs the Musical composition (chords or Melody to songs or both A composer (literally meaning 'one who puts together' is a person who creates Music, usually in the medium of notation, for Interpretation and Performance A lyricist is a Writer who specializes in Song Lyrics, usually paid for by a band to write a custom song(s Events 330 - Byzantium is renamed ''Nova Roma'' during a dedication ceremony but is more popularly referred to as Constantinople Year 1888 ( MDCCCLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Events 66 - Emperor Nero creates the Legion I Italica. 1236 - The Lithuanians Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending A composer (literally meaning 'one who puts together' is a person who creates Music, usually in the medium of notation, for Interpretation and Performance A lyricist is a Writer who specializes in Song Lyrics, usually paid for by a band to write a custom song(s A songwriter is someone who writes the Lyrics to songs the Musical composition (chords or Melody to songs or both Berlin was one of the few Tin Pan Alley/Broadway songwriters who wrote both lyrics and music for his songs. Tin Pan Alley is the name given to the collection of New York City -centered music publishers and Songwriters who dominated the popular Broadway theater, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 39 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located Although he never learned to read music beyond a rudimentary level, with the help of various uncredited musical assistants or collaborators, he eventually composed over 3,000 songs, many of which (e. Sight-reading is the reading and performing of a piece of written Music, specifically when the performer has not seen it before g. "God Bless America", "White Christmas", "Anything You Can Do", "There's No Business Like Show Business") left an indelible mark on Worldwide music and culture. " God Bless America " is an American Patriotic song " White Christmas " is an Irving Berlin song whose lyrics reminisce about White Christmases. " Anything You Can Do " is a song composed by Irving Berlin for the 1946 Broadway musical, Annie Get Your Gun. " There's No Business Like Show Business " is an Irving Berlin song written for Annie Get Your Gun. He composed seventeen film scores and twenty-one Broadway scores. Broadway theater, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 39 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located

Contents

Biography

Early life

Berlin was born Israel Isidore Beilin[1] to an Ashkenazi-Jewish family in Mogilev, now Belarus (according to other sources possibly in Tyumen, Russia). Ashkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim ( Hebrew: אַשְׁכֲּנָזִים, ˌaʃkəˈnazim sing PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ Belarus ( Belarusian Беларусь / Biełaruś is a Landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered by Russia to the north and east Tyumen ( is a city in Russia, located on the Tura River east of Moscow. Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending [2] His family immigrated to the United States in 1893. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the His parents were Leah (Lena) Yarchin and Moses Beilin; his father was a cantor who obtained work certifying kosher meat. [3]

Following the death of his father in 1896, Irving found himself having to work to survive. Year 1896 ( MDCCCXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year He did various street jobs, including selling newspapers and busking. Busking is the practice of performing in Public places for Tips and Gratuities. The harsh economic reality of having to work or starve was to have a lasting effect on the way Berlin treated money. While working as a singing waiter at Pelham's Cafe in Chinatown, Berlin was asked by the proprietor to write an original song for the cafe because a rival tavern had had their own song published. A Chinatown is a section of an urban area with a large number of Chinese outside the majority-Chinese countries of Greater China. "Marie from Sunny Italy," with music by Nick Nicholson, the cafe's pianist, was the result, and it was soon published. Although it only earned him 37 cents, it gave him a new career, and a new name: Israel Beilin was misprinted as "I. Berlin" on the sheet music. * It has also been suggested that his name was changed at Ellis Island in error by immigration officials when his family immigrated to the US and the official refused to change it, so Irving Berlin became his name. Ellis Island, at the mouth of the Hudson River in New York Harbor

Berlin first worked solely as a lyricist and only began to attempt to compose music when a misunderstanding arose concerning his lyric "Dorando. " He tried to sell the lyric to someone who assumed he had music to go with it. Although at the time he could play no instrument at all, he endeavored to come up with something with the help of an arranger. Throughout his career Berlin relied on musical assistants or collaborators. Cliff Hess worked for Berlin in this way from approximately 1912 to 1917 and was succeeded by Arthur Johnston and then Helmy Kresa. Arthur Johnston ( January 10, 1898 &ndash May 1, 1954) was a composer known for such works as “Mandy Make Up Your Mind” " Pennies None of these musicians were ever credited as co-composers.

Berlin was a self-taught pianist and one who reputedly restricted himself mainly to the black keys of the piano. Eventually he bought a special piano with a lever under the keyboard, enabling him to transpose his music mechanically. [4] He once explained his compositional method thus: "I get an idea, either a title or a phrase or a melody, and hum it out to something definite. When I have completed a song and memorized it, I dictate it to an arranger. "

Many of his earliest songs, among them "Sadie Salome (Go Home)," "That Mesmerizing Mendelssohn Tune," and "Oh How That German Could Love," enjoyed modest success in sheet music form, as recordings, on the vaudeville stage, or as interpolations into stage shows, but it was "Alexander's Ragtime Band," written in 1911 with the help of Alfred Doyle, that launched his career as one of Tin Pan Alley's brightest stars. " Alexander's Ragtime Band " is the name of a song by Irving Berlin. Year 1911 ( MCMXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Tin Pan Alley is the name given to the collection of New York City -centered music publishers and Songwriters who dominated the popular Richard Corliss, in a Time magazine profile of Berlin in 2001, wrote:

Alexander's Ragtime Band (1911). Time (trademarked in capitals as TIME) is a weekly American Newsmagazine, similar to Newsweek and " Alexander's Ragtime Band " is the name of a song by Irving Berlin. It was a march, not a rag, and its savviest musicality comprised quotes from a bugle call and Swanee River. Events in March American Red Cross Month Fire Prevention month ( The Philippines) Women's History Month ( United Ragtime (alternately spelled Rag-time) is an American musical genre which enjoyed its peak popularity between 1897 and 1918 A bugle call is a short tune, originating as a military signal announcing scheduled and certain non-scheduled events on a military installation battlefield or ship "Old Folks at Home" also known by the words of its first line "(Way Down Upon the Swanee River" is a song written in 1851 by composer Stephen Foster, to be But the tune, which revived the ragtime fervor that Scott Joplin had stoked a decade earlier, made Berlin a songwriting star. Ragtime (alternately spelled Rag-time) is an American musical genre which enjoyed its peak popularity between 1897 and 1918 Scott Joplin (between June 1867 and January 1868 &ndash April 1 1917 was an American musician and Composer of Ragtime music On its first release, four versions of the tune charted at # 1, # 2, # 3 and # 4. Bessie Smith, in 1927, and Louis Armstrong, in 1937, made the top 20 with their interpretations. Bessie Smith (July 9 1892 or April 15 1894&ndash September 26 1937 was an American Blues singer Louis Armstrong (August 4 1901 &ndash July 6 1971 nicknamed Satchmo or Sachimo and Pops, was an American Jazz Trumpeter In 1938 the song was # 1 again, in a duet by Bing Crosby and Connee Boswell; another Crosby duet, this time with Al Jolson, hit the top 20 in 1947. A duet is a Musical composition or piece for two Performers In Classical music the term is most often used for a composition for two singers Harry Lillis “Bing” Crosby ( May 3, 1903 &ndash October 14, 1977) was an Academy Award winning American Popular Al Jolson (May 26 1886 October 23 1950 born in Lithuania, Russian Empire, was a highly acclaimed American singer comedian and actor and the first openly Johnny Mercer charted a swing version in 1945, and Nellie Lutcher put it on the R&B charts (# 13) in 1948. John Herndon "Johnny" Mercer ( November 18, 1909 – June 25, 1976) was an American Songwriter and Singer Nellie Lutcher ( October 15 1912 - June 8 2007) was an African-American R&B and Add Ray Charles' brilliant big-band take in 1959, and "Alexander" had a dozen hit versions in a bit under a half century. Ray Charles Robinson ( September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) known by his Stage name Ray Charles, was an American A big band is a type of Musical ensemble associated with playing jazz music and which became popular during the Swing Era from the early 1930s until the late [5]

Works for the Musical stage

After the success of "Alexander", Berlin was rumored to be writing a "ragtime opera," but instead he produced his first full-length work for the musical stage, Watch Your Step (1914), starring Vernon and Irene Castle, the first musical comedy to make pervasive use of syncopated rhythms. Watch Your Step is a musical with music and lyrics by Irving Berlin and a book by Harry B Vernon and Irene Castle were a husband-and-wife team of Ballroom dancers of the early 20th century A similar show entitled Stop! Look! Listen! followed in 1915. Year 1915 ( MCMXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year

In 1917, during World War I, he entered the United States Army and staged a musical revue, Yip Yip Yaphank, while at Camp Upton in Yaphank, New York. Year 1917 ( MCMXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year From idea to the stage The commanding officer at Camp Upton had wanted to build a community building on the grounds of the army base and thought that Sgt Billed as "a military mess cooked up by the boys of Camp Upton," the cast of the show consisted of 350 members of the armed forces. The revue was a patriotic tribute to the United States Army, and Berlin composed a song entitled "God Bless America" for the show, but decided against using it. When it was released years later, "God Bless America" proved so popular that suggestions were made that it should become the National Anthem. It remains to this day one of his most successful songs and one of the most widely-known in the United States. A particularly famous rendition occurred after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, when members of the United States Congress stood together on the steps of the United States Capitol and sang Berlin's song. [5] Some songs from the Yaphank revue were later included in the 1943 movie This Is the Army featuring other Berlin songs, including the famous title piece, as well as a rendition of "God Bless America" by Kate Smith. This Is the Army is a 1943 American Motion picture produced by Hal B Kathryn Elizabeth "Kate" Smith ( May 1, 1907 &ndash June 17, 1986) was an American Singer, best known for her rendition Berlin himself sang "Oh, How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning". His natural singing voice was so soft that the recording volume had to be increased significantly in order to record acceptably.

After the war, Berlin built his own theater, the Music Box, as a showplace for annual revues featuring his latest songs; the first of these was "The Music Box Revue of 1921". The theater is still in use, incidentally. Though most of his works for the Broadway stage took the form of revues — collections of songs with no unifying plot — he did write a number of book shows. The Cocoanuts (1925) was a light comedy, with a cast featuring, among others, the Marx Brothers. The Cocoanuts ( 1929) was the first feature-length Marx Brothers film produced by Paramount Pictures. The Marx Brothers were a popular team of sibling Comedians who appeared in Vaudeville, stage plays film and television Face the Music (1932) was a political satire with a book by Moss Hart, and Louisiana Purchase (1940) was a satire of a Southern politician, obviously based on the exploits of Huey Long. Face the Music was a 1932 Broadway musical Revue. The show was the first collaboration between Moss Hart (book and Irving Berlin Moss Hart ( October 24 1904 &ndash December 20 1961) was an American Playwright and director of plays and Musical For the film see Louisiana Purchase (film. The Louisiana Purchase (French Vente de la Louisiane "Louisiana Sale" Huey Pierce Long Jr ( August 30, 1893 September 10, 1935) nicknamed The Kingfish, was an American Politician As Thousands Cheer (1933) was a revue, also with book by Moss Hart, with a theme: each number was presented as an item in a newspaper, some of them touching on issues of the day. As Thousands Cheer is a Revue with a book by Moss Hart and music and lyrics by Irving Berlin. The show yielded a succession of hit songs, including "Easter Parade", "Heat Wave" (presented as the weather forecast), "Harlem on My Mind", and "Supper Time", a song about racial bigotry that was sung by Ethel Waters. " Easter Parade " is a popular song that was written by Irving Berlin and was published in 1933. " Heat Wave " is a popular song It was written by Irving Berlin for the 1933 musical As Thousands Cheer. " Supper Time " is a popular song written by Irving Berlin for the 1933 musical As Thousands Cheer, where it was introduced by Ethel Waters Ethel Waters ( October 31, 1896 &ndash September 1, 1977) was an American Blues and Jazz Vocalist

During World War II, after receiving permission from General George Marshall, Berlin organized an all-soldier revue in the spirit of Yip Yip Yaphank. George Catlett Marshall Jr (December 31 1880 &ndash October 16 1959 was an American military leader Chief of Staff of the Army, Secretary of From idea to the stage The commanding officer at Camp Upton had wanted to build a community building on the grounds of the army base and thought that Sgt This Is the Army opened on July 4, 1942, with a cast of over 300 servicemen, and ran for three years, first on Broadway, then on tour in the United States, and then abroad. This Is the Army is a 1943 American Motion picture produced by Hal B Events 836 - Pactum Sicardi, peace between the Principality of Benevento and the Duchy of Naples Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The US Army Soldier Show still exists today.

Berlin's most successful Broadway musical was Annie Get Your Gun (1946), produced by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. Annie Get Your Gun is a musical with lyrics and music written by Irving Berlin and a book by Herbert Fields and his sister Dorothy Richard Rodgers (1902 &ndash 1979 and Oscar Hammerstein II (1895 &ndash 1960 were a well-known American songwriting duo Loosely based on the life of sharpshooter Annie Oakley, the music and lyrics were written by Berlin, with a book by Herbert Fields and his sister Dorothy Fields. Herbert Fields ( July 26, 1897 - March 24, 1958) was a Tony Award -winning American Librettist and Screenwriter Dorothy Fields ( July 15, 1905 &ndash March 28, 1974) was an American librettist and lyricist. Berlin had taken on the job after the original choice, Jerome Kern, died suddenly. Jerome David Kern ( January 27, 1885 &ndash November 11, 1945) was an American Composer of popular music At first he refused to take on the job, claiming that he knew nothing about "hillbilly music", but the show ran for 1,147 performances. Hillbilly is a term referring to people who dwell in remote Rural, Mountainous areas of the United States, primarily southern Appalachia and It is said that the showstopper song, "There's No Business Like Show Business", was almost left out of the show altogether because Berlin wrongly got the impression that Rodgers and Hammerstein did not like it. " There's No Business Like Show Business " is an Irving Berlin song written for Annie Get Your Gun. Annie Get Your Gun is considered to be Berlin's best musical theatre score not only because of the number of hits it contains, but because its songs successfully combine character and plot development. Annie Get Your Gun is a musical with lyrics and music written by Irving Berlin and a book by Herbert Fields and his sister Dorothy

Berlin's next show, Miss Liberty (1949), was a relative flop. Miss Liberty is a Broadway musical with music and lyrics by Irving Berlin, and book by Robert E Call Me Madam (1950), with Ethel Merman portraying the famous Washington hostess Perle Mesta, fared better, giving him his second greatest success, but his last show, Mr. President (1962), received unfavorable reviews and was a commercial failure. Call Me Madam is a musical with a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse and music and lyrics by Irving Berlin. Ethel Merman ( January 16, 1908 – February 15, 1984) was an American Actress and Singer for Musical Perle Skirvin Mesta ( October 12 1889 &ndash March 16 1975) was an American Socialite, political hostess and U Mr President is a musical with a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse and lyrics and music by Irving Berlin. The premiere of Mr. President, was attended by Democratic President John Fitzgerald Kennedy, who had remarked earlier "If the song (Ths Secret Service ((Makes me Nervous))) is anything like real life, I've already seen the show!" His aides Kenneth P. O'Donnell and David Powers afterwards offered President Kennedy's congradulations to Mr. Democracy is a form of government in which the supreme power is held completely by the people under a free electoral system John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy (May 29 1917&ndashNovember 22 1963 often referred to by his initials JFK, was the thirty-fifth President of Kenneth Phillip O'Donnell ( March 4, 1924 &ndash September 9, 1977) was a top aide to U David Francis Powers ( April 25, 1912 &ndash March 27, 1998) was Special Assistant to President of the United States John Berlin on a believed hit. At this point, Berlin essentially retired from the public eye.

Berlin and Hollywood

In 1927, one of Berlin's songs, "Blue Skies," a hit from 1926, was featured in the first feature-length talkie (motion picture with sound) (previous talkies were shorts only), The Jazz Singer, in which it was sung by Al Jolson. Year 1927 ( MCMXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image as opposed to a Silent film. The Jazz Singer is a 1927 American Musical film. The first feature-length motion picture with synchronized Dialogue Top Hat (1935) was the first of a series of distinctive film musicals pioneered by Berlin that featured popular and attractive performers (such as Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, Judy Garland, and Ginger Rogers), light romantic plots, and a seemingly endless string of his new and old songs. For the item of clothing see Top hat. For the fictional TUGS character see Top Hat (TUGS. Other films of this sort included On the Avenue (1937), Holiday Inn (1942), Blue Skies (1946), and Easter Parade (1948). On the Avenue is a 1937 Musical film starring Dick Powell, Madeleine Carroll, and Alice Faye. Holiday Inn is a 1942 Film starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire, which featured the music of Irving Berlin. Blue Skies is a 1946 Hollywood musical comedy Film, released by Paramount Pictures and starring Bing Crosby, Fred Easter Parade is a 1948 Musical film starring Fred Astaire and Judy Garland. The film version of This Is the Army (1943), which featured Berlin himself singing "Oh, How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning," was a success, but film versions of several of his stage musicals, including Annie Get Your Gun (1950) and Call Me Madam (1953), were somewhat less successful than his written-for-Hollywood shows. This Is the Army is a 1943 American Motion picture produced by Hal B Annie Get Your Gun is a 1950 American Musical film loosely based on the life of sharpshooter Annie Oakley. Call Me Madam is a musical with a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse and music and lyrics by Irving Berlin.

White Christmas

The 1942 film, Holiday Inn, introduced "White Christmas," one of the most-recorded songs in history. Holiday Inn is a 1942 Film starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire, which featured the music of Irving Berlin. " White Christmas " is an Irving Berlin song whose lyrics reminisce about White Christmases. First sung in the film by Bing Crosby, it sold over 30 million copies when released as a record. Harry Lillis “Bing” Crosby ( May 3, 1903 &ndash October 14, 1977) was an Academy Award winning American Popular The song was re-used as the title theme of the 1954 musical film, White Christmas, which starred Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, and Vera-Ellen. Danny Kaye ( January 18, 1913 – March 3, 1987) was an American award-winning Actor, Singer and Comedian Rosemary Clooney ( May 23, 1928 &ndash June 29, 2002) was an American Singer and actress whose warm radiant Vera-Ellen ( February 16, 1921 - August 30, 1981) was an American actress and stage and Film Crosby's single of "White Christmas" was recognized as the best-selling single in any music category for more than fifty years. Crosby's recording of "White Christmas" has sold additional millions of copies as part of numerous compilation albums, including his best-selling album Merry Christmas, which was first released as an LP in 1949. A gramophone Year 1949 ( MCMXLIX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

The most familiar version of "White Christmas" is not the one Crosby originally recorded for Holiday Inn. Crosby was called back to the Decca studios on March 19, 1947, to re-record "White Christmas" as a result of damage to the 1942 master due to its frequent use. Decca Records is a British Record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Events 1279 - A Mongolian victory in the Battle of Yamen ends the Song Dynasty in China. Year 1947 ( MCMXLVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Mastering, a form of audio Post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a Data storage device Every effort was made to reproduce the original Decca recording session, once again including the John Scott Trotter Orchestra and the Ken Darby Singers. Ken Darby ( May 13 1909 - January 24 1992) was an American Academy Award and Grammy Award winning Composer, vocal The resulting re-issue is the one that has become most familiar to the public.

"White Christmas" won Berlin the Academy Award for Best Music in an Original Song, one of seven Oscar nominations he received over the course of his career. "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. He is the only winner in the history of the award to find his own name in the envelope on Oscar night.

His friend and fellow songwriter Jule Styne said of him, "It's easy to be clever. Jule Styne ( December 31, 1905 &ndash September 20, 1994) was a British -born American Songwriter especially But the really clever thing is to be simple. "[6] Asked to define Berlin's place in American music, Jerome Kern said he had none: "Irving Berlin is American music. "

Personal life

Dorothy Goetz's grave (Forest Lawn Cemetery, Buffalo, NY)
Dorothy Goetz's grave (Forest Lawn Cemetery, Buffalo, NY)

Berlin was married twice. Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo New York was founded in 1849 It covers over 250 acres (1 km² and over 150000 are buried there including U His first wife, singer Dorothy Goetz, sister of songwriter E. Dorothy Goetz (February 5 1892 - July 17 1912 was the first wife of the famous songwriter Irving Berlin. Ray Goetz, contracted pneumonia and typhoid fever on their honeymoon to Cuba, and died five months after their wedding in 1912 at the age of twenty. Pneumonia is an inflammatory illness of the Lung. Frequently it is described as lung Parenchyma / alveolar inflammation and abnormal Typhoid fever, also known as enteric fever, bilious fever, Yellow Jack or commonly just typhoid, is an illness caused by the Bacterium Her death inspired Berlin's song "When I Lost You", which became one of his earliest hits. " When I Lost You " is a song with music and lyrics by Irving Berlin written in 1912 after his wife of five months the former Dorothy Goetz, died of Curiously, a year before Dorothy Berlin's death, Irving Berlin, E. Ray Goetz, and Ted Snyder co-wrote a song called "There's a Girl in Havana". Biography Born in Freeport Illinois, he grew up in Boscobel Wisconsin.

His second wife was Ellin Mackay, a devout Irish-American Catholic and heiress to the Comstock Lode mining fortune, as well as an avant-garde writer who had been published in The New Yorker. The Comstock Lode was the first major US deposit of Silver Ore, discovered under what is now Virginia City Nevada on the eastern slope of Mt The New Yorker is an American Magazine that publishes reportage commentary criticism essays fiction satire cartoons and poetry They were married in 1926, against the wishes of both his family, who objected to religious intermarriage, and her father, Clarence Mackay, a prominent Roman Catholic layman, who disinherited her. Clarence Hungerford Mackay ( April 17, 1874 &ndash November 12, 1938) was an American financier believed to inherit most of a $500 [7] Without a dispensation from the Church, the two were joined in a civil ceremony on January 4, 1926, and were immediately snubbed by society: Ellin was immediately disinvited from the wedding of her friend Consuelo Vanderbilt, although Vanderbilt was not a Catholic. Events 46 BC - Titus Labienus defeats Julius Caesar in the Battle of Ruspina. Year 1926 ( MCMXXVI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Antisemitism (alternatively spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism; also rarely known as judeophobia) is the Prejudice against or hostility A society is a Population of Humans characterized by patterns of relationships between individuals that share a distinctive Culture and Institutions Consuelo Balsan (formerly Consuelo Duchess of Marlborough; born Consuelo Vanderbilt) ( March 2, 1877 – December 6, 1964 Catholic is an Adjective derived from the Greek adjective '' / 'katholikos' meaning "whole" or "complete". Finances were not a problem, however: Berlin assigned her the rights to his song "Always" which yielded her a huge and steady income. " Always " is a popular song written by Irving Berlin in 1925 as a Wedding gift for his Wife Ellin McKay, whom he married in 1926

The couple had three daughters—Mary Ellin Barrett, Linda Emmett, and Elizabeth Peters — and a son, Irving Berlin, Jr. Mary Ellin , who died as an infant on Christmas Day.

Berlin's patriotism was real, and deep. Too old for military service when his country entered World War II in 1941, he devoted his time and energy to writing new patriotic songs, such as "Any Bonds Today?", donating the proceeds from This Is the Army to the army itself, and entertaining the troops with a road company of that show, in which he was a member of the cast. Year 1941 ( MCMXLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (the link will display 1941 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. This Is the Army is a 1943 American Motion picture produced by Hal B After performances in the United States, the show played in London in 1943, at a time when the city was still under air attack from Germany. Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. After a tour of the British Isles, the show went on to North Africa and then Italy, playing in Rome only weeks after that city was liberated. Next came the Middle East and the Pacific, where performances often took place in close proximity to battle zones. In recognition of this important and courageous contribution to troop morale, at war's end Berlin was awarded the Medal of Merit by President Truman.

A political conservative, Berlin supported the presidential candidacy of General Dwight Eisenhower, and his song "I Like Ike" featured prominently in the Eisenhower campaign. In his later years he became conservative in his views on music, as well; he had no use for the new styles sweeping through American popular music in the 1950s and 1960s, such as rock 'n' roll, and he virtually gave up songwriting after the failure of Mr. President in 1962. Rock and roll (also known as rock 'n' roll) is a form of Music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s with roots in mostly African Mr President is a musical with a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse and lyrics and music by Irving Berlin. In 1968, Berlin was awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award is awarded by the Recording Academy to "performers who during their lifetimes have made creative contributions of outstanding Becoming a virtual recluse in his last years, Berlin did not attend the 100th birthday party held in his honor. However, he did attend the centennial celebrations for the Statue of Liberty in 1986. Liberty Weekend was the celebration of the (then recent restoration and centennial of the Statue of Liberty in New York City New York.

Death

Berlin died of a heart attack in New York City at the age of 101 and was interred in the Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx, New York. Myocardial infarction ( MI or AMI for acute myocardial infarction) also known as a heart attack, occurs when the blood supply The City of New York A centenarian is a person who has attained the age of 100 Years or more This article refers to the Woodlawn Cemetery in the New York City borough of The Bronx New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous

Media

I

Partial list of Berlin's songs

References

Additional Reading

Footnotes

  1. ^ Famous Ellis Island passenger arrivals
  2. ^ Bloom, Nate (2006-12-19). Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 324 - Licinius abdicates his position as Roman Emperor. The Jews Who Wrote Christmas Songs. InterfaithFamily. Retrieved on 2006-12-19. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 324 - Licinius abdicates his position as Roman Emperor.
  3. ^ New York Daily News archive
  4. ^ Wodehouse, P. G., Bring on the Girls, page 132 as reprinted in The Theatre Omnibus, (1994), Hutchinson, London
  5. ^ That Old Christmas Feeling: Irving America. Richard Corliss remembers Irving Berlin, whose career was more than "White Christmas" and "God Bless America" TIME Magazine. Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, KBE (15 October 1881 – 14 February 1975 (ˈwʊdhaʊs was an English Comic novelist who enjoyed enormous popular success A white Christmas, to most people in the Northern Hemisphere, refers to Snowy weather on Christmas Day. December 24, 2001
  6. ^ Media met its match by Mark Steyn (Washington Times)
  7. ^ NY Daily News archives

External links

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