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PAGE 16 THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE October 3, 1986
Wishing All Our
Friends and Customers
A Year Filled With
Blessings, Joy, and
Good Health
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Irving Berlin wrote music
as easily as others breathe
by Gerry Morris
JT A
Who doesn’t know at least one
song by Irving Berlin? The great
American songwriter. 98. composed
music and lyrics as easily as other
people breathe. His songs encom
pass the panorama of popular
music— ragtime, blues, ballads and
patriotic tunes.
His astonishing productivity in
cludes 1.000 published tunes em
bodying 20 Broadway musicals and
reviews and 17 feature films. Those
pieces include “A Pretty Girl Is
Like a Melody." “Say It Ain't So.”
“There’s No Business Like Show
Business,” “How Deep Is the
Ocean?" and “Puttin’ On the Ritz.”
Two of his songs—“White Christ
mas” and “Easter Parade”—now
represent major Christian holidays.
His “God Bless America.” writ
ten for the late Kate Smith, rivals
the national anthem.
He enjoys the admiration of his
colleagues. Harold Arlen said Ber
lin’s “songs sound as though they
were born that way, not written.”
Cole Porter, asked if he could write
a hit song any time he wished, rep
lied. “No, only Irving Berlin can do
that.” Jerome Kern said. “Irving
Berlin has no place in American
music—he is American music.
All this from a man who couldn’t
learn to read or write music. Berlin
can’t even play it correctly. That
never deterred him. Asked how an
education would affect his music,
he immediately replied: “Ruin it."
His compositional gifts were in
stinctive. His harmony, melody and
sentimentality reveal the influence
of his Jewish heritage.
Berlin was born Israel Baline.
one of eight children in a poor fam
ily living in a Siberian village. In
1892, the family emigrated to the
racially mosaic ghetto on the Lower
East Side of Manhattan.
Young Berlin grew up around
music. He sang in the synagogue
with his cantor father (who died
when Irving was 8). As a schoolboy
he led a blind singer around Bow
ery saloons. When he left school
after the second grade to help sup
port the family, he performed on
the streets for pennies.
At age 16. he worked as a singing
waiter in the smoky saloons of the
Bowery and Chinatown, fantasiz
ing about a personal success that
would emulate his idols, composer
Stephen Foster and performer
George M. Cohan.
At 19. he entered the musical
mill that was Tin Pan Alley. His
first published song, “Marie from
Sunny Italy," garnered him 17 cents.
He sang his subsequent composi
tions and others on Broadway in
1910.
The following year he struck
paydirt. His “Alexander’s Ragtime
Band" swept the world and Berlin
became a wealthy man.
In his late 30s, he fell in love with
Ellin Mackay, a Catholic socialite
whose father disapproved of the
romance. The couple eloped. “It
was his songs that won me,” she
explained. The Berlins live happily
in Manhattan. They have three
children and nine grandchildren.
One of the songs that won Ellin’s
heart was the ballad “Always,"
w hich Berlin presented her wrapped
in a bow as a wedding gift. He later
referred to such songs as “sob bal
lads.” He theorized that people
would rather buy a tear than a
smile. Apparently he was right
“Always” virtually has become a
wedding anthem.
Berlin lists eight favorites, span
ning 36 years, among his stage
shows. He starts with “Watch Your
Step” (1914), followed by “Yip,
Yip Yaphank,” a World War I
army review in which he stopped
the show with his “Oh How I Hate
To Get Up in the Morning."
He also prefers his “Ziegfield
Follies” of (1919-1920), “The Music
Box Review”(1921)and “AsThou
sands Cheer” (1933). “This Is the
Army” (1942) sent the spirit of a
nation soaring and featured two
hit songs: “This Is the Army Mr.
Jones” and “I Left My Heart at the
Stage Door Canteen.” Following
its Broadway run, Berlin performed
in the production for more than
two years in the European and
South Pacific theaters.
Other favorites are his score for
“Annie Get Your Gun” (1946). his
biggest hit, and “Call Me Madam”
(1950). Both shows starred Ethel
Merman.
His own favorite movie score is
that of “Top Hat” with its stand
ards such as “Isn’t This a Lovely
Day?” and “Cheek to Cheek."
Successful beyond his fantasies,
Berlin claims more than financial
reasons for his composing. “The
writing of songs was not just a bus
iness with me,” he recently said. “It
was everything.”
I almost
forgot a
BIG Thank
You and a
joyous,
healthy
New Year
to all.
1
L’Shana Tova
to our friends
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