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riNMitiiN PAGE 16 THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE October 3, 1986 Wishing All Our Friends and Customers A Year Filled With Blessings, Joy, and Good Health '“Furniture, Unc. 6329 Roswell Rd at Marshall s Plaza Shopping Center hours 10-6 WEEKDAYS FRIDAY 10-9 SATURDAY 10-6 252-3434 290 Hildebrand Drive Balcony Shopping Ctr, 2nd Floor, Suite 6 I Mon - Sat LAD,ES ° ES,GNER Phone in 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 Collectable Cameras/COLCAM 6024 Dawson Blvd. Norcross, GA 30093 404-449-9811 / THE HAIL WIZARD & COMPANY, INC. wishing all of you a Healthy and Happy New Year Try our new Hot Oil Manicure — only $ 10 00 — Toco Hills Promenade 2993 N. Druid Hills Rd. 634-6245