Irving Berlin original name was ISRAEL BALINE born 1888, Mogilyov, Russia now in Belarus--died 1989, New York, N.Y., U.S.

IRVING BERLIN (ISRAEL BALINE)
11^thMay 1888 --- 22^ndSeptember 1989

Irving Berlin original name was ISRAEL BALINE born 1888, Mogilyov, Russia now in Belarus--died 1989, New York, N.Y, U.S
American composer who played a leading role in the evolution of the popular song from the early ragtime and jazz eras
through the golden age of musicals. His easy mastery of a wide range of song styles, for both stage and motion pictures
made him perhaps the greatest and most enduring of American songwriters.

Israel was born to the family of a Jewish cantor that immigrated to New York City in 1893. His father died when the boy
was eight years old. Having obtained only two years of formal education he worked as a street singer and a singing waiter
in New York's Lower East Side. He began writing song lyrics and his first published song "Marie from Sunny Italy" appeared
in 1907 a printer's error on this song named him Irving Berlin, a surname that he subsequently kept.Berlin continued his
writing and within a few years was a successful "song plugger," demonstrating new tunes.

He was unable to read or write musical notation and learned music by ear instead. He began writing his own music as well
as lyrics, and in 1911 he wrote what quickly became the hit of Tin Pan Alley's ragtime vogue, "Alexander's Ragtime Band.
" His first ballad, "When I Lost You," was written in 1912. Then he began contributing to numerous Broadway revues and
musical entertainments, including Florenz Ziegfeld's Follies. In 1919 he founded the Irving Berlin Music Corporation to
publish his own music.

Through the following decades Berlin wrote the scores for several musicals, one of his most popular beingAnnie Get Your
Gun (1946; film, 1950). He wrote more than 800 songs, many of which became classics, including "Oh, How I Hate to Get
Up in the Morning", "A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody," "Always" (written in 1925 as a wedding present for his second wife)
"Remember" ,"Cheek to Cheek," "How Deep Is the Ocean," "Blue Skies," "Puttin' on the Ritz," the patriotic standard "God
Bless America," "Heat Wave," and "There's No Business Like Show Business." In the era of big motion-picture musicals,
Berlin was able to transfer his stage success to the screen, writing the scores for many successful films, including Top Hat
(1935) Follow the Fleet (1936), Easter Parade (1948), Call Me Madam (1953), and White Christmas (1954). His score for
the film Holiday Inn (1942) introduced the touching ballad "White Christmas" which became one of the most popular songs
ever recorded. Altogether Berlin wrote the scores for 19 Broadway shows and 18 motion pictures.
Copyright 1994-1998 Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last Updated on 2017
By Steven Ritchie

And now for the Music
Thanks to JP for the music below. Email (thecode@bellsouth.net)
(2305)"Smile and show your Dimple" Sequenced by JP

(956)"A selection from A White Christams". Sequenced George Pollen

(50a)"Alexanders Ragtime Band". Sequenced by Sue Keller

(609)"Puttin' on the Ritz" Sequencer unknown

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