Early Songs- Irving Berlin

8/19/2019 Early Songs- Irving Berlin

1/26

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Irving Berlin's Early Songs as Biographical Documents

Author(s): Charles HammSource: The Musical Quarterly, Vol. 77, No. 1 (Spring, 1993), pp. 10-34Published by: Oxford University PressStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/742426Accessed: 13-11-2015 21:19 UTC

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2/26

American usics

Irving

erlin's

arly

ongs

As Biographicalocuments

Charles

amm

Much of whatwe thinkwe know

bout

rving

erlin's

arly

ife

nd

career

s more

myth

hanfact. t

is

my

ntention o

examine

why

nd

how this

myth

was

perpetuated,

nd to

suggest way

o

penetrate

t.

Berlin

rew p

in

a

city

f

mmigrants.

uring

he firstwo

decades

f the twentieth

entury,

ewer

han third fNew York

City's nhabitants adbeen born nthe UnitedStates, nd thepar-

entsof more han

half

f

thesehad come overfrom

urope.

Put

another

way, nly

boutfifteen

ercent

f the

people

n

the

city

t

this imehad

family

istories

n

America

oing

ack more hanone

generation.

Many

of thesenew Americans ere

passionatelyptimistic

bout

their ew

country,

mood

captured

y

srael

Zangwill

n

his

drama

The

Melting-Pot,

irst

erformed

n

1908.

In

the

play's

inal

cene,

an

"American ymphony"yan immigrantew rom ussia,David

Quixando,

has

ust

been

premiered

or n audience f other

mmi-

grants,

thosewho have known he

pain

of the old world

nd

the

hope

of the new." After

eing ongratulatedy

his

Yiddish-speaking

aunt,

her rish

maid

Kathleen,

is

gentile irlfriend

era,

and Herr

Pappelmeister,

he

kindly

erman onductor

esponsible

or

rranging

the

performance

f his

symphony,

he

young omposer

bserves he

sun

setting

verthe New Yorkharbor nd the Statueof

Liberty,

nd

muses:

Look,

it is the fires

f

God round His Crucible. There

she

lies,

the

great

Melting-Pot-listen

an't

you

hear the

roaring

nd

the

bubbling?

here

gapes

her mouth-the harbourwhere thousandmammoth eeders ome

from he

ends of the world o

pour

in

theirhuman

freight.

h,

whata

stirring

nd

seething

Celt and

Latin,

Slav

and

Teuton,

Greek

and

Syrian-black

and

yellow-Jew

nd

Gentile-Yes,

East and

West,

and North and

South,

the

10


http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsphttp://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp


3/26

Irving

erlin 11

palm

and

the

pine,

the

pole

andthe

equator,

he crescent nd the

cross--howthe

great

Alchemistmelts nd fuses hemwithhis

purging

lameHere shall

they

ll

unite

o build

he

Republic

f Man and the

Kingdom

f

God

...

where

ll

races

nd

nations ome to labour nd

look

forward '

No matter

owdifferent

heir ational

ackgrounds,

he entral

characters

n

Zangwill's

rama avefound ommonause

n a

struggle

to

put

side

historicarriers

f

race,

eligion

nd

class,

nd

to create

new

ociety

n America ree

f the

pain

f he ld world."

tanding

in the

way,

owever,

s the ld order

f

Europe

nd

America,

epre-sentedntheplay y heRussian aron evendal, ho ommanded

troops

n the

massacre

f he

Jewishommunity

n which

avid's

family

ived,

nd

Quincy

avenport

r.,

he on

of

his

American

businessssociate

hose

atronage

f

orchestrasas made

im

n

important

igure

n

NewYork'smusic cene.After

uincy

iscovers

that

avid

s

a

Jew,

e

attempts

o

prevent

he

performance

f

his

symphony;

avid

onfronts

im

with:

I comefrom urope, ne ofhervictims,nd I know hat he is a failure;hat

her

palaces

and

peerages

re outworn

oys

of the human

pirit,

nd

that the

only

hope

of mankind ies in a new world. And

here--in

the land

of

to-

morrow-you

re

trying

o

bring

ack

Europe.2

Irving

erlin's

arly ongs

re

ontemporaneous

ith

angwill's

drama.

rawing

heir

rotagonists

romhevarious

ational

ndeth-

nic

groups

oexisting

n

NewYork

ity,

ncluding

hefirst

ave

f

blacks

oming p

fromhe

outh,

hey

re

ikewise

elebrations

f

AmericasMelting-Pot,houghsually ore omic hanmelodra-

matic.

nthe

radition

f he

American

opular

heater,

hese

ongs

offer

tereotyped

utnever

mean-spirited

mages

f

mmigrant

meri-

cans.

The

popular

rts ame to serve s a sort

of

abrasive

welcoming

ommittee or

the

mmigrants.

hrewd

t

mocking

ncongruities

f

manner,

eldom

nclined

to venom

.

.

they

xploited

he

few,

ixed raits hat

history

r

egend

had as-

signed

ach culture.

hey

arranged

n initiation f

hazing

nd caricature hat

assured he

Swedes,

the

Germans,

he

rish,

nd then the

Jews

hat

to be no-

ticed, ven fthroughhe cruel ensofparody,meant o be accepted.3

The

lyrics

nd

music f

hese

arly

erlin

ongs

ive

vivid

panorama

f multi-ethnicew York

City

nthefirstecade

of the

twentieth

entury.

n Irish

oybrags

o his

friendsn "No One

CouldDo

It Like

My

Father"

hat

his

dad"never

knowshis

name"at

election

ime,

asting

allots s

Breen nd

Gilhouley

nd

Harrigan

and

O'Connorand

MacShane,

and

suggests

hat

they ught

o call




4/26

12 The

Musical

uarterly

him

Winchester'

cause

he

repeats

o well."

n

"Sadie

alome

Go

Home)" youngman, hockedodiscoverhat strip-teaseancer n

the

vaudeville

tage

s his

girlfriend

adie

Cohen,

houts romhe

audience,

Don't o that

ance,

tell

ou

adie,

That's

ot bus'ness

or

lady

'Most

v'rybody

nows

hat

'm

your

oving

ose,

Oy Oy Oy Oy

Wheres

your

lothes?

Anda

German-American

ecently

stranged

rom is

girlfriend

remembers

er sweet

auerkrauthatwould wim

n

your

mouthike

thefishes

hat

wim

n

the

brook,"

ndhis

appetite

ries,

h

bring

back

my

ena

to me."

Berlin's

usic

s

ikewise

rawn rom

he

ounds

round

im

n

turn-of-the-century

ew

York.

talian

rotagonists

ing

raceful

elo-

dies

o

accompanimentsuggesting

andolins,

erenadesr

tarantellas;

tunes or erlin's

erman-Americansesemble

andler,

ith

eer

gardenom-pah-pahccompaniments;ewsingnminoreys, ith

augmented

econds;

lack

rotagonists

re

haracterized

y

hythms

hinting

t

ragtime

r

other

yncopated

ances.

As

in

Zangwill's

rama,

membersf

different

thnic

roups

nter-

act

with ne

another.

n

"Dorando"n

Italian arber

ellshis

hop

and

bets he

money

n

an

Italian

unner,

ho

oses

he

acebecause

he has eaten rish tew

atherhan

paghetti.

usinesss

poor

or

Jewish

ailor

n

an

Irish

eighborhood

ntil

e

begins

inging

Killar-

ney" nd"WhereheRiverhannonlows"wheneverustomers

come nto he

hop

"Abie

Sings

An Irish

ong").

Andthere re

glimpses

f he

ocial

ensionsetweenld

and

new

Americans:

Benny

loom

uys

n

engagementing

or

enny

olden

ollars

n

"Yiddisha

yes,"

uther

wealthy

usinessmanatherefuseso

allow

the

marriage;

erlin,

he

young

mmigrantewishongwriter,

ives

n

amusing

nd

unflattering

ortrait

f he rich our

undred"

n

"Soci-

ety

Bear":

Papersay v'rybodyhere

Laughed

ut

oud

whennheiress

air,

Kissed

ohn

.

whereehasnohair t

all;

Then

cunninglyegan

o

call

His

head

her ovin'

illiard

all,

roundhe

hall.

Carnegie

idthe

Turkey

rot,

For n hourwith chickenhat

Egged

himon 'til he

most

orgot

o

care

A

snap

bout

is

ibr'ry,oing

hat ich

ociety

ear.




5/26

Irving

erlin

13

5U'CILTYBIAR

Y..pVINQ

MRLIN

fT

NYDERC(

M051C

P

bu

h

V.1N

ml

Zangwill's

ndBerlin's

hampioning

f he

ountry'surgeoning

multi-ethnic

ulture as

by

no means

niversal.esentment

gainst

themillionsfnew mmigrantsromheMediterraneanndCentral

Europe

nd

fear ftheir

mpact

n the

ountry's

ulture-the

majority

of

themwere ot

ven

Protestants,

fter

ll,

andtheir

anguages

nd

customs

eemed ifficult

o assimilatentomainstream

ulture-

mounted

mong

mericans

ith

onger

istories

n

theUnited tates.

Henry

ames,eturning

fter

wentyears

broad,

xperienced

"chill"

when

ncountering

hese

eople

n

hishome

ountry,

ven

though

e insisted

hat e had

always

een

omfortable

ith

hem

n

their wn ands. There s no claim obrotherhoodith liensnthe

first

rossness

f

their lienism.

he materialf

which

hey

onsists

being

ressed

nd

prepared,

t

this

tage,

or

rotherhood,

ndthe

consummation,

n

respect

o

many

f

hem,

an notfromhe

nature

of

the ase

be,

n

any

ifetimeftheir

own.'"4

enator

enry

abot

Lodge

nd

many

ther

ongressmen

aunched

n

attack n

immigra-

tion

olicies

hich ad allowed

o

many

millions

f aliens" o enter

the

ountry,ensingoliticaldvantage

o

be

gained

rom

anning

resentment

gainst

hese ewcomers.




6/26

14

The

Musical

uarterly

In 1910

a

congressionally

ppointed

ommission

.

.

issued

42-volume

eport

on thealarmingffectsfimmigration.t beganwith heassumptionhatthe

new

mmigrants

ere

racially

nferioro the

old

immigrants

rom

orthern

nd

western

urope

nd

manipulated

ountains f

statistics

o

provide

'scientific'

rationaleor

estricting

heir

ntry.5

Increasing

estrictions,

ncludingliteracy

est

n

1917,

were

ut

on

new

rrivals,

nd

the

mmigration

ctof1921

brought

virtual

halt o

mmigration

rom

entral

urope

ndthe

Mediterranean.

t

the ame

ime,

eaction

gainst

ersons

f

inferior"

acial tock

alreadynthe ountryeacheduch roportionshat y1924 he

membership

f

he

resurgent

u Klux

Klan

numbered

ore han

ive

million

whitemale

native-born

entile

itizensf

heUnited

tates

of

America,"

ll

over he

ountry.

Given his

limate,

t

became

ncreasingly

xpedient

or

ecent

immigrants

nd

first-generation

mericanso

keep

heir

ultural

nd

religious

ifferencesut

of he

public

ye.

An

ethnic

rotagonist

e-

came

less

desirable

omponent

f

popular

ong,

nd

Berlin,

ike

his

fellow

in

Pan

Alley ongwriters,ncreasingly

rote

ongs opu-lated ygenericI's"and"you's,"s in"I Loveto

Quarrel

WithYou":

I'm

wild

bout

ou

an't

ive

without

ou

That's

ust

he

reason

hy

tease

ou.

I

love ohear

myselfaying:

I

didn't ean

t,

didn't

eant "

When 've

had a

quarrel

with

you.

A

similar

rocess

as

aking

lace mong

he

ther

opular

rts,

whichikeTin

Pan

Alley

ong

adbeen

dominated

n

the

arly ears

of he enturyy aliens."nsocial ancing,ornstance,renend

Vernon

astle

were

making

yncopated

ancemore

widely

cceptable

by

teering

t

away

romvert

eferenceso ts

black oots.

Intensifying

ocial

nd

political ressure

as

ltering

he

melting-

potprocess

y

rasing

thnic

ifference,

r

at east

orcing

t under-

ground.

erlin

rote

irtually

o

songs

fter 915

reflecting

is

own

ethnicity,

nd

very

ew

with

rotagonists

rawn

romther

marginal-

ized

thnic

roups.

is

ater

ongs

ended o

be

generic

ieces

evoid

ofreferenceo ocale, thnicityrclass, atherhan choes f ife n

New

York

ity.

He

was n a

track hatwould

oon ead o

songs

oic-

ing

a

new

cultural

omogenization:

I'11

e

loving

you,

lways,

with

lovethat's

rue,

lways";

God

Bless

America";

White

Christmas."

Alexander

Woollcott's

he

Story f rving

erlin6

as

argely

responsible

or

mythicizing

he

songwriter's

arly

years.

n this

biogra-




7/26

Irving

erlin 15

phy,

losely

monitored

y

Berlin

imself,

hereal-liferama f he

musicallyalentedussian-Jewishmmigrantakingplacefor im-

self

n themulti-ethnic

opular

ulturefNew

York,

was

ubtly

rans-

formednto

he

myth

fthe

elf-made

an,

more

ppropriate

or he

1920s,

whereby

n

unschooledtreet rchinchieves ame ndfortune

through

mbition,

ard

work,

nd

knowing

is

place

n

the cheme f

things.

he

Melting-Pot

adnot

produced

"new ace fman" fter

all,

but athernother

eneration

fAmericansbsorbednto

he

country's

lder ominant

ulture.

Intheprocess,hedichotomyetweenlassicalndpopularrt,

which ad erveds an

important

ocial

marker

n

thenineteenth

century

ut

hadbeen

hallenged

n

the

1910s

y

first

reat

urstf

enthusiasm

or ernacular

ulture,

as

restored.

espite

Woollcott's

professed

dmiration

or

erlin's

chievements,

e

sawhim

s a

"cre-

ative

gnoramus."

He came

into

the worldwith n unrivalled

apacity

or

nventing

hemes.But

to that

birthright

e has added

little

f the

art,

the

patience,

he interest

n

form,ndthemusicianlynowledgehichould laboratehem.t san njus-

tice at

once

to his true

chievements,

o his

deepest spirations

nd

to

his

honest

unpretentiousness

o

link his

name

with

a

Wagner

r

Rimsky-

Korsakoff.

. .

In

time is music

will

be heard romhe

Metropolitan's

tage.

There s small

oubt f

hat. ut twill

e heard fter

ther

men,

with ess

n-

ventive

enius erhaps

ut

with

ar

reater

usicianship,

ave

picked

is unes

up

from he streets

nd

transmuted

hem into

operas

as

Moussorgsky

nd

Rimsky-Korsakoff

ifled

he reasurehests fRussian

olk

music

o make heir

finestcores.7

Henry ames'saliens" avebeen dressedndprepared"or

civilization,

igh

rthasbeen estoredo ts

pedestal,

nd

rving

er-

lin

hasbeen lottedntohis

properlace

n

the

rtistic

ierarchy.

Woollcott,

ither

misunderstanding

r

deliberately

isrepresenting

he

craftf

popular

ongwriting

nd ts

ongstanding

raditionforal

musicianship,

an

onlymystify

atters

y

presenting

erlin--like

ll

other

opular

ongwriters--as

musician

acking

he

bility,

raining,

and

trength

f

purpose

f

composer

f

lassicalmusic.

This

myth

f he

popularongwriter

s "creative

gnoramus"becameoentrenched8hat hewriterf heNewYork imes ront-

page

bituary

ppearing

he

day

fter erlin's

eath ould

nly

hink

to

stress

he "classic

rags-to-riches"

lich6 nd to

repeat

uchmislead-

ing

statements s "his formal

chooling

..

totalled ess

than two

years"

nd "he

could

only]

ap

out tune fteruneon the

keys

f a

piano, eaving

t to

arrangers

owrite he

harmony."9

The

reality

f Berlin's

arlyyears

aded.Thereare some

press

interviewsromhe

1910s,

butfew

ther ocuments romhat

period.




8/26

16 TheMusical

uarterly

SW(T11

9Y l

Q

ERI

Iler~rrrr

iwfN

Ablura

0MIME

*ro?

Whatwe do

have,

hough,

re ome wo

hundred

ongs

written

y

Berlin efore

915,

many

f

hem

rawing

n his

nternalnd

exter-

nal

ife or

heir ontent

nd

expression

ndthus

iving

ot

only

n

image

f

the

worldn which e

lived,

s noted

bove,

ut lso

of

he

youngongwriter

imself.

Charles

.

Harris,

generation

lder

han

Berlin,

asedhis

songs

n material

e chanced

o

read robserve. is "Mid heGreen

Fields

f

Virginia,"

or

nstance,

as

uggested

y

n

oil

painting

f

cows

razing

n a

field,

nd

as

he later

onfessedo Booker .

Wash-

ington,

ho sked im f

he

was

Southerner,

he

ong

was

All

imagination... I hadto nquiref here as orn aisednVirginia,

and f herewere ills n Carolina.

his nformationas

given

me

by

my

ffice

uperintendent,

r.

Blaise,

native

outherner,

nd

my

imagination

id

therest."10

Berlin,

nlike

arris,

as

singer-songwriter.

e

began

is

career

s a

performer,inging

n

restaurants

ndtheatersnd

then

plugging

ongs.

hough

is

repertory

as

drawn

rom

ongs

ritten

y

others,

e

wasnoted

or

ersonalizing

hem

hrough

arody.

fter

e




9/26

Irving

erlin

17

;; :

:i r i,

?:

: i?:::

-,??;??-~:?

Irving

erlin irca

914.

Photo

ourtesy

fThe

rving

erlinMusic

ompany.




10/26

18 TheMusical

uarterly

beganwritingongs imself,

e

sang ome f hemnthe howUpandDown

Broadway

ndfor olumbia ecords. ewas hefirsto

perform

Alexander's

agtime

and"

in

the

Friar'srolic

f

1911),

he

sang

ntire

rograms

fhis

own

ongs

n

various enues

n

New

York nd

London,

nd

n

social

atherings

he

s

ever

eady

o

respond

o a callfor

song,

nd

will

ing

ntil is

throat

ives

ut

f

he finds

is

hearers re

enjoying

is

efforts.""11

As it

became

videnthat

erlin's

ost

mportant

alent

ay

n

writingongs,

e

increasinglyepended

n other

ingers

o

perform

themnstagend ntherecordingtudio. uthis nstinctsemained

those f

singer-songwriter,

ore nclinedo draw n

personalxperi-

ences ndemotionshan

songwriter

ho

s

not lso

performer,

s

we

well

know romuch iverse

eople

s Thomas

Moore,

heAmeri-

can

bluesmen,

ob

Dylan,

ndTomWaits.Berlin's

abit

was

o

ot

down

yrics

s

they

ame

o

him t

any

hour

f he

night

r

day,

triggered

y

vents fhisreal r

maginary

ife. ometimeshesewere

fragments

f everal

hymed

ines,

ometimes

omplete

erses rcho-

ruses.omeremainedragments,ever eard f gain:

He

wakes er

p

nd ries

I'vewrittennother

ong

You've

ot

o isteno t

She

rubs er

yes

nd nswers

I don't ant oheart

I don't ant

o

heart.

He

keeps

t

up

ll

morning

Until he aysdawning

And whenhe sees her

yawning

He starts

o

holler

louder--she

akes

sleeping owder,

And thenhe wakes

her

up

and cries

I'vewrittennother

ong

She

has o isteno t

She

simply

an not

keep

him

hut-He's nut-He's a nut-

One

night

he went o her

Mother's

ome,

While

she was

sleeping

here

ll alone

He called herupon thetelephone

And cried

've writtennother

ong

...

12

?

1992

The

Estate

f

rving

erlin.

Others

were reworked nd became the

lyrics

f

published

songs.

From

the

beginning,

ome of these exhibit an

intensity

f

expression

uite

uncommon forthe

era,

as

in

the

gritty

treet

anguage

of

"The

Best

Of FriendsMust

Part,"

published

early

n

1908:




11/26

Irving

erlin 19

Don't alk f

ove,

Just

ike a

dove,

Can't at the

tars,

That hine

bove,

That

tuffon't

o,

You'd etter

low,

an't

uy

mealwith

hat

ovin'

ou

now,

I knowt's

ard,

On

your

ld

pard,

But can't

elp

hat

ou

layed

our

ast

ard,

Don't

esitate,

Evaporate,

Hunt

up

another

mate.

Though

erlin dmittedo

ntroducingutobiographical

aterial

into

nly

ne

early ong,

When

Lost

You,"

written

hortly

fter

he

death fhisfirst ife

orothy

n

1912,

many

thers

learly

raw

n

events fhis

ife ndhis

reactiono

these

vents. When

ohnson's

Quartette

armonize,"

or

nstance,

ells s that erlin

eard black

quartetnthe pringf1912, ndotherongs romhis eriod uggest

that e was

istening

o one or

more

lack

ianists.

is enthusiasm

or

themusic f hese lack

erformers,

s

opposed

o music

y

whites

which

merely

ppropriates

lementsfblack

music,

s evident

n

the

texts f hese

ongs

nd

n

the udden

ppearance

f

blues" otes nd

harmonies,

nd new

ype

f

yncopation,

n

"Bring

ack

My

Lovin'

Man,"

Society

ear,"

nd

other

ongs

f his

eriod.

Elsewhere,

erlin

imself ust e the

omposer

ictimized

y

musical

iracy

n

"Come

BackTo

Me,MyMelody."

A man

composed

sweet

melody

ne summer

ight

n

June,

And he

played

hat

pretty

une illhe

learned o

love

it

soon;

He

ne'er

wrote ownthat weet

melody,

nd

very trange,

ne

day

He found hat

prettymelody

ad

vanished rom is

memory

..

One

night

e heard n

orchestra

lay

trains f a sweet

efrain,

He

recognized

is

melody,lthoughhey

hanged

t

cleverly

He ranto the man andhe loudly ried, That music elongs ome "

Less han wo

years

ater,

erlin ould e involvedn

a successful

action

to

prevent

this sort of

piracy,

as a chartermember nd

director

of ASCAP.

Other

songs

must

be

decoded before

yielding

heir

utobiographi-

cal

content. "The

Haunted

House"

(1914)

can be read as

Berlin's

commentary

n the

publishing

house of

Waterson,

Berlin

&

Snyder.




12/26

20 TheMusical

uarterly

You see that

vacant

house,

s

quiet

s a

mouse,

It's hock ull fmyst'ry,esides,thas hist'ry.

I

often

ave been

told,

hat

here's

bag

of

gold,

In the ouse hat's

aunted,

'm

poor,

ut don't antt.

The

protagonist

urking

n

the

house s Berlin's

ong-time

entor,

collaborator

ndbusiness

artner,

ed

Snyder:

You see that

boney, roney,

I mean hat

oney

keleton

iding

ehindhat

tatue,Look ut, e'sookingtyou

Listen isten

Tell

me,

can't

you

hearhim

whistling

hat

Mysteriousag,

so

noted,

He wrote

t,

n

that

ickety,

auntedouse.

The references

re

densely

acked.

nyder

s dentified

y

his

physical

haracteristics

he

was all nd

pare)

nd

by

musicalnd

textual

uotation

f hefirstars f That

Mysteriousag," song

attributedointlyoBerlin ndSnyder;hephraseslanky, anky,

panky"

nd

boney,roney"

cho he

poetical

tyle

f arlier

coony,

spoony"

agtime

ongs

written

y

he wo

men;

whistling"

eferso

"The

Whistlingag,"

ttributedo Berlin lone.

The

mplications

re

clear: he

publishing

ompany

s

a

graveyard,

ocked o the

past,

where

erlins forcedo share uthorialreditnd

royalties

or That

Mysteriousag"

ndother

ongs

which e considersisown. oonhe

would stablishisown

publishing

ouse

n

order o

gain

more on-

trol ver

isown

bag

f

gold."

Evenmoreomplexnd nterestingsBerlin'sbviousdentifica-

tion

with

ome

f

his

black

rotagonists.

n

"He's

A

Rag

Picker,"

he

description

f

Mose,

"funny

ellow"

iving

down

n

Alabamawhere

the otton

rows,"

ust e drawn rom erlin's

elf-image

s a

pianist

and

composer:

He

bangs

upon

the

piano

keys,

In searchf

aggy

elodies,

All

day

e's tthe

vories;

And whilehe dozeshe

composes,

Mister

Mose makes

n

ordinaryitty

ound

o

pretty,

Like

nobody

an.

Other

lyrics

lesh ut

Berlin's

egend

of

this

mythical

musician.

"Funny

Little

Mose,"

the

protagonist

f "The

HummingRag"

(Lon-

don,

1913),

is the author of a "cute littlebeaut

of a

melody"

which




13/26

Irving

erlin

21

TIHEIAUTEBUSE

VN

L

\)

BY-IrVING

ErtLIt1-2

..............

...

sets

veryone

ancing

like o

many

unatics."

n another

npublished

lyric,

Musical

Mose" s a

"musical

enius,"

"harmony

nventor"

who an

"make

piano

ct

ust

ike

slave";

nd

"Pickaninny

ose,"

sketched

t this

ime ut

not

published

ntil

921,

etails he hild-

hood

f

"precious

ittleamb"whose

mothercroons

er

darky

tunes"

o

him.

Another lack ianist-composerromdown elow heDixie

line,

n

Alabam',"

phraham,

ould

ppear

o be

nothing

ess han

an

alter

go

for erlin.

Ephraham

layed pon

The Piano"

urely

gives

nother

elf-portrait

fBerlin

t

the

keyboard:

Down elow

he ixie

ine,

n

Alabam',

Lived a lovin'

piano

player,

phraham;

'Cause

e

never

ook

lesson,

e

had

v'rybodyuessin',

How

he

played

with uch a lovin'

tone.

Any

ind fmusic

ecould

nderstand,

Still

e

didn't

lay

y

ar,

e

played

y

hand;

When

estarted

ishin'or he une

ou'd

een

wishin',

Ev'ry

ther

ood

musiciantoodside.




14/26

22 TheMusical

uarterly

Ephraham

urns

pagain

n

"Opera urlesque"

s an

"op'ra arky,"black

ianist

aunting

he

Metropolitanpera

House:

Ev'ryight

ou'd

ee

him

itting

n

the

allery

At the

pera

ouse,

uiet

s a mouse.

He

loved

o

hear aruso

ing

is

part

o

tenderly;

Whenhe struck

high

ne,

to-the-sky

ne,

Ephraham

ould

egin

o

holler,

"Thatnote lone s worth dollar "

Ephrahamuys score fLucia iLammermoorndpersuadeseveral

other lackmen

o

attempt

hefamous

extette,

nder is

direction.

They

roceed

ith

nthusiasm

ut

not

much

ense

f

operatic

tyle,

and

even

hough phraham

ries o

stop

hem

"You're

ff

he

key

Try

nd

ing

t

right

or

me"), hey

eep

n

"goin',

lowin',

howin'

how

hey

ould

ing

hat

Ragtime

p'ra

. .

as sweet s

it

can

be,

like

pickin'

otton."

erlin's

nthusiasmor

pera

ndhis ttendance

at

the

Metropolitanpera

House rewell

documented,

ndhe often

toldnterviewersfhis mbitiono create ragtimepera.

More

oignantly,

At The Devil's

Ball,"

opyrightednly

monthsfter

hedeath

f

Berlin's

irst

ife,

mentions

Ephraham,

he

Leader

man,

who

died ome ime his all." hishint

f

the mo-

tional evastationaused

y

hiswife's eath

s,

n

ts

way,

s

moving

as

"When

Lost

You,"

written

t the ame

eriod.

This

ympathetic

ortrayal

f

and

apparent

dentification

ith)

black

musicians

n

these

ongs

ontrasts

tarkly

ith he

tereotypical

andoften

erogatorymages

n

"coon

ongs"

y

ther

ongwriters,

nd

hintstronglytundocumentedontactetweenerlin ndoneor

more lack

ianists.

Another

lue

o

Berlin'sdentificationith he

black

ianists

n

these

ongs

omes romheir ames.

is own

ather as

named

Moses,

ence

Mose,"

ut

why

Ephraham"?

phraim

as ne of he

tribesf

srael,

aking

tsname romne of

Joseph's

ons,

nd

"Ephraim"

as ometimessed s a

synonym

or Israel"

tself. erlin

began

ife s Israel aline.

Berlin amed rotagonistsfter embersfhisfamilynother

early

ongs

s

well.As

noted

bove,

Mose

s the

young

manwho ees

his

girlfriendtripping

n

stage

n

"Sadie alome

Go Home),"

nd

Mose

also

appears

n

"Business

s

Business" s

thefather

f

Rosie,

engaged

o

marry

bie,

the owner

f

a

clothing

tore;

hisMose

helps

himselfo a new suitfrom

is

futureon-in-law's

tore

ach

month

until

Abie

complains

oRosie thatherfathers "too hardon clothes"

and

reminds er that

I've

got

to

pay

for

v'rything

own."

Lena,




15/26

Irving

erlin

23

who

ppears

n

several

erman ialect

ongs-"It

Can't

Be

Did,"

"Herman,

et'sDanceThatBeautiful altz" nd

Bring

ack

My

Lena

To

Me"--takes

ername rom erlin's other. ther

haracters

are

named

or is ister ebecca

"Becky's

ot A

Job

n A

Musical

Show" nd

Rebecca

Klein n the

unpublished

Yiddisha

edding")

and

his

brother

enjamin

Benny

n "Yiddisha

yes"

nd

Benjamin

n

"Try

t On Your

iano").

These

protagonists

ear ittle rno resem-

blance

o their

aline amesakesnd

n fact

ppear

n situationshat

would avebeen

lien o the

family.

ecky,

or

nstance,

s

a

show

girlwho showsff er igure"n the heater,or ellows ho raise

the

dickens,

hen

ecky

tarts-kickin' andcall

her

"Yiddisha

chicken";

he

has

a "coatmade

f

eal,

orsetsf

teel,

he

comes o

the heatre

n an

automobile,"

nd

he

smokes

Turkish

igarette

s

good

s

any

man an."

Attaching

urnames

fhis

parents

nd

iblings

o such

rotago-

nists

may

ave

begun

s

part

fBerlin's

rocess

f

distancing

imself

from is

family,

n

his

youth.

s

a

child

e

began

o

explore

nd

experienceheworldeyondishome, eginningith he treetsf

lower

Manhattan,

s

did o

many

ther

ewish

oys

fhis

generation.

In the

words

fone

ofhis

contemporaries:

The streetswereours.

Everyplace

lse-home,

school,

shop-belonged

to the

grownups.

ut

the streets

elonged

o us. We would roam

through

he

city

tasting

he

delights

f

freedom,

iscovering

ossibilities

ar

beyond

he reach

of

our

parents.

he streets

aught

s the deceits f

commerce,

ntroduced s to

the

excitementf

sex,

schooled

s in

strategies

f

survival,

nd

gave

us our

first

clear deaofwhat ife

n

America as

really oing

o be like.

. .

[I]t

was he

streets hat

prepared

he future.

n

the streets e were

roughened

y actuality,

and even those f

us who aterbecame ntellectualsr

professionalsept

ome-

thing

f ur

ruisingutter-worldliness,

ur

hard

nd

brasive

kepticism.

3

Berlin

egan

eddlingewspaper

nd

unk

n

these

treetso earn

few

ennies,

nd

by

he ime e

wasfourteen

e had eft

is

home

n

Cherry

treet

ltogether,iving

n

a succession

f

boarding

ouses

while

aking

hefirst

teps

owards

career

n

music.

With

isfirst

publishedong, ediscardedhefamilyame fBalinenfavorf

Berlin. ut

by

he ime

e

began

making

ubstantial

ums f

money

from is

ongs,

istieswith is

family

ere lose

gain.

As David

J.

Clarkwrote

n

the

Telegraph

or October

1911,

"none

of themhas

everwanted or he

good

things

f

ife

ince

he

began

o dot notes

n

ruled

aper.

Their

home

s envied

by

all

who

are

nvitednto

t from

the

original eighborhood

hereBerlin

irst

aw

the

ight.

There

his

mother nd

sisters

njoy

he benefits-all

f

them-of

his

first

ear's




16/26

24

TheMusical

uarterly

royalties."is useof heirurnamesnhis ongs as n affectionate

and

humorous

esture,

way

f

nvolving

is

family

n

his

career.

Even

cursory

xaminationf he

wordsndmusic

f

Berlin's

early

ongs

emolishes

he

myth

hat e was "creative

gnoramus"

devoid f

musicianlynowledge."

e was

fond f extualndmusical

quotation,

o less o than

harles

ves,

nd

"cultural

iteracy"

ist

compiledromeferencesntheseongswouldnclude erdi's ida

and

Rigoletto,

onizetti'sucia i

Lammermoor,

uccini'sa

Boheme,

Bizet's

armen,

ounod's

aust,

eoncavallo's

agliacci,

ubenstein's

"Melody

n

F,"

Reginald

eKoven's

Oh

Promise

e,"

various

ongs

by

tephen

osterndother

ineteenth-centuryongwriters,

Turkey

in

the

traw,"

raditional

cottishnd

rish

unes,

ohn

hilip

ousa,

the talian-born

and

master

iuseppe

reatore,

ctress aude

Adams,

oet

George

.

Morris,

nd

performers

nton

Rubinstein,

Tetrazzini,elba ndCaruso. tmightearguedhat hisist epre-

sents

othingeyond

erlin's

amiliarity

ith

common

ody

f

knowledge

irculating

n the treetsfNewYork

ity

t

the

urn f

the

entury,

et

Berlin new hemusic fthe

extetterom onizet-

ti'sLucia iLammermoorell

nough

o write

fourteen-pagearody,

in

his

Opera

Burlesque."ny

tudy

f

he

rigins

fBerlin's usical

style

must

learly

ake nto onsiderationmuchwider

ange

fmusi-

cal

genres

hanWoollcott's

yth

as

uggested.

Exceptionally

or he

period,

erlin akesmusictselfs the

subject

matteroreveralozen fthese

ongs.

aurence

ergreen's

recent

iography14

ndlessly

nsinuateshatmusic as

merely

means

to

an

end

for

erlin,

hat e was

basically

shrewdusinessman

ho

justhappened

o have knack or

ashioning

unes,

ndthat

e

would

oldly

measurehe ommercial

uccess f

ongs

y

other riters

before

eciding

hat

o

produce

ext imself.ut hese

ongs uggest

somethinguite

ifferent:hat

istening

o,

performing

nd

writing

music as n

intensely

xuberant,ensual,cstatic,

oyous,

ven

quasi-religiousxperienceor erlin.

The half-dozen

r

so

songs

with

ianists

s

protagonists

re esta-

ments

o

the heer

oy

of

playing

r

istening

o that

nstrument.

Piano

man,

piano

man,

He

brings

orth

otes ike

no one

can,

Oh what feelin'

When his notes ome

a-stealin'




17/26

Irving

erlin

25

Whyjust eelike neelin'nd ppealin'omy

Piano

man,

piano

man,

Lawdy

ow ismusic

ingers,

May

heHeaven

less is

ingers

(from

Piano

Man")

When hear

you

lay

hat

iano

o

sweet,

My

lood

unsold

way

own

o

my

eet

..

When

ou

tart

n

tearingags y

he

treak,

I

could ear

ou

lay

hat

ox or

week,

For tdoesmostnythingutpeak,

When

you

play

hat

piano,

Bill.

(from

When

ou

Play

hat

iano,

ill ")

He can

play

ome entimental

elody,

And

break heheart f

stove,

When

his

melody egins

o

pour,

Then

your

ishbone

ishes or omemore.

(from

Yiddisha

rofessor")

Berlin

romises

hat

f

you'll

isten

o

a

black

uartet,

from

our

headdown o

your

eet,

ou'll

e

fairly

ypnotized"

nd

ev'ry

ther

chords

a

message

rom

he

Lord."Hiram's

ountry

and makes

Philip

user ook ike

march-abuser,"

nd ladies

igh,

hebabies

cry,

ats nd

dogs ay

down

nddie"from

heer xcitement

hen

they

ear he

band.

The

protagonist

n

"Lead

Me

To

ThatBeautiful

Band"

asses

p

dinnern

order o

"drink

rom

musical

up"by

listening

o a band:

Just

ear hat

lide

rombone-blowin'or

me,

just

hear hose weetometsll

goin'

orme."A tune

y

Men-

delssohn

s

"tantalizing,

ypnotizing,esmerizing,"

ndthe

protago-

nist

n

"Stop

That

Rag"

nsists

hat

melody

ike his

s what n

artist

can't

paint."

Syncopated

ancemusic

ypnotizes

erlin's

rotagonists,

r

transports

hem o

states f

rance,

renzy,

nd

barely-concealed

exual

excitement:

I'mgoin'razy,hatag'sdaisy

I

just

an't

make

my eelings

ehave

..

Hon',

I'm

goin' straight

o

heav'n

When

hearthat

train,

wine

o

cry

gain.

(from

Wild

Cherries")

Go

get

me

some

mmonia,

cause

fear must

aint,

I'm

suffocating

ith

delight.

(from

Stop

That

Rag")




18/26

26

TheMusical

uarterly

TMlE

'YIDPISHtA

P9OFESSOR

5L~"~9

.BA

~~~~

s

L

yN

Sigi

`77:

IRVI

I"

~rn

nr*~ra.

*1ui~9

.rVv~n

If

hey

othat ancen

heaven,

Shoot

me, hon',

tonight

t

seven.

(from

Grizzly

ear")

Oh

that

heavenly

train,

It makesmefeel o

funny;

If ever

ry

Don't

lay

t

gain,"

Just

on't elieve

e,

oney.

(fromOh,That eautifulag")

Oi,

that

Kazzatsky

ance,

t

makesme

ose

my

ense

.

Oi,

that

azzatsky

ance,

'm

going

n trance.

(from

That

Kazzatsky

ance")

Insummary,profilef rvingerlin ieced ogetherromis

early

ongs

s

quite

ifferent

rom

hat

iven

y

Woollcottndmost

subsequent

riters.

s

a

singer-songwriter,

e

drewmaterialrom

is

social

nvironmentndfromvents

f

his

own

ife,

urning

t nto

verse nd

producing

body

f

ongs

more

utobiographical

han hose




19/26

Irving

erlin

27

ucces n

t duced

y

MMA

UTs

i,

.

-

i-

.v.

L

IDSNDIDc

5

1A.wl

TWSMIRC

ofmost

fhis

peers.

Growing

p

n

a multi-cultural

ociety

n

which

ethnic

dentity

ould

e

a source f

vitality

nd

pride,

e

made

ocial

differences

he

ubject

f

many

f

his

ongs.

is

education,

ained

both

n

school

ndon the

treets,

ave

him

basic

iteracy

n

classical

Western

usic,

s well s a

thoroughnowledge

f

he

past

nd

present

iteraturef

popularong.

He was

passionately

rawn o

music,espondingo texuberantly,ensually,cstatically.

As

the limate f he

ountry

hanged

nd ocial

ifferences

becamemore

roblematic,

e

responded,

s

didhisfellow in Pan

Alley

ongwriters,

y

reating

more

enericong

tyle

nd

public

image. ortunately,

is

arly ongs

emains

important

ocumentsf

his

early ears.

The Songs ofIrvingBerlin,1907-1914

The list

elow ncludesll

songs

opyrighted

nd

published

hrough

1914

forwhich

erlin rote

music,

ext r

both,

xcepting

ongs

writtenor

is

first

usical,

Watch our

tep,

which

pened

t

the

GlobeTheatre n

8

December

914.




20/26

28

TheMusical

uarterly

Lists

f

songs y

Berlin

ave

appeared

n

such

previous ublica-tions s AlexanderWoollcott's he

Story f

rving

erlin

New

York&

London:G.

P.

Putnam's

ons,

1925;

Da

Capo

Press

dition,

983),

The

Songs f rving

erlin

New

York:

rving

erlinMusic

Company,

n.d.),

Vince Motto's

The

rving

erlin

atalog,

Vols.

VI &

VIII

(Quicksburg

A:

Sheet Music

Exchange,

988

&

1990),

Laurence

Bergreen's

s Thousands heer:The

Life f

rving

erlin

New

York:

Viking,

990),

and Steven

Suskin's

erlin, ern,

Rodgers,

art,

nd

Hammerstein:

CompleteongCatalogue

Jefferson

C &

London:

McFarland, 990). As usefuls these istshavebeen,their ong itles

are

often

naccurates a result f

beinggiven

s

they

ppear

n sheet

music overs

ather

hanthe first

age

of the

music;

ome

ongs y

writersther

han

Berlin re

ncluded

though

ot

by

Suskin);

here s

no

recognition

hat

ome

ongs

were

opyrighted

everal

imes

n

quite

different

ersions;

hronology

s

only

pproximate;

nd

the

date

of

copyright

s

missing.

Title Copyrightate Copyrighto.

1. Marie

rom

unnytaly

12

Oct.

1907

E150811

2.

Queenie

29

Feb. 1908

E175522

3. The BestOfFriends

ust

art 6 Feb. 1908

E175845

4.

I

Didn'tGo

HomeAt All 13

Mar.1909

E203451

5. Dorando

11

Mar.1909

E203814

6.

No

One Could

Do It Like

My

Father

2

Apr.

1909

E204479

7.

Sadie

Salome

Go Home)

2

Apr.

1909

E204481

8. MyWife's oneTo TheCountryHurrah 18June 909 E209740

Hurrah )

9.

Just

ikeThe Rose

2

July

909 E211289

10.

Oh,

What

Know

About

ou

2

July

909 E211292

11.

Someone's

aiting

orMe

(We'll

Wait,

Wait,

2

July

909 E211293

Wait)

12. Do Your

uty

octor

Oh,

Oh,

Oh,

Oh,

Doctor)

6

Aug.

1909 E213051

13.

Good-Bye,

irlie,

ndRemembere

6

Aug.

1909 E213052

14.

WildCherries

Coony,

poony

ag)

12

Aug.

1909

E213300

15. Oh WheresMyWife o-Night? 16Sept.1909 E21457016.SheWasA DearLittle irl 5 Oct.1909 E216226

17.

Some

ittle

omething

bout

ou

14

Oct.

1909

E217166

18. f

Thought

ouWouldn't ell

14

Oct. 1909

E217168

19.

I

Wish hat

You

Was

My

Gal,

Molly

14

Oct.

1909

E217169

20.

NextTo

Your

Mother,

ho

Do YouLove? 26 Oct.

1909

E218110

21.

Stop

That

Rag

Keep

On

Playing,

oney)

24

Nov.

1909 E219550

22.

Christmas-Timeeems ears

And

Years

Away

2

Dec.

1909

E219710

23.

Yiddle,

n Your

iddle,

lay

ome

Ragtime

30 Nov. 1909 E220516




21/26

Irving

erlin

29

Title Copyright

ate

Copyright

o.

24.

I

Just

ame

BackTo

Say

Good

Bye

8 Dec. 1909 E220879

25. Before Go

And

Marry,

WillHaveA Talk 31 Dec. 1909 E221856

With

You

26. That

Mesmerizing

endelssohn

une

22

Dec.

1909

E222371

27.

Someone

ust

ike

You

22 Dec. 1909

E222372

28.

Telling

ies

14

Jan.

910

E223314

29.

Sweet

Marie,

Make-a

ag-a-Time

anceWid

Me 18

Jan.

910

E224516

30. IfThe

Managers

nly

hought

he SameAs

18

Jan.

910

E224517

Mother

31. Oh

HowThat

German

ould

Love

15 Feb. 1910

E226408

32. When

You

Play

hat

Piano,

Bill 16 Mar.1910 E228389

33.

Draggy

ag

13

Apr.

1910

E229419

34.

Dear

Mayme,

LoveYou

18

Apr.

1910

E229542

35.

Grizzly

ear

19

Apr.

1910

E230452

36. Call Me

Up

Some

Rainy

fternoon

23

Apr.

1910

E230607

37.

That

Opera

Rag

28

Apr.

1910

E230794

38.

I'mA

Happy

Married

an

2

June

910 E231098

39. I LoveYouMore achDay 19May1910 E232638

40.

Alexander

nd

His Clarinet

19

May

1910 E232639

41.

Sweet talian

ove

9

July

910

E234395

42.

Oh,

That

Beautiful

ag

7

July

910

E235374

43.

Try

t

On Your iano

7

July

910

E235475

44.

"Thank

ou,

Kind ir " aid

She

31

Aug.

1910

E237664

45.

Yiddisha

yes

8

Sept.

1910

E237828

46.

Is There

Anything

lse Can Do For

You? 8

Sept.

1910

E237829

47.

KissMe

MyHoney,

iss

Me

3

Aug.

1910

E238127

48.Colored omeo 14Sept.1910 E239224

49.

Stop, top,

top

Come

OverAndLove

Me

Some

17

Sept.

1910

E239367

More)

50. Herman

et's

DanceThatBeautiful altz

24

Sept.

1910

E240313

51. PianoMan

5

Oct.

1910

E240646

52. Innocent essie rown

5

Oct.

1910

E240647

53.

Dreams,

ust

reams

12 Oct. 1910

E240951

54.

I'm

Going

On

A

Long

Vacation

12

Oct. 1910

E240952

55.

Bring

ack

My

LenaTo Me 20

Oct. 1910

E241527

56.ThatKazzatskyance 19Dec. 1910 E245819

57.

Wishing

17

Dec. 1910

E246503

58.

Dat's-A

My

Gal

14

Jan.

911

E248729

59.

That

Dying

ag

18

Feb. 1911

E250877

60. Alexander's

agtime

and

18 Mar.1911

E252990

61.

Virginia

ou

20 Mar.

1911

E253397

62. The

Whistling

ag

31 Mar.

1911 E253962

63.

That

Monkey

une 25

Mar. 1911

E254260

64.

When

'm

Alone

'm

Lonesome

25 Mar. 1911

E254261




22/26

30 The

Musical

uarterly

Title

Copyrightate Copyrighto.

65.

I

Beg

Your

ardon,

earOld

Broadway

28

Mar. 1911

E254307

66.

WhenYou're

n

Town

11

Apr.

1911

E254667

67.

Businesss Business 21

Apr.

1911

E255849

68.

Spanish

ove 25

Apr.

1911

E255927

69. DownTo The

Folies

ergere

24

Apr.

1911 E255928

70.

When t

Rains,

weetheart,

hen

t Rains

29

Apr.

1911

E257181

71.

Don't

Put

OutThe

Light

6

May

1911

E257470

72.

Molly-O

h,

Molly

13

May

1911

E257638

73.WhenYouKissAnItalian irl 16June 911 E259700

74.

Ephraham

layed

pon

The Piano 20

June

911

E260178

75.

You've uilt

A Fire own

n

My

Heart 20

June

911

E260179

76.

Woodman,

oodman,

pare

hatTree

27

June

911 E260385

77.

Run

HomeAndTell YourMother

29

June

911

E260540

78.

After he

Honeymoon

23

Aug.

1911

E262997

79.

That

Mysterious

ag

31

Aug.

1911 E265636

80. One O'Clock

n

The

Morning

GetLonesome 16

Sept.

1911

E266077

81. There's Girl

n Havana 19

Sept.

1911

E266188

82. Don'tTakeYour eauTo The Seashore 22Sept.1911 E266385

83.

Dog

GoneThat

Chilly

Man 30

Sept.

1911

E266709

84.

Ragtime

iolin 6 Oct. 1911 E266996

85.

Yiddisha

ightingale

7

Oct.

1911

E268019

86.

My

Melody

ream

14

Oct.

1911 E268592

87.

You'veGot

Me

Hypnotized

2

Nov. 1911

E269368

88.

Everybody'soing

t Now

2

Nov. 1911 E269369

89.

Bring

ack

My

Lovin'Man 16 Nov. 1911

E271161

90. Sombrero

and

17

Nov. 1911

E271198

91. CuddleUp 24Nov. 1911 E271441

92.

Bring

Me A

Ring

n

the

pring

nd

'll

Know

5

Dec.

1911

E271969

That

You

Love

Me

93. He Promised e

12 Dec. 1911

E272255

94.

Meet

Me

To-Night

12 Dec. 1911

E272256

95.

Yankee

ove

15 Dec. 1911

E272387

96.

HowDo YouDo

It, Mabel,

On

Twenty

ollars 19 Dec. 1911

E272549

Week?

97.

Pick, ick,

ick,

ickOn The

Mandolin,

ntonio

2

Jan.

912

E274520

98. I Want o BeIn Dixie 18Jan. 912 E275297

99. Take

A

Little

ip

From ather

20

Jan.

912

E275357

100.

Ragtime

ocking

ird

25

Jan.

912

E275605

101.Alexander's

ag-Pipe

and 10 Feb.

1912

E278333

102.

Opera

Burlesque

24

Feb. 1912

E279162

103.

Spring

ndFall

24

Feb.

1912

E279163

104.

've Got

To Have

SomeLovin'

Now

4

Mar.

1912

E279448

105.

Society

ear

1

Apr.

1912 E282261

106.

Lead

Me To ThatBeautiful

and

18

Apr.

1912

E283517




23/26

Irving

erlin

1

Title Copyright

ate

Copyright

o.

107.

Antonio

13

May

1912

E284515

108.

That's

How LoveYou

13

May

1912

E284516

109.

'm

Afraid,

retty

aid,

'mAfraid

6 Feb.

?]

1912

E284616

110.

The

Million

ollar

Ball

6

May

1912

E285079

111.

A True

Born

oldier

Man

15

May

1912

E285201

112.

Becky's

ot

A

Job

nA Musicalhow

6

June

912

E285627

113.

The

Ragtime

ockey

an

11

June

912

E285800

114.

When

Johnson's

uartette

armonize

11

June

912

E285801

115.Fiddle-Dee-DeeI) 12June 912 E285805

116.Call

Again

17

June

912

E285990

117.

Fiddle-Dee-Dee

II)

27

May

1912 E286188

118.

The Elevator

an

GoingUp,

GoingUp,

GoingUp,

5

July

912

E288757

GoingUp

119.

Ragtime

oldier

Man

12

July

912 E288879

120.

Keep

Away

rom

he FellowWho

Owns

An

9

Aug.

1912

E289979

Automobile

121.When

'm

Thinking

f

You

27

Sept.

1912

E296287

122.ComeBackToMe,MyMelody 8 Oct.1912 E296703

123.Do

It

Again

9

Oct.

1912

E296722

124.

A Little

itOf

Everything

18

Oct.

1912

E297194

125.Hiram's

and

21

Oct.

1912

E297549

126.When

The

Midnight

hoo-Choo

eaves

or

2

Nov. 1912

E297717

Alabam'

127.

When

Lost

You

8 Nov.

1912

E297996

128.

My

Sweet talian

Man

I)

31 Oct. 1912

E298124

129.

Down

n

My

Heart

30

Oct.

1912

E298127

130.At TheDevil's all I) 14Nov. 1912 E298534

131.

Follow

Me Around

13 Nov. 1912 E298601

132.

fAll The Girls

KnewWere

ike

You 15 Nov.

1912

E298624

133.

At The Devil's

all

II)

18 Dec. 1912

E299488

134.

Wait

Until

our

addy

omes

Home

19

Dec.

1912 E299526

135.Don't

Leave

YourWife

Alone

20

Nov. 1912

E300049

136.

Yiddisha

rofessor

23

Nov. 1912

E300175

137.

Goody,

oody, oody,

oody,

ood

11

Dec. 1912

E300412

138.

He's So

Good

To Me

4

Jan.

913 E300853

139.AtThe Devil's all III) 8Jan. 913 E301125

140.

At

The Picture

how

20

Jan.

913

E301409

141.

Anna Liza's

Wedding

ay

15

Jan.

913

E304024

142.

Welcome

ome

23

Jan.

913

E304275

143.

n

My

Harem

1 Feb. 1913

E304585

144.

My

Sweet

talian

Man

II)

21

Feb.

1913 E305080

145.

Snookey

okums

21 Feb. 1913

E305082

146.

The

Apple

ree

AndThe Bumble ee

7

Mar. 1913

E305272

147.

San

Franciscoound

13 Mar.1913

E398411




24/26

32

TheMusical

uarterly

Title

Copyrightate Copyrighto.

148.

You Picked

Bad

Day

OutTo

Say

Good-bye

25

Apr.

1913

E309405

149.

Happy

ittle

ountry

irl

21

May

1913

E309806

150.

We Have

Much o Be Thankful

or

21

May

1913

E309808

151.

The

Ki-I-Youdleing

og

4

Apr.

1913

E310146

152.

Keep

On

Walking

14

Apr.

1913

E310336

153.

The Old

Maids all

16

Apr.

1913

E310412

154.

The Pullman

ortersn Parade

14

May

1913

E311090

155.

Abie

Sings

An

Irish

ong

15

May

1913

E311248

156.TheMonkeyoodleDoo 15May1913 E311249

157.

Somebody's

oming

o

My

House

15

May

1913

E311250

158. Was

Aviating

round

16

May

1913

E311257

159.

They've

otMe Doin'

t Now

17

June

913

E311999

160.

Jake ake

he Yiddisher

all-Player

2

July

913

E314881

161.The

nternational

ag

12

Aug.

1913

E315561

162.KissYour

ailor

oy

Goodbye

15

Aug.

1913

E315602

163.

TakeMe Back

8

Sept.

1913

E315974

164.

They've

otMe Doin'

t Now

Medley)

11

July

913

E318425

165.You'veGotYourMother'sigBlueEyes 12Sept.1913 E319799

166.There's

Girl

n

Arizona

17

Sept.

1913

E320280

167.

f

YouDon't

WantMe

(Why

o

You

Hang

24

Sept.

1913 E322039

Around)

168.

Tra-La, a,

La

24

Sept.

1913

E322040

169. Down n

Chattanooga

21

Nov. 1913

E323417

170.

Daddy,

ome

Home

16

Dec.

1913

E328318

171.

This s The Life

I)

26

Jan.

914

E330482

172.

Follow he Crowd

30

Jan.

914

E330624

173. t sn'tWhatHe Said,ButTheWayHe Said t 11Feb.1914 E330899

174.

LoveTo

Quarrel

With

ou

10

Feb.

1914

E330900

175.

He's

A

Devil

n

His

Own

HomeTown

14

Mar.

1914

E331516

176.

This s The Life

II)

21

Feb.

1914

E334172

177.

Along

ameRuth

1

May

1914

E335767

178.

f

Had You

1

May

1914

E335768

179.

f

YouDon't

Want

My

Peaches

You'd

Better

9

May

1914

E335865

Stop

haking

y

Tree)

180.

God Gave

You

To Me

29

Apr.

1914

E338500

181.They'renTheirWayTo Mexico 2May1914 E338892

182.

The Haunted ouse

27

May

1914 E339657

183.

Want

o

Go BackTo

Michigan

Down

On 30

July

914 E343400

The

Farm)

184.

f

That's

our

dea OfA Wonderful

ime 22

June

914

E345233

(Take

Me

Home)

185.

Always

reat

Her

LikeA

Baby

24

Aug.

1914 E347212

186.

He's

A

Rag

Picker

28

Sept.

1914 E347874

187.

Furnishing

Home

For

Two

8

Oct.

1914

E347984




25/26

Irving

erlin

3

Title Copyright

ate

Copyright

o.

188.

Stay

Down

Here

Where ou

Belong

20 Oct.

1914 E349008

189.

That's

My

dea

Of

Paradise 10 Oct.

1914

E352071

190.

When

t's

Night

ime

n DixieLand

5 Dec.

1914

E349951

Songs

y

Berlin

opyrighted

ut ot

ublished

It Can't

Be Did 13

Apr.

1910

E229418

Angelo

13

Apr.

1910

E229420

Songs

y

Berlinot

opyrighted,

ut

ecorded

HowCanYouLoveSuchA Man? 1910

WhatAm Gonna

Do?

1911

The

Funny

ittle

Melody

1912

Revival

ay

1914

Show

ongs y

Berlinever

opyrighted,

ublished

or

ecorded

He

Sympathized

ithMe

1910

My

Wife

ridget

1910

Answer

e

1911

Keep

A

Taxi

Waiting,

ear

1911

Copyrighted

ongsrroneously

ttributedoBerlin

The

Yiddisha

ag

6

Dec. 1909 E220836

Too

Many yes

Are

Making

yes

At Me

3

Jan.

910 E223058

The Yiddisha

ag

for

iano]

1 Feb. 1910

E226001

(these

hree re

by

Joseph

.

McKeon,

W.

Raymond

arris

Harry

.

Piano)

Good-Bye,

eckie ohn

11

Apr.

1910

E229269

(words

yHarry

run,

music

y

Fred

ischer)

Brand

ew

25

Jan.

912

E275604

(by

CecilMack

&

Chris

mith,

or

he how

he

Knows etter

ow)

MyHeather ell 10Feb. 1912 E278334

(words

y

E.

Ray

Goetz,

music

y

A. Baldwin

loane)

Lonely

Moon

25

Oct.

1912

E297552

(words

y

E.

Ray

Goetz,

music

y

A. Baldwin

loane)

"Father's

eard"

1912),

oftenisted s a

song,

s a

strophicoem

y

Berlin

erhaps

intended

or audeville

erformance,

ith last

erse

o be

sung

o the

une

f

The

Rosary."

Notes

The author

ould

ike o thank

he

rving

erlin usic

ompany,

odgers

ndHam-

merstein

usic,

nd he

amily

f

rving

erlin or heir

enerous

ssistance.

1.

Israel

angwill,

he

Melting-Pot.

rama

n Four

Acts

New

York: he Macmillan

Company,

909),

198-99.

2.

Zangwill,

he

Melting-Pot,

2.




26/26

34

The

Musical

uarterly

3.

Irving

owe,

World

f

Our

Fathers

New

York;

ondon: arcourt

race

ovano-

vich, 976), 02.

4.

Henry ames,

he

American

cene

New

York:

orizon

ress,

967),

20.

5.

Stephan

hernstrom,d.,

Harvard

ncyclopediaf

American

thnic

roups

Cam-

bridge

A;

London:

arvard

niversity

ress,

980),

92.

6. New

York;

ondon: . P.

Putnam's

ons,

1925.

7.

Woollcott,

18-20.

8.

Most

ubsequent

riters

ave

uncritically

ccepted

oollcott's

rofile

fBerlins

"creative

gnoramus."

avid

wen,

n

GreatMen

f

American

opularongEngle-

wood liffs:rentice-Hall,970), indst"extraordinary.. that erlin asrisen

this

igh

with lmost o

musical

quipment

o

provide

im

with he uel or is

flight

to the

highest

ltitudes

f

his

profession"

114),

and

Michael

reedland'sSalute

o

Irving

erlin

London:

W.

H.

Allen,

974)

ikewise

erpetuates

he

myth

f n

"untrained"

usician. nd

ven

hough

aurence

ergreen's

ecent

iography

s

Thousandsheer:

he

Life f rving

erlin

New

York:

iking,

990)

uncoversddi-

tional actualnformationbout erlin's

arly ears,

he uthor

s

so committed

o the

notion

f

n

untrainedusician

orking

ith n

artistically

nferiorusical

enre

that

e

canoffer

o

new

nsights

nto he

reation,

roduction,

nd

reception

f

popular

usic.

nly

an Whitcomb's

rving

erlin

nd

Ragtime

merica

NewYork:

Limelight

ditions,

988),

quirky,maginative

econstructionfBerlin's

arly ears

drawing

n the uthor'sntimate

nowledge

f he

ongs

hemselvesnd nterviews

with everalfBerlin'sirst

ssociates,

ffers

he

lternate

iew f

Berlins a

thor-

oughly

rofessional

usician.

9.

Marilynerger,

ewYork

imes,

3

September

989,

.

1.

10.

Charles

.

Harris,

fter

heBall:

orty

ears

fMelody:

n

Autobiography

New

York:

rank-Maurice,

926),

18.

11. TheGreen ook

Magazine

No.

2

(August

913):

09.

12. Unpublishedyricsitednthis rticlere akenromhe rvingerlin ollec-

tion

n

the

Library

f

Congress.

erlin's

ractice

f

ncessantly

otting

own

ommen-

tariesn

his

wn

ife,

ften

ryly

umorous,

s well s

potentialyrics

or

ongs,

continued.

he

following

s dated

7

July

986,

when erlin as

ninety-sixears

ld:

I.

Berlin

s n

the

obby

Of

an inn

nd hat's

is

hobby

There e

sits,

pittin'

n theRitz

?

1992

The Estate

f

rving

erlin

13.

Irving

owe,

he

mmigrant

ews

f

NewYork:

881 o

he resent

London;

Boston: outledge Kegan aul, 976), 56.

14.

Bergreen,

s Thousandsheer.