As Thousands Cheer: The Life of Irving BerlinViking, 1990 - 658 páginas The first full biography of the king of American songwriters. Berlin's life spanned 101 years and his career extended from the heyday of vaudeville to the hegemony of rock. He wrote lyrics and music for some 1,500 songs, of which an unparalleled 25 reached the #1 spot on the weekly popular music charts, from "Alexander's Ragtime Band," and "God Bless America" to "White Christmas," the most popular song of all time. This unerring instinct for the popular taste was Irving Berlin's hallmark--more than any other songwriter he knew what Americans wanted to hear, what songs would express their longings, their fears, their feelings. And no wonder--for Berlin's life is a typically American rags-to-riches saga that moves from czarist Russia to the grimy vitality and honky-tonk glamour of New York's Lower East Side, from Tin Pan Alley to the glitter of Broadway and the dream factory of Hollywood. Its characters are themselves the stuff of legend: George M. Cohan, Florenz Ziegfeld, Al Jolson, Marilyn Miller, Alexander Woollcott, George Gershwin, Ginger Rogers, Fred Astaire, Cole Porter, Ethel Merman. And at its heart is a great romance: the story of how this son of a Jewish cantor courted and eloped with the daughter of an Irish-American Catholic millionaire, scandalizing society and causing her family to cut her off completely. Laurence Bergreen's masterful biography, containing a complete chronology of all Berlin's 1,500 songs as well as his scores for Broadway and Hollywood, is the result of more than two hundred interviews and three and a half years of research in a dozen archives around the country. Rich in anecdote and full of memorable characters, As Thousands Cheer not only chronicles Irving Berlin's remarkable life, but weaves his words and music into the tapestry of twentieth-century America. --Adapted from dust jacket. |
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... melody . Throughout , the music effectively mirrors the emotions summoned by the lyrics , while max- imizing their impact . When the singer confesses his heart is beating so fast he can “ hardly speak , ” for instance , Berlin's melody ...
... melody . Throughout , the music effectively mirrors the emotions summoned by the lyrics , while max- imizing their impact . When the singer confesses his heart is beating so fast he can “ hardly speak , ” for instance , Berlin's melody ...
Página 451
... melody — a rather ordinary one - consists of only three tones : a businesslike tune about show business . Then Irving begins to work his tricks . In the bridge , the melody suddenly becomes a scale , or nearly a scale , in contrast to ...
... melody — a rather ordinary one - consists of only three tones : a businesslike tune about show business . Then Irving begins to work his tricks . In the bridge , the melody suddenly becomes a scale , or nearly a scale , in contrast to ...
Página 503
... Melody ” —written back in 1914 for his first Broadway score , Watch Your Step - was enjoying sudden popularity thanks to a recent recording , called " Simple Melody , " made by Bing Crosby and his son Gary . Well , said Mr. Abbott to ...
... Melody ” —written back in 1914 for his first Broadway score , Watch Your Step - was enjoying sudden popularity thanks to a recent recording , called " Simple Melody , " made by Bing Crosby and his son Gary . Well , said Mr. Abbott to ...
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Lost Souls | 3 |
Prince and Pauper | 14 |
Tin Pan Alley | 30 |
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Alexander Woollcott Alexander's Ragtime Band American Annie Army asked Astaire audience Baline became began Bless America Broadway Call Me Madam called Camp Upton career chorus Clarence composer dance Dorothy Ellin entertainment Ethel Merman film finally Fred Astaire Gershwin Girl Harris Helmy hit songs Hollywood ibid interview Irving Berlin Irving's Izzy jazz Kern knew later Love Lower East Side Mackay Marie married melody Merman movie Music Box Revue music publishing Mynna never night once opened opera performance piano play popular President producer rehearsals Rodgers sang Schenck score sheet music show business show's Shubert singing waiter soldiers songwriter songwriter's stage star story Street studio success Ted Snyder theater Thousands Cheer Tin Pan Alley took tune turned vaudeville wanted Watch Your Step Waterson White Christmas wife Winslow Woollcott World write wrote Yaphank York young Ziegfeld