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88-649: Antonini was born in Alessandria and pursued his musical studies at the Royal Conservatory in Milan. He was a student of the Italian conductor Arturo Toscanini , whom he first met at the age of thirteen while performing on the celesta in the Italian premier of Igor Stravinsky's Petrouchka . He distinguished himself as both an organist and pianist with La Scala Orchestra in Milan prior to emigrating to

176-452: A Simple Melody " became the first of his famous "double" songs in which two different melodies and lyrics are counterpointed against one another. Variety called Watch Your Step the "first syncopated musical", where the "sets and the girls were gorgeous". Berlin was then 26, and the success of the show was riding on his name alone. Variety said the show was a "terrific hit" from its opening night. It compared Berlin's newfound status as

264-575: A composer with that of the Times building: "That youthful marvel of syncopated melody is proving things in Watch Your Step , firstly that he is not alone a rag composer, and that he is one of the greatest lyric writers America has ever produced." Whitcomb also points out the irony that Russia, the country Berlin's family was forced to leave, flung itself into "the ragtime beat with an abandon bordering on mania". For example, Prince Felix Yusupov ,

352-482: A cover of this song on his 1992 release The Future (Leonard Cohen album) . Written after his first daughter's birth, he distilled his feelings about being married and a father for the first time: "Blue days, all of them gone; nothing but blue skies, from now on." The song was introduced by Belle Baker in Betsy , a Ziegfeld production. It became a hit recording for Ben Selvin and one of several Berlin hits in 1927. It

440-501: A great kid", and raved about him so much that Von Tilzer hired Berlin. In 1908, when he was 20, Berlin took a new job at a saloon named Jimmy Kelly's in the Union Square neighborhood. There, he was able to collaborate with other young songwriters, such as Edgar Leslie , Ted Snyder , Al Piantadosi , and George A. Whiting . In 1909, the year of the premiere of Israel Zangwill 's The Melting Pot , he got another big break as

528-511: A guest conductor with instrumental soloists, including Benny Goodman in 1960 for a performance of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto at Lewisohn Stadium. In addition, he conducted the Symphony of the Air in the live prime-time television special Spring Festival of Music for CBS Television . This collaboration with the pianist John Browning and the producer Robert Herridge showcased a performance of

616-494: A hit twice (for Vincent Lopez and George Olsen ) in its first incarnation. There were four more hit versions in 1944–45. In 1959, Sammy Turner took the song to no. 2 on the R&;B chart. It became Patsy Cline 's postmortem anthem and hit no. 18 on the country chart in 1980, 17 years after her death, and a tribute musical called "Always... Patsy Cline", played a two-year Nashville run that ended in 1995. Leonard Cohen included

704-616: A loan bank in or about 1490. In 1590, the Jews were expelled from the Duchy of Milan , and one of Abraham's descendants travelled to Madrid , which ruled the Duchy and was permitted to stay in the town due to a large sum owed him by the government. Of the 230 Jews living in the city in 1684, 170 were members of the Vitale family. The Jewish Ghetto was established in 1724. Between 1796 and 1814, among

792-499: A movement from Sergie Rachmaninoff's Second Piano Concerto. The performance was noted for its musical excellence as well as its dramatic visual presentation on television. In 1962, Antonini collaborated with First Lady of the United States Jacqueline Kennedy , director Franklin J. Schaffner , and journalist Charles Collingwood of CBS News for the groundbreaking television documentary A Tour of

880-558: A partnership with Sam Harris to build the Music Box Theater . He maintained an interest in the theater throughout his life, and even in his last years was known to call the Shubert Organization , his partner, to check on the receipts. In its early years, the theater was a showcase for revues by Berlin. As theater owner, producer and composer, he looked after every detail of his shows, from the costumes and sets to

968-416: A ragtime revue, Watch Your Step , which starred the couple and showcased their talents on stage. That musical revue became Berlin's first complete score with songs that "radiated musical and lyrical sophistication". Berlin's songs signified modernism , and they signified the cultural struggle between Victorian gentility and the "purveyors of liberation, indulgence, and leisure", says Furia. The song " Play

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1056-472: A recent Oxford undergraduate of Russian noble lineage and heir to the largest estate in Russia, was described by his dance partner as "wriggling around the ballroom like a demented worm, screaming for 'more ragtime and more champagne ' ". My ambition is to reach the heart of the average American, not the highbrow nor the lowbrow but that vast intermediate crew which is the real soul of the country. The highbrow

1144-602: A recording of the song Amapola (Columbia, #17202-D) and Nestor Chayres for a recording of Granada (Decca, #23770 A). At the close of the decade in 1948, Antonini also appeared as the conductor in the premier program of the CBS Symphony Summer Series which was broadcast live over the CBS Radio network. During this time he also collaborated with leading orchestral musicians including Julius Baker , and Mitch Miller . Several of his performances with

1232-408: A ship departing for China and became so entranced that he did not see a swinging crane, which knocked him into the river. When he was fished out after going down for the third time, he was still holding in his clenched fist the five pennies he earned that day. His mother took a job as a midwife , and three of his sisters worked wrapping cigars, common for immigrant girls. His older brother worked in

1320-502: A single year". On April 1, 1917, after President Woodrow Wilson declared that America would enter World War I , Berlin felt that Tin Pan Alley should do its duty and support the war with inspirational songs. Berlin wrote the song "For Your Country and My Country", stating that "we must speak with the sword not the pen to show our appreciation to America for opening up her heart and welcoming every immigrant group." He also co-wrote

1408-441: A song aimed at ending ethnic conflict, "Let's All Be Americans Now". At the grand finale... Sergeant Berlin led the entire 300-person cast off the stage, marching them down the theater's aisles, singing 'We're on Our Way to France,' all to tumultuous applause. The cast carried off their little producer like he was victor ludorum ... Tin Pan Alley had joined hands with real life — biographer Ian Whitcomb . In 1917, Berlin

1496-646: A songwriter in Tin Pan Alley and on Broadway . In 1911, Emma Carus introduced his first world-famous hit, " Alexander's Ragtime Band ", followed by a performance from Berlin himself at the Friars' Frolic of 1911 with Clifford Hess as his accompanist. He became an instant celebrity, and the featured performer later that year at Oscar Hammerstein 's vaudeville house, where he introduced dozens of other songs. The New York Telegraph described how two hundred of his street friends came to see "their boy" onstage: "All

1584-427: A songwriting star. From its first and subsequent releases, the song was near the top of the charts as others sang it: Bessie Smith , in 1927, and Louis Armstrong , in 1937; No. 1 by Bing Crosby and Connee Boswell; Johnny Mercer in 1945; Al Jolson , in 1947 and Nellie Lutcher in 1948. Add Ray Charles 's big-band version in 1959, and "Alexander" had a dozen hit versions in just under a half century. Initially

1672-489: A staff lyricist with the Ted Snyder Company . Installed as a staff lyricist with a leading Tin Pan Alley music publishing house, Berlin quickly established himself as one of that frantic industry's top writers of words to other composer's melodies. By 1910 he was already in demand and even appeared in a Shubert Broadway revue performing his own songs. It was purely by chance that Berlin started composing music to

1760-482: A sweatshop assembling shirts. Each evening, when the family came home from their day's work, Bergreen writes, "they would deposit the coins they had earned that day into Lena's outspread apron." Music historian Philip Furia writes that when "Izzy" began to sell newspapers in the Bowery , he was exposed to the music and sounds coming from saloons and restaurants that lined the crowded streets. Young Berlin sang some of

1848-617: A thousand buildings. On 29 April 1945 the city was liberated from the German occupation (1943–1945) by the partisan resistance and troops of Brazilian Expeditionary Force . On 6 November 1994 the Tanaro flooded a good part of the city, causing major damage, especially in the Orti quarter. The first known Jews in Alessandria, named Abraham (son of Joseph Vitale de Sacerdoti Cohen) opened

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1936-612: A three-room tenement at 330 Cherry Street . His father, unable to find comparable work as a cantor in New York, took a job at a kosher meat market and gave Hebrew lessons on the side to support his family. He died a few years later when Irving was thirteen years old. With only a few years of schooling, eight-year-old Irving began helping to support his family. He became a newspaper boy, hawking The Evening Journal. One day while delivering newspapers, according to Berlin's biographer and friend, Alexander Woollcott , he stopped to look at

2024-769: A variety of gala concerts. He also performed with Roberta Peters at the Lewisohn Stadium at City College . In 1971, Antonini served as musical director on the CBS Television premier of Ezra Laderman 's opera And David Wept , earning an Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Religious Programming (1972). He collaborated in this premier production with such operatic luminaries as Sherrill Milnes , Rosalind Elias , and Ara Berberian . Several years later, in 1975, he joined forces once again with Berberian and mezzo-soprano Elaine Bonazzi for

2112-681: Is American music." Berlin was born Israel Beilin on May 11, 1888, in the Russian Empire . Although his family came from the shtetl of Tolochin ( Yiddish : טאָלאָטשין ; today Talachyn, Талачын , in Belarus ), Berlin later learned that he was probably born in Tyumen , Siberia, where his father, an itinerant cantor , had taken his family. He was one of eight children of Moses (1848–1901) and Lena Lipkin Beilin (1850–1922). From Tyumen,

2200-619: Is a city and commune in Piedmont , Italy , and the capital of the Province of Alessandria . It is also the largest municipality of the region. The city is sited on the alluvial plain between the Tanaro and the Bormida rivers, about 90 kilometres (56 miles) east of Turin . Alessandria is also a major railway hub . Alessandria was founded in 1168 with a charter as a free comune; it

2288-550: Is likely to be superficial, overtrained, supersensitive. The lowbrow is warped, subnormal. My public is the real people. — Irving Berlin Some of the songs Berlin created came out of his own sadness. For instance, in 1912 he married Dorothy Goetz , the sister of songwriter E. Ray Goetz . She died six months later of typhoid fever contracted during their honeymoon in Havana . The song he wrote to express his grief, "When I Lost You",

2376-657: Is the Ocean - Irving Berlin and A Perfect Day - Carrie Jacobs-Bond . He also collaborated with the Latin group Los Panchos Trio in a recording of the Chilean cueca dance La Palma for Pilotone records (#P45-5067). In addition, he recorded several songs for Columbia records with operatic baritone Carlo Morelli which included " La spagnola " (#17192-D), Alma Mia (#17192-D) Canta Il Mare (#17263-D), Si Alguna Vez (#17263-D). Additional collaborators included: Nino Martini for

2464-660: The CBS Symphony Orchestra were also broadcast over the Voice of America network in 1948 and 1949. In addition, his recordings with the operatic vocalists Juan Arvizu and Nestor Mesta Chayres were transcribed during this time for broadcast by the Armed Forces Radio Network . During the 1950s, Antonini was a professor of music at St. John's University, located in Brooklyn, New York. He taught

2552-568: The Kingdom of Sardinia . During the years of the Risorgimento , Alessandria was an active centre of the liberals. In a suburb, Spinetta Marengo, the Battle of Marengo is reenacted annually, on 14 June. Alessandria was the first capital of an Italian province to be governed by a Socialist : the clockmaker Paolo Sacco was elected mayor on 25 July 1899. Owing to its marshalling yard and

2640-710: The Sforza , following the career of Milan , until 1707, when it was ceded to the House of Savoy and henceforth formed part of Piedmont . The new domination was evidenced by the construction of a new big Cittadella on the left side of the river Tanaro, across from the city. With Napoleon's success at the Battle of Marengo (1800) , Alessandria fell to France and became the capital of the Napoleonic Département of Marengo . During this period another substantial fort

2728-615: The Turin–Genoa railway . It is also a junction for six other lines, to Piacenza , Novara , Pavia , Cavallermaggiore , Ovada and San Giuseppe di Cairo , respectively. The town's professional football team is US Alessandria . Their stadium also hosts Juventus Next Gen , the reserve team for Serie A club Juventus Turin . Alessandria is twinned with: Irving Berlin Irving Berlin (born Israel Beilin ; Yiddish : ישראל ביילין ; May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989)

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2816-542: The bridges on the Tanaro and Bormida, Alessandria was a strategic military target during World War II and was subjected to intense Allied bombing (especially during Operation Strangle ), the most serious being the raids of 30 April 1944, with 238 dead and hundreds wounded, and 5 April 1945, with 160 deaths, among them 60 children from the children's asylum in Via Gagliaudo. Altogether, 559 people were killed by air raids on Alessandria, which destroyed or badly damaged

2904-497: The 1946 film Blue Skies . The song was written in 1928 with a separate set of lyrics and was introduced by Harry Richman in a 1930 film of the same name. In 1939, Clark Gable sang it in the movie Idiot's Delight . In 1974 it was featured in the movie Young Frankenstein by Mel Brooks , and was a no. 4 hit for synth-pop artist Taco in 1982. In 2012 it was used for a flash mob wedding event in Moscow. This waltz-time song

2992-868: The 1950s. During this time he also founded the Tampa Philharmonic Orchestra in Tampa, Florida, which eventually merged into the Florida Gulf Coast Symphony. In the 1960s, Antonini also appeared as a guest conductor with the New York Philharmonic at Philharmonic Hall during a grand opera benefit concert which featured the artistry of Jan Peerce and Robert Merrill . Throughout the 1960s he continued to collaborate with such operatic luminaries as Jan Peerce, Robert Merrill , Franco Corelli , Nicolai Gedda , Giorgio Tozzi , Gabriella Tucci , and Dorothy Kirsten in

3080-657: The 1950s.  He composed half the scores and led the CBS Orchestra in performances for the popular documentary series, The Twentieth Century (1957-66).  He conducted the CBS Orchestra on the American Musical Theater documentary series (1959) which also featured Robert Weede and Laurel Hurley . Other early network credits included the long-running ecumenical religious program, Lamp Unto My Feet , and specials such as Cinderella and The Fabulous Fifties . Antonini continued to collaborate as

3168-842: The CBS Pan American Orchestra (1940–1949), as part of the cultural diplomacy initiative of the Department of State and the Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs during World War II , the Columbia Concert Orchestra (1940–1949) and the CBS Symphony Orchestra . During the 1940s Antonini also led the CBS Symphony Orchestra in several recordings for the Voice of America broadcasting service. His performances with

3256-908: The CBS Pan American Orchestra were noteworthy for helping to introduce Latin American music and the Mexican bolero to large audiences in the United States. During the 1940s Antonini conducted live radio broadcasts of the program Viva America on the CBS Radio and La Cadena de las Americas (Network of the Americas) in collaboration with several international artists including: Nestor Mesta Chayres (aka "El Gitano De Mexico"), Terig Tucci , Juan Arvizu (aka "El Troubador de las Americas" ), Elsa Miranda , Eva Garza , Kate Smith , Pat O'Brien , and John Serry . He also appeared with Chayres and

3344-738: The CBS television movie, A Handful of Souls . Antonini's collaborations at CBS Television extended beyond the realm of opera to include prominent figures from several professions including: Alfredo Antonini died at the age of 82 during heart surgery in Clearwater, Florida, in 1983. He was buried in Sylvan Abbey Memorial Park cemetery in Clearwater and was survived by his wife Sandra and a son. Alessandria Alessandria ( Italian: [alesˈsandrja] ; Piedmontese : Lissandria [liˈsɑŋdrja] )

3432-533: The Imperial camp . Here he was captured, and his cow cut open to be cooked: when the Imperials found the cow's stomach filled with grain, Gagliaudo was asked the reason to waste such a rich meal. He answered that he was forced to feed his cow with grain because there was such a lot of it, and no room to place it within the city. The Emperor, fearing that the siege would last too long, left Alessandria free (malaria

3520-581: The Lewisohn Stadium Orchestra during the series of Italian Night concerts frequently attracted audiences which exceeded 13,000 guests. These performances featured arias from the standard Italian operatic repertoire and showcased such operatic luminaries as: Jan Peerce , Eileen Farrell , Richard Tucker , Beverly Sills , Licia Albanese , Eva Likova , Robert Weede , Cloe Elmo and Robert Merrill . Antonini’s work with CBS soon led to television work as that medium came to prominence in

3608-670: The Music Appreciation course. As a musical director for CBS Television during the 1950s, he was instrumental in presenting a program of classical and operatic music to the general public. His collaboration with Julie Andrews , Richard Rodgers , and Oscar Hammerstein II in a production of Cinderella for CBS television was telecast live in color on 31 March 1957 to an audience of 107 million. During this decade, he also appeared with several noted operatic sopranos including: Eileen Farrell and Beverly Sills . Later in 1957, he became

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3696-694: The New York Philharmonic in the Night of the Americas Concert series at Carnegie Hall ., which, according to The New York Times , was eagerly anticipated by the general public. Additional performances in collaboration with Arvizu and the CBS Tipica Orchestra for the Inter-America Music Fiesta at Carnegie Hall also attracted widespread acclaim. In 1946, Antonini recorded several popular Latin American songs on

3784-528: The Pelham's resident pianist Mike Nicholson, in 1907, receiving 33 cents for the publishing rights. The sheet music to the published song presented his name as "I. Berlin". Berlin continued writing and playing music at Pelham Cafe and developing an early style. He liked the words to other people's songs but sometimes the rhythms were "kind of boggy," and he might change them. One night he delivered some hits composed by his friend George M. Cohan , another kid who

3872-561: The Ritz ", " Cheek to Cheek ", " White Christmas ", " Happy Holiday ", " Anything You Can Do (I Can Do Better) ", and " There's No Business Like Show Business ". His Broadway musical This Is the Army (1942) was adapted into the 1943 film of the same name . Berlin's songs have reached the top of the US charts 25 times and have been extensively re-recorded by numerous singers. Berlin died in 1989 at

3960-534: The United States in 1929. His musical talents were shared by his father who served as a member of the Buenos Aires Opera company at the Teatro Colón after leaving Italy for Argentina. In addition, his wife Sandra was a both a piano accompanist and voice teacher. During the 1940s, he distinguished himself as a conductor of several leading orchestras while performing on CBS Radio . These included:

4048-592: The United States in the late 1800s and early 1900s, escaping discrimination, poverty and brutal pogroms . Other such families included those of George and Ira Gershwin , Al Jolson , Sophie Tucker , L. Wolfe Gilbert , Jack Yellen , Louis B. Mayer (of MGM ), and the Warner brothers . After their arrival in New York City, the Baline family lived briefly in a basement flat on Monroe Street, and then moved to

4136-484: The White House with Mrs. John F. Kennedy . The documentary television program was watched by more than 80 million viewers throughout the world and received wide critical acclaim. In 1964, Antonini appeared as conductor of the CBS Symphony Orchestra in an acclaimed adaptation of Hector Berlioz 's sacred oratorio L'enfance du Christ for CBS Television. His operatic soloists included: Sherrill Milnes , Giorgio Tozzi , Ara Berberian , and Charles Anthony as supported by

4224-508: The age of 101 . Composer Douglas Moore sets Berlin apart from all other contemporary songwriters, and includes him instead with Stephen Foster , Walt Whitman , and Carl Sandburg , as a "great American minstrel"—someone who has "caught and immortalized in his songs what we say, what we think about, and what we believe." Composer George Gershwin called him "the greatest songwriter that has ever lived", and composer Jerome Kern concluded that "Irving Berlin has no place in American music—he

4312-413: The age of thirteen, Berlin had few survival skills and realized that formal employment was out of the question. His only ability was acquired from his father's vocation as a singer, and he joined with several other youngsters who went to saloons on the Bowery and sang to customers. Itinerant young singers like them were common on the Lower East Side. Berlin would sing a few of the popular ballads he heard on

4400-406: The album Latin American Music - Alfredo Antonini and Viva America Orchestra for Alpha Records (catalogue #'s 12205A, 12205B, 12206A, 12206B) including: Tres Palabras ( Osvaldo Farres ), Caminito de Tu Casa ( Julio Alberto Hernández ), Chapinita ( Miguel Sandoval ) and Noche De Ronda ( Augustin Lara ). Critical review of the albums in The New Records praised his conducting talents and hailed

4488-469: The bitter-sweetness of the 1920s, it was Berlin who gave eloquence to their heartbreak by way of ' What'll I Do ' and 'Remember' and 'All Alone'". This ballad of love and longing was a hit record for Paul Whiteman and had several other successful recordings in 1924. Twenty-four years later, the song went to no. 22 for Nat King Cole and no. 23 for Frank Sinatra . Written when he fell in love with Ellin Mackay , who later became his wife. The song became

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4576-402: The casting and musical arrangements. According to Berlin biographer David Leopold, the theater, located at 239 West 45th St., was the only Broadway house built to accommodate the works of a songwriter. It was the home of Berlin's Music Box Revue from 1921 to 1925 and As Thousands Cheer in 1933 and today includes an exhibition devoted to Berlin in the lobby. By 1926, Berlin had written

4664-497: The choral voices of the Camerata Singers. At this time, he collaborated as conductor for a televised episode of The CBS Repertoire Workshop , "Feliz Borinquen", which showcased the talents of such leading Puerto Rican-American performers as: Martina Arroyo and Raul Davila . In addition to performing as a conductor on WOR radio in New York City during the 1940s, he appeared as a guest conductor for leading symphonic orchestras in Chicago, Milwaukee, Oslo, Norway and Chile during

4752-493: The collection as among the best new albums of Latin American music. Later in the 1940s, Antonini collaborated with vocalist Victoria Cordova in a series of recordings for Muzak , featuring compositions familiar to audiences in both North and South America. Included among these were: What a Difference a Day Made - Maria Grever , You Belong to My Heart - Agustin Lara , Siboney - Ernesto Lecuona , Amor - Gabriel Ruiz , Say It Isn't So - Irving Berlin , How Deep

4840-459: The country". He wrote hundreds of songs, many becoming major hits, which made him famous before he turned thirty. During his 60-year career he wrote an estimated 1,500 songs, including the scores for 20 original Broadway shows and 15 original Hollywood films, with his songs nominated eight times for Academy Awards . Many songs became popular themes and anthems, including " Alexander's Ragtime Band ", " Blue Skies ", " Easter Parade ", " Puttin' on

4928-423: The decade". Composer George Gershwin , foreseeing its influence, said it was "the first real American musical work", adding, "Berlin had shown us the way; it was now easier to attain our ideal." Berlin was "flabbergasted" by the sudden international popularity of the song, and wondered why it became a sudden hit. He decided it was partly because the lyrics, "silly though it was, was fundamentally right ... [and]

5016-473: The dreams that shape our lives". Born in Imperial Russia , Berlin arrived in the United States at the age of five. He published his first song, "Marie from Sunny Italy", in 1907, receiving 33 cents for the publishing rights, and became known as the composer of numerous international hits, starting with 1911's " Alexander's Ragtime Band ". He also was an owner of the Music Box Theatre on Broadway . For much of his career, Berlin could not read sheet music, and

5104-426: The family returned to Tolochin, and from there, they travelled to Antwerp and left the old continent aboard the SS Rhynland from the Red Star Line . On September 14, 1893, the family arrived at Ellis Island in New York City. When they arrived, Israel was put in a pen with his brother and five sisters until immigration officials declared them fit to be allowed into the city. After the family's naturalization ,

5192-411: The fortress was sorely tested by the Imperial siege and stood fast. A legend (related in Umberto Eco 's book Baudolino , and which recalls one concerning Bishop Herculanus ’ successful defence of Perugia several centuries earlier) says it was saved by a quick-witted peasant, Gagliaudo: he fed his cow with the last grain remaining within the city, then took it outside the city walls until he reached

5280-424: The little writer could do was to finger the buttons on his coat while tears ran down his cheeks—in a vaudeville house!" Richard Corliss , in a Time profile of Berlin, described "Alexander's Ragtime Band" as a march, not a rag , "its savviest musicality comprised quotes from a bugle call and " Swanee River ". The tune revived the ragtime fervor that Scott Joplin had begun a decade earlier, and made Berlin

5368-488: The melody ... started the heels and shoulders of all America and a good section of Europe to rocking." In 1913, Berlin was featured in the London revue Hello Ragtime, where he introduced " That International Rag ", a song he had written for the occasion. Furia writes that the international success of "Alexander's Ragtime Band" gave ragtime "new life and sparked a national dance craze". Two dancers who expressed that craze were Vernon and Irene Castle . In 1914, Berlin wrote

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5456-494: The musical director/conductor of the Tampa Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1951 he also served as both the orchestra leader and the Choral leader for the CBS Radio program Music Land U.S.A which featured talented vocalists. Included on the broadcast were Lois Hunt , Earl Wrightson and Thomas Hayward . These performances by the Alfredo Antonini Orchestra were included among several transcriptions of Antonini's work which were selected for broadcast to America's armed forces throughout

5544-500: The name "Beilin" was changed to "Baline". According to biographer Laurence Bergreen , as an adult Berlin admitted to no memories of his first five years in Russia except for one: "he was lying on a blanket by the side of a road, watching his house burn to the ground. By daylight the house was in ashes." As an adult, Berlin said he was unaware of being raised in abject poverty since he knew no other life. The Berlins were one of hundreds of thousands of Jewish families who emigrated to

5632-404: The province of Alessandria, most of them to Auschwitz where they were murdered. Alessandria is located in a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa ), the city has moderately cold winters and hot, sultry summers. Rainfall is moderate, with two minimums (summer and winter) and two maximums in autumn and spring. Alessandria railway station , opened in 1850, forms part of

5720-415: The rest of Italian Jewry, the city Jewish congregation was emancipated, under French influence. According to Benito Mussolini 's census in 1938, the town had 101 Jews. On 13 December 1943 the synagogue on Via Milano was attacked by supporters of the Italian Social Republic . Books and manuscripts were taken out of the synagogue and were set on fire at Piazza Rattazzi. In total, 48 Jews were deported from

5808-505: The scores to two editions of the Ziegfeld Follies and four annual editions of his Music Box Revue . These shows spanned the years of 1921–1926, premiering songs such as "Say It With Music", "Everybody Step", and "Pack Up Your Things and Go to the Devil". Life magazine called Berlin the "Lullaby Kid", noting that "couples at country-club dances grew misty-eyed when the band went into 'Always', because they were positive that Berlin had written it just for them. When they quarreled and parted in

5896-453: The song was not recognized as a hit, however; Broadway producer Jesse Lasky was uncertain about using it, although he did include it in his "Follies" show. It was performed as an instrumental but did not impress audiences, and was soon dropped from the show's score. Berlin regarded it as a failure. He then wrote lyrics to the score, played it again in another Broadway review, and this time Variety news weekly called it "the musical sensation of

5984-449: The songs he heard while selling papers, and people would toss him some coins. He confessed to his mother one evening that his newest ambition in life was to become a singing waiter in a saloon. From this he stepped up to work as a song plugger and singing waiter in cafes and restaurants in the downtown areas of New York City. His first lyric, written with a café pianist, earned him a royalty of thirty-seven cents. However, before Berlin

6072-446: The songs were for the new dances then appearing, such as the grizzly bear , chicken walk , or foxtrot . After a Hawaiian dance craze began, he wrote "That Hula-Hula", and then did a string of Southern songs, such as "When the Midnight Choo-Choo Leaves for Alabam". During this period, he was creating a few new songs every week, including songs aimed at the various immigrant cultures arriving from Europe. On one occasion, Berlin, whose face

6160-500: The street, hoping people would pitch him a few pennies. From these seamy surroundings, he became streetwise, with real and lasting education. Music was his only source of income, and he picked up the language and culture of the ghetto lifestyle. Berlin learned what kind of songs appealed to audiences, writes Bergreen: "well-known tunes expressing simple sentiments were the most reliable." He soon began plugging songs at Tony Pastor 's Music Hall in Union Square and, in 1906, when he

6248-413: The vogue for "ragtime", but later inspired a major motion picture. 'Alexander's Ragtime Band' is a public menace....Hysteria is the form of insanity that an abnormal love for ragtime seems to produce. It is as much a mental disease as acute mania—it has the same symptoms. When there is nothing done to check this form it produces idiocy. — Dr. Ludwig Gruener German newspaper story Berlin rose as

6336-450: The words of his songs. A lyric he had submitted to a publisher was thought to be complete with music. Not wishing to lose the sale, Berlin quickly wrote a melody. It was accepted and published. The success of this first effort opened the door to his career as a composer of music as well as lyrics. In 1910, Berlin wrote a hit that solidly established him as one of Tin Pan Alley's leading composers. Alexander's Ragtime Band not only popularized

6424-676: The world by the Armed Forces Radio Network Service during the 1940's and 1950's. Antonini served as a conductor of the open-air summer concerts held at the landmark Lewisohn Stadium in New York City during the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. He appeared at least once during each season while featuring leading talent from the Metropolitan Opera . His appearances with the New York Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra and

6512-677: Was 18, got a job as a singing waiter at the Pelham Cafe in Chinatown . Besides serving drinks, he sang made-up " blue " parodies of hit songs to the delight of customers. Biographer Charles Hamm writes that in Berlin's free time after hours, he taught himself to play the piano. Never having had lessons, after the bar closed for the night, young Berlin would sit at a piano in the back and begin improvising tunes. He published his first song, "Marie from Sunny Italy", written in collaboration with

6600-526: Was a hit for Rudy Vallée in 1929, and in 1937, updated to a four-quarter-time swing arrangement, was a top hit for Tommy Dorsey . It was on the charts at no. 13 in 1953 for The Four Tunes and at no. 15 for the Bachelors in 1965, 36 years after its first appearance. Rudy Vallée performed it on his radio show, and the song was a hit for George Olsen , Connee Boswell (she was still known as Connie), and Ozzie Nelson 's band. Aretha Franklin produced

6688-568: Was an American composer and songwriter. His music forms a large part of the Great American Songbook . Berlin received numerous honors including an Academy Award , a Grammy Award , and a Tony Award . He also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Gerald R. Ford in 1977. Broadcast journalist Walter Cronkite stated he "helped write the story of this country, capturing the best of who we are and

6776-413: Was built to the north of the city containing impressive and substantial barracks which are still used as military headquarters and stores (2006). The remains of a second fort to the south of the city (Cristo quarter) have been sliced in two by a railway (Forte ferrovia); a third one still remains in the middle of the same quarter (Forte Acqui). From 1814 Alessandria was Savoyard territory once more, part of

6864-490: Was drafted into the United States Army , and his induction became headline news, with one paper headline reading, "Army Takes Berlin!" But the Army wanted Berlin, now aged 30, to do what he knew best: write songs. While stationed with the 152nd Depot Brigade at Camp Upton , he then composed an all-soldier musical revue titled Yip Yip Yaphank , written as a patriotic tribute to the United States Army . The show

6952-663: Was fourteen his meager income was still adding less than his sisters' to the family's budget, which made him feel worthless. He then decided to leave home and join the city's ragged army of other young immigrants. He lived in the Bowery, taking up residence in one of the lodging houses that sheltered the thousands of other homeless boys in the Lower East Side . Bergreen describes them as being uncharitable living quarters, " Dickensian in their meanness, filth, and insensitivity to ordinary human beings." Having left school around

7040-449: Was getting known on Broadway with his own songs. When Berlin ended with Cohan's "Yankee Doodle Boy", notes Whitcomb, "everybody in the joint applauded the feisty little fellow." Max Winslow (c. 1883–1942), a staff member at music publisher Harry Von Tilzer Company, noticed Berlin's singing on many occasions and became so taken with his talent that he tried to get him a job with his firm. Von Tilzer said that Max claimed to have "discovered

7128-447: Was his first ballad. It was an immediate popular hit and sold more than a million copies. He began to realize that ragtime was not a good musical style for serious romantic expression, and over the next few years adapted his style by writing more love songs. In 1915 he wrote the hit "I Love a Piano", a comical and erotic ragtime love song. By 1918 he had written hundreds of songs, mostly topical, which enjoyed brief popularity. Many of

7216-436: Was performed by Al Jolson in the first feature sound film, The Jazz Singer , that same year. In 1946, it returned to the top 10 on the charts with Count Basie and Benny Goodman . In 1978, Willie Nelson made the song a no. 1 country hit, 52 years after it was written. An instant standard with one of Berlin's most "intricately syncopated choruses", this song is associated with Fred Astaire , who sang and danced to it in

7304-619: Was probably the real cause of his departure). A statue of Gagliaudo can be found on the left corner of the city cathedral. Alessandria entered into jealous conflicts with the older communes of the region, in particular with Asti . In 1348 Alessandria fell into the hands of the Visconti . In 1391 the army of Gian Galeazzo Visconti , commanded by Jacopo dal Verme , heavily defeated the French army led by Jean III of Armagnac in Alessandria. In 1450 Alessandria passed with their possessions to

7392-596: Was sited upon a preexisting urban nucleus, to serve as a stronghold for the Lombard League , defending the traditional liberties of the communes of northern Italy against the Imperial forces of Frederick Barbarossa . Alessandria stood in the territories of the marchese of Montferrat , a staunch ally of the Emperor, with a name assumed in 1168 to honour the Emperor's opponent, Pope Alexander III . In 1174–1175

7480-423: Was still not known, was on a train trip and decided to entertain the fellow passengers with some music. They asked him how he knew so many hit songs, and Berlin modestly replied, "I wrote them." An important song that Berlin wrote during his transition from writing ragtime to lyrical ballads was " A Pretty Girl is Like a Melody ", which became one of Berlin's "first big guns", says historian Alec Wilder . The song

7568-399: Was such a limited piano player that he could only play in the key of F-sharp; he used his custom piano equipped with a transposing lever when he needed to play in keys other than F-sharp. He was known for writing music and lyrics in the American vernacular: uncomplicated, simple and direct, with his stated aim being to "reach the heart of the average American," who he saw as the "real soul of

7656-458: Was taken to Broadway where it also included a number of hits, including " Mandy " and " Oh! How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning ", which Berlin performed himself. The shows earned $ 150,000 for a camp service center. One song he wrote for the show but decided not to use, he would introduce 20 years later: "God Bless America". Berlin returned to Tin Pan Alley after the war and in 1921 created

7744-454: Was written for Ziegfeld 's Follies of 1919 and became the musical's lead song. Its popularity was so great that it later became the theme for all of Ziegfeld's revues, and the theme song in the 1936 film The Great Ziegfeld . Wilder puts it on the same level as Jerome Kern 's "pure melodies", and in comparison with Berlin's earlier music, says it is "extraordinary that such a development in style and sophistication should have taken place in

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