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Irving Berlin Collection

National Museum of American History

Object Details

Composer
Berlin, Irving, 1888-1989
Occupation
Composers -- 20th century
Topic
Popular music -- 20th century -- United States
Portraits -- 1900-1950
Provenance
Donated to National Museum of American History (formerly the the Museum of History and Technology) by Irving Berlin on March 27, 1975.
Composer
Berlin, Irving, 1888-1989
See more items in
Irving Berlin Collection
Summary
Irving Berlin was a 20th century American composer and songwriter. This collection has sheet music for over 200 songs composed by Irving Berlin, as well as a sheet music by other composers. In addition to sheet music, there is correspondence, awards, photographs, and posters pertaining to Irving Berlin.
Biographical / Historical
Irving Berlin, composer of about 1,500 popular songs, a number of stage musicals and film scores, was born in Russia on May 11, 1888. Named Israel by his parents, Moses and Leah Baline, he fled to the United States with them in 1893. Upon arrival he adopted his American name, and the family settled on the lower east side of New York City. Irving attended public school there for two years, but dropped out to work and help support his family. In 1907 while employed as a waiter in New York's Chinatown, Irving Berlin wrote his first song, "Marie from Southern Italy". A year later he was employed as a lyricist by a music publishing house and soon was a partner in the company, Waterson, Berlin and Snyder. In 1910 Irving Berlin wrote "My Wife's Gone to the Country" and "Call Me Up Some Rainy Afternoon". These launched his career as a world famous composer of popular songs and in 1911 "Alexander's Ragtime Band" was a sensational hit. It was this song, along with the others he made at this time, that many consider the advent of Modernism within the musical field. During World War I, Irving Berlin was stationed at Camp Upton, Long Island, where he wrote patriotic songs, including an all-soldier musical revue and the song "God Bless America" (this was not released until twenty years later). After the war he established his own music publishing company in New York City, Irving Berlin Inc. In 1921 he partnered with Sam Harris and and built the Music Box Theater. Irving Berlin was married twice. The first marriage in 1912 was to Dorothy Goetz, who died shortly afterward. In 1926 he married Ellin Mackay, the daughter of C. H. Mackay, chairman of the board of Postal Telegraph Cable Company. They had four children: Mary Ellin Barret, Elizabeth Irving Peters, Linda Louise Emmet, and little Irving, who died in infancy. During World War II, Mr. Berlin toured the United States and the European and Pacific battle zones. Proceeds from these appearances were assigned to the Army Emergency Relief and other service agencies. He was the recipient of the Medal of Merit, the Congressional Gold Medal, and the President's Medal of Freedom and was a member of the Legion of Honor of France. After the war, Berlin continued to write songs, scores, and musicals. It was during these decades that the score for the movie "White Christmas" and the play "Annie Get Your Gun" were produced. He took up painting as a hobby later in life. He died on September 22, 1989 at the age of 101. He is buried at Woodlawn Cemetary, the Bronx, New York City.
Extent
3 Cubic feet (6 boxes and 10 oversize folders)
Date
1905 - 1987
Custodial History
Collection transferred to the Archives Center by the Division of Musical History (now Division of Cultural and Community Life) on March 23, 1988.
Archival Repository
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Identifier
NMAH.AC.0257
Type
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Photographs
Awards
Paintings
Sheet music
Posters
Citation
Irving Berlin Collection, 1905-1987, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into four series. Series 1, Sheet Music by Irving Berlin, circa 1907-1966, and undated Series 2, Miscellaneous Sheet Music, 1905-1925 Series 3, Awards, 1938-1987, and undated Series 4, Correspondence, Photographs and Posters, 1916-1980s and undated
Processing Information
Originally processed by Grace Angle (volunteer), January, 1989. Revised and updated by Dexter Hobbs (intern), October, 2010; supervised by Alison Oswald, archivist.
Rights
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Genre/Form
Photographs
Awards
Paintings
Sheet music
Posters -- 1940-1960
Scope and Contents
The collection consists primarily of sheet music for over 200 songs composed by Irving Berlin, as well as sheet music by others, published before 1925. Additionally, there are awards, photographs, correspondence and posters relating to Irving Berlin. Series 1, Sheet Music by Irving Berlin, circa 1907-1966,and undated, contains sheet music from musicals and films written by Irving Berlin. These are alphabetized by song title. Series 2, Miscellaneous Sheet Music, 1905-1925, contains a miscellaneous assortment of sheet music from the early 1900s by various composers and lyricists, including two pieces by Irving Berlin. The series is arranged alphabetical by song title. Key: (L) indicates "Lyrics", (W) indicates "Words" and (M) indicates "Music" after composer's name(s). Series 3, Awards, 1938-1987 and undated, contains awards to Berlin from schools, cities and professional musicians' associations. The earliest in the collection is August 1938, the Box Office Ribbon Award for the best picture of the month, "Alexander's Ragtime Band." The latest one is an accolade by the United States Senate, duly noted in the Congressional Record of October 30, 1987. Series 4 contains correspondence related to the awards. Series 4, Correspondence, Photographs, and Posters, 1916-1980s and undated, contains correspondence, photographs, and posters. Also included are many large copy prints of Irving Berlin paintings, almost all of which are portraits or still lifes. Some date from the 1970s and 1980s. Nearly all are either signed or initialed. Photographs include Irving Berlin and one of his pianos. A document folio contains photographs of a number of canceled envelopes and a composition manuscript, "I Am Just a Dreaming Fool." There are several posters relating to Irving Berlin musicals.
Restrictions
The collection is open for research use.
Related Materials
Material in the Archives Center Sam DeVincent Illustrated Sheet Music Collection Groucho Marx Collection Material in Other Institutions Library of Congress University of New Hampshire, Milne Special Collections
Related link
Record ID
ebl-1503511591916-1503511591924-0
Metadata Usage
CC0
GUID
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep87847f5a6-b5fc-418e-89de-236b8146c708

In the Collection

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  • "Roses Of Yesterday"

  • Young Men's and Young Women's Hebrew Association

  • "Soft Lights And Sweet Music"

  • "Piccolo" by Joseph Herbert (W) and Oscar Straus (M)

  • "It's A Lovely Day Today"

  • (I Wonder Why?) You're Just In Love"

  • "A Man Chases A Girl (Until She Catches Him)"

  • Photograph (#3) from "Yip! Yip! Yaphank"

  • "Who Do You Love I Hope"

  • Tit-Bits, Film of the Month

  • "Just One Way To Say I Love You"

  • "It Only Happens When I Dance With You"

  • Doctor of Music, Temple University (award)

  • Portrait of Irving Berlin

  • "This Is A Great Country"

  • "An Orange Grove In California"

  • "Shaking The Blues Away"

  • "Better Luck Next Time"

  • "You Can Have Him"

  • "The Call of the South"

  • "Everybody's Doin' It Now"

  • Grand Lodge #203 New York Masons

  • "Only For Americans"

  • "Russian Lullaby"

  • "Steppin' Out With My Baby"

  • "I'm Not Afraid"

  • National Academy of Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame Recording

  • "O-O-Ohio" Eddie Leonard and A. Seymour Brown (W) and Nat D. Ayer (M)

  • "(Running Around In Circles) Getting Nowhere"

  • "I'm Gonna Get Him"

  • "Hitchy Koo" by L. Wolfe Gilbert (W) and Lewis F. Muir and Maurice Abrahams (M)

  • "The President's Birthday Ball"

  • Radio 750

  • "We'll Never Know"

  • "Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep"

  • United States Navy Third Naval District of New York

  • "It Gets Lonely In The White House"

  • "Cuba"

  • "I Want To Go Back To Michigan (Down On The Farm)"

  • City of New York and New York Defense Recreational Committee

  • "The Night is Filled With Music"

  • "I Got Lost In His Arms"

  • "Down In Jungle Town" by Edward Madden (W) and Theodore Morse (M)

  • Box Office Blue Ribbon

  • "I Keep Running Away From You"

  • "All By Myself"

  • "Aba Daba Honeymoon" by Arthur Fields and Walter Donovan

  • "The Yam"

  • "How About Me"

  • "I'm Sorry For Myself"

  • "But Where Are You?"

  • "Puttin' On The Ritz"

  • "Take a Little Tip From Father" by Berlin and Snyder

  • "The Washington Twist"

  • "I Love A Piano"

  • "No Strings (I'm Fancy Free)"

  • The Lambs Activities Committee

  • "Drum Crazy"

  • Catholic Actors Guild

  • Photograph of Friars Club complimentary dinner for Friar Irving Berlin (2 copies)

  • USO

  • "I Threw A Kiss In The Ocean"

  • "Good Evening Caroline" by Jack Norworth (W) and Albert Von Tilzer (M)

  • "Good-A-Bye John" by Henry Blossom (W) and Victor Herbert (M)

  • "Someone Else May Be There While I'm Gone"

  • "ME!"

  • "Everybody Step"

  • National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences

  • "Latins Know How"

  • National Conference of Christians and Jews

  • "Stop, Stop, Stop (Come Over And Love Me Some More)" by Irving Berlin

  • "That International Rag"

  • "Let's Start The New Year Right"

  • "When Winter Comes"

  • Miscellaneous Sheet Music

  • "How Do You Like Your Oysters Raw! Raw! Raw!" by Jos. H. McKeon, Harry M. Piano, W. Raymond Walker

  • "There Never Was A Girl Like You" by Harry Williams (W) and Egbert Van Alstyne (M)

  • "Anything You Can Do"

  • "I'm Playing With Fire"

  • "Waiting At The End Of The Road"

  • "In The Chapel In The Moonlight" by Billy Hill

  • "They Say It's Wonderful"

  • "It's A Lovely Day Tomorrow"

  • "I'd Rather Lead A Band"

  • "The Harbor Of Lost Dreams" by Alex Rogers (W) and Bert A. Williams (M)

  • "How Deep Is the Ocean (How High Is The Sky)"

  • "(Dance to The Music Of) The Ocarina"

  • "You're Lonely And I'm Lonely"

  • United States Air Force in Europe, Berlin Air

  • "Abraham"

  • "I'm Beginning To Miss You"

  • "Coquette"

  • "Love, You Didn't Do Right By Me"

  • "I Left My Heart At The Stage Door Canteen"

  • Rodeo Hall of Fame

  • "They Like Me"

  • "Supper Time"

  • "Lady of the Night" (side 1), "On the Avenue" (side 2), poster

  • Photographs Relating to the production of "This is The Army" in Cincinnati, Cleveland, New York and Washington

  • "The Waltz Of Long Ago"

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Irving Berlin Collection
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International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
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