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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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  • Homework sheet music

  • Sheet Music by Irving Berlin

  • "Homework"

  • "This Is The Army"

  • Photograph #7 from "Music Box Revue" ?

  • "Don't Be Afraid of Romance"

  • "Every Day Is Ladies' Day With Me" by Henry Blossom (W) and Victor Herbert (M)

  • "Lady Of The Evening"

  • "For The Very First Time"

  • "Sittin' In The Sun"

  • "I Never Had A Chance"

  • "When The Midnight Choo-Choo Leaves For Alabam'"

  • "The Piccolino"

  • Lambs Service Men's Morale Corps

  • Film of the Month Tid Bits

  • "So Help Me"

  • "Let's Take An Old Fashioned Walk"

  • Photograph (#4) from "Yip! Yip! Yaphank"?

  • "We Saw The Sea"

  • National Association of American Conductors and Composers

  • "Maybe It's Because I Love You Too Much"

  • "Colonel Buffalo Bill"

  • "A Fella With An Umbrella"

  • "Something To Dance About"

  • "Harlem On My Mind"

  • "What Does It Matter?"

  • "The Girl On The Police Gazette"

  • "All of My Life"

  • "How Many Times"

  • "Crinoline Days"

  • "An Old-Fashioned Wedding"

  • United States Maritime Services

  • "A Couple of Swells"

  • "I'm A Bad Bad Man"

  • Gonzaga Preparatory School, Spokane, Washington

  • "At Peace With The World"

  • West the War Committee of San Francisco

  • "This Is The Army, Mr. Jones"

  • "Not For All The Rice In China"

  • "Marrying For Love"

  • "Pack Up Your Sins And Go To The Devil"

  • "When You Walked Out Someone Else Walked Right In"

  • Young Men's Hebrew Association of New York City

  • "Call Me Up Some Rainy Afternoon"

  • Correspondence, Photographs, and Posters

  • "I Can't Remember"

  • "I'm Putting All My Eggs In One Basket"

  • "The Song Of The Metronome"

  • "My Crooney Melody" by E. Ray Goetz and Joe Goodwin

  • "You Keep Coming Back Like A Song"

  • "This is the Army" (poster)

  • "Now It Can Be Told"

  • "Easter Parade"

  • "Let's Face The Music and Dance"

  • "(Castles In Spain) On A Roof In Manhattan"

  • "Let's Have Another Cup Of Coffee"

  • "Isn't This A Lovely Day (To Be Caught In The Rain?)"

  • "Nobody Knows (And Nobody Seems To Care)"

  • "The Hostess With The Mostess On The Ball"

  • "He Ain't Got Rhythm"

  • "When I Lost You" by Irving Berlin

  • "Sweet Italian Love Song" by Irving Berlin

  • "I'd Like My Picture Took"

  • "I Poured My Heart Into A Song"

  • "Remember"

  • "Louisiana Purchase" (4 posters)

  • "This Year's Kisses"

  • "Let Me Sing-And I'm Happy"

  • "I Like Ike"

  • "I Remember You" by Vincent Bryan (W) and Harry Von Tilzer (M)

  • "Angels of Mercy"

  • "Nursie" by Richard Carle

  • American Society of Song Writers

  • "The Funnies"

  • "With You"

  • "Plenty To Be Thankful For"

  • "Let Yourself Go"

  • "I'm Getting Tired So I Can Sleep"

  • City Of Los Angeles

  • The Railroad Home

  • Grand Street Boys Association

  • "A Pretty Girl Is Like A Melody"

  • "Oh! How I Hate To Get Up In The Morning"

  • "There's No Business Like Show Business"

  • Boy Scouts of America

  • Phoptograph #2 from "The Century Girl"?

  • Show Business

  • "Manhattan Madness"

  • Copies of Irving Berlin's Paintings

  • "Dance With Me ("Tonight at the Mardi Gras")"

  • "God Bless America" by H. Leander D'Entremont

  • National Academy of Popular Music

  • "The Girl On The Magazine Cover"

  • "White Christmas"

  • "My Wife's Gone To The Country (Hurrah! Hurrah!)"

  • Awards

  • "Louisiana Purchase"

  • "Outside Of That I Love You"

  • "How's Chances"

  • Grand Lodge #190 New York Masons

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Irving Berlin Collection
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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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