Irving Berlin Quotes


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He was a particularly skilled politician. He was the first Pharaoh for example to use is own name rather than a remote artificial court name. He needed his great political skill because he was one of the great builders of ancient Egypt and needed large quantities of manpower and treasure.


Irving Berlin
Irving Berlin
  • Born: May 11, 1888
  • Died: September 22, 1989
  • Nationality: American
  • Profession: Songwriter, Composer, Lyricist

Irving Berlin was an American composer and lyricist, widely considered one of the greatest songwriters in American history. His music forms a great part of the Great American Songbook. 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 had his first major international hit, "Alexander's Ragtime Band", in 1911. He also was an owner of the Music Box Theatre on Broadway. It is commonly believed that Berlin could not read sheet music, and was such a limited piano player that he could only play in the key of F-sharp using his custom piano equipped with a transposing lever.