Product Description
Irving Berlin (1888–1989) was incompetent to review or write song as well as could usually fool around a piano in a pass of F-sharp major; yet, for a initial half of a twentieth century he was America’s many successful as well as many deputy songwriter, component such hits as “Alexander’s Ragtime Band,” “Cheek to Cheek,” “Let’s Face a Music as well as Dance,” “Puttin’ upon a Ritz,” “White Christmas,” “Anything You Can Do,” “There’s No Business Like Show Business,” as well as “God Bless Americ… More >>
Have you ever wondered why “White Christmas”, one of the best selling songs of all time was written by a Jewish man? “Easter Parade” was also written by the same man. He came to be known as the king of ragtime because of his first published song, “Alexander’s Ragtime Band”. Musically the songs could not have been different which makes Irving Berlin’s career so impressive.
This book not only talks about Berlin’s seemingly unending catalogue but also talks about the man. His contemporaries included George M. Cohan, Florence Zeigfield and George Gershwin. Berlin was not only the most prolific of all time but was a true gentleman. Even though he was never accepted by his father-in-law, he ended up supporting him in his final days.
At the end of this book I was more in love with his music and completely impressed with the man. This is a important look at a true American treasure.
Rating: 5 / 5
I enjoyed Bergreen’s book about Irving Berlin as I did his book on Al Capone. To think that all these great songs came from one man simply boggles the mind.
Rating: 5 / 5
When I casually mentioned to a friend’s mother about a certain Russian Jew who had written “White Christmas” which was being sung to us, she challenged me to speak to her group about this American paradox.
To do so, I needed to re-read this biography purchased before Amazon.com’s birth. So, having just finished this great biography (again), I am ready to introduce her group to one of America’s most compelling, complex musical geniuses.
But, I had another compelling and selfish reason for the re-read. My grandfather was also a Russian Jew who naturalized signing and renouncing a Czar in the same paperwork as Irving at almost precisely the same time. The discussion of his name change – ditto my father. The bigotted nature of Americans in the twentieth century drove many Jews in that direction. I got to share some of Berlin’s experience in a vicarious manner through As Thousands Cheer.
Most important to the reader, though, is Bergreen’s recurring biographical message: Irving Berlin was always Izzy Baline just under the surface…a tough to satisfy and never scared, precocious, multi-talented, inferiority-complex laddened genius whose musical tastes infected and permanently changed the nature of American popular music forever.
The biography is a long but very deeply interesting read about a life that spanned across two centuries and times…pre-Berlin and post Berlin.
Enjoy – you will!
Rating: 5 / 5
This book is a well-written, exhaustively researched biography of a musical legend. It takes 586 pages to do justice to the 101-year-old icon, and will take a while to finish, however, AS THOUSANDS CHEER gives an honest, objective history of arguably the greatest American songwriter ever.
Rating: 5 / 5
This book is so much fun, filed with intelligent analysis of what made the genius Berlin tick, why he was a genius, how he fit and didn’t fit into his time and culture, etc. Berlin emerges both larger and clearer than his public image, a charming, busy, character. I am off, immediately, to get Bergreen’s life of Capone. I understand he also wrote a biography of James Agee, but I don’t see it on Amazon’s data base. Does anyone know if that is still available anywhere
Rating: 5 / 5