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TROM RAGS TO RICHES
THE CHINA MAIL,
SATURDAY, MAY 8, 1958.
World's Wealthiest Tunesmith-
Yet He Cannot Read Music!
By JOHN COTTRELL
A path from fato che wong pre from
successful composers of popular songs owes the start of his fortune to a misunderstanding with a music publisher,
behind
10
horn-rimmed
on
BOTLE-
TRICK of fate, oven a mistake, can turn a man's week. With royalties from his eyes
bis score of glasses. With his rather impish "Ziegfeld's Follies" his income grin anu Immaculately had grown to around $100,000 smoothed-back hair, he does a year.
not look at all like a man the verge of his soventles. But with BUCOGSH Came
writing He has an estate, in, the Cala- A penniless Russian Jew, of the days before radio. Olten gedy. A year after
his first hit, Berlin, married, 18 kill Mountains where he in- whose family had emigrated to he had to live
on the coing
year-old Dorothy Goete, sister duires in his one real recrea- America, he took song lyric to thrown to him by men in
of a song-writer friend. They tion, trout fishing. a publisher, Ted Snyder,, who suloons; usually he slept rough, were very much in love and promptly demanded to hear the on park benches and in door-blissfully happy.
The man who is said to be melody.". The young - man
had ways.
the world's highest-paid not written a tune he could
Then, only a few months after writer still cannot read music. neither read nor write a note of Later he landed a job as a the honeymoon, Mrs Berlin died For many years he has used a music but he made one up on singing waiter in a Chinatown of typhoid fever contracted dur- specially made piano which en the spur of the moment,
cafe where his duties included ing their stay in Cuba. The in- ables him to change a tune into sweeping the floor. But loft in consolable bridegroom expressed any key by a twist of a lever sole charge of tan cafe ono his feelings in a song-"When I attached to the right side of the night, Izzle. Tell asleep from Lost You,"
keyboard. sheer exhaustion-and was fred.
The following year, 1913,
When he has constructed a found Irving Berlin in Ughter melody to his satisfaction, he vein. He wrote one of his best- calis in his music secretary, who known early hits When the writes down the tuno es he Midnight Choo Choo Leaves for plays it. A cumbersome system, Alabam'".
perhaps, but it has produced When the United States many of the world's best-loved entered the First World War in song songs like "Blue Skins", "Remember" ·and 1917, he enlisted as a private. "Always" Newspaper headlines quipped: "What'll I Do?"
0.5. takes Berlin".
The hastily-improvised melody, which he hummed to Snyder's planist and arranger, im mediately met with the pub- Ilaher's approval-and the enter prising lyric writer had taken his first stop on the road to fame and fortune.
Today, that writer is known the world over as Irving Berlin, America's leading song-writer with more than 800 songs to his credi, as well us more than a score of musical abows and n dozen films for which he has writben turen.
First Royalties--
33 cents
However, it was during his short stay at the cafe that he wrote his first lyrics for a song -Marie from Sunny Italy". His royalties from that number totalled 33 oonis.
the lyric of "Dorandio",
•
Private Berlin-later sergeant Played Continually --served his country best by in White Christmas" has Afier being sacked from his writing the music and starring
in an Army show "Yip, Yip His "White Christmas" is now Berlin lived, a sold well over 10,000,000 gramo- waiter's Job,
existence until Yaphank". It had a cast of 277 second only to "Silent Night" in any hand-to-mouth phone records-more than
over the list of America's favourite olber composition. ti 13 the the fateful day he walked into men, packed theatres all best-selling song of the past 20 publisher Snyder's office with the country, and raised many Christmas songs, it is sad that There's No Business about thousands of pounds for camp Berlin's
Like Show Business" is played, the famous marathon runner of funds.
Bomewhere Im the world. the time, and was asked for the
Afler the wor, Berlin bld cvery hour of the day and tune.
farewell to the Army' with his night, "I've Got My Captain His access with that song led working For Me Now" and re- His music for the film "White to a full-time job as a surged to a $2,000-a-week Job Christmas", alone camed him a writer for Synder. lie Was then 21 and drawing a regular in vaudeville. In 1929, with a cool million dollars quite 25 dollars a week in advance partner, he bullt America's Increase on the 33 vents he got
Music Box Theatre and started for his very first lyric. rujalties.
producing his own reviews.
year. First published in 1841, It had sold over 3,000,000 sheet music coples by the end of 1947 and has continued to sell at the rate of 300,000 copies 'a ученик bringing its total sole to some- thing like 6,000,000.
Born In Siberia
Tin Pan Alley's wealthies! tunesmith started life as Israel
At the age of 23, Izzic, who himself Irving had re-named Berlin, and his first big success
song
L
תם
mc.
Page
Aldermaston ... and all that
BAN WAR
Watch out for that non-violent pacifist, sergeant-got a punch like a steari-hammer
Day by day a threat to Britain
grows
From GEOFFREY THURSBY: Aden THIS is the story of a threat to Britain and her interests a threat which is growing day by day. This is the first full story of Russia's build-up of men and arms in the Red Sea kingdom of Yemen, which menaces the British Colony of Aden and the Aden Protectorates.
My information comes from Europeans who have just come out of Yemen. They have seen and spoken to Russian and Czech air crews. They have seen their Ilyushin ground attack bombers.
There
Some live on the 'coast at:Sall!, near Hodeida, where to exi Russian arma were landed.
At Taiz Airport, about 30 Russian fillers live in an apart- ment bloc built specially for the ang. King Ahmed II.
I was told: "The Russians
and Czechs even brought their own secret police."
£25 ភា month
tan
Commanders on the spot aro confident that they
deal The Russians spend their 40K with any limited border trouble.,'. a month from the Yemeni
There is always the No. & Government in the Souks Venom ground attack squadron.
They buy mainly
markets.
watches and clothes- most at: We use which they send back relatives in Russia,
ARMS: Field guns and am- munition have been coming into :
it for rocketing and machine-gunning positions which the attacking Yemenia capture in Aden Protectorate.
I watched the Venoms at The Russian build-up:— .'
are about 250 Russian the country for nearly two years, target practice, the other day. It is estimated that about 12 Time and time again these cracke PLANES:
and Czech Blers and engineers hiploads of arms, aircraft and pilots swapped in over targets There are three in the country.
and fully equipped and armed The secret? Berlin has said:
ammunition have now been un no more than 10ft. across squadrons of rocket - firing In 1923, he married again- "It's not inspiration with
Many of the englacers are toaded along the Yement coast. sent their rockats smack Into Ilyushin ground attack bombers building a big new port which
the centre, Miss Eilin Mackay, socialite and Generally I decide in a very total 30-at an airfield near might eventually be used for across the Yemeni barder, et military experts here is that soon, Russian shells are being fired But what is worrying some Baline, youngest of eight child-
daughter of the millionaire pre- prasale way that I'm going to Sana.
submarines-near Hodeida, on rea, in a small village on the His "Airxander's Ragtime Band" sident of the Postal Telegraph write something, and then I sit sleppes of Siberia. He.
the Yemeni coast 200 miles Aden Protectorate levies along more of our men may be tied became the mge of America Company, They had three down and do it.
The MEN:
the frontier. are north-west of Aden.
down in repulsing when
Yement unly four years old
and boon of the world.
The men of Britain's Aden' attacks, so that fewer will ba "We depend largely on trickscrewed by, Russians and Czechz
-all army flying, men, who are Russian engineers are also Command are not too worried ova@able to deal with trouble There's no such things.08 a new
paid directly
labourers about the from Moscow. supervising Yemon!
Russian
Arablan menace, in other parts of the melody. Our work is to con-
They
also get £25 a month building air strips near Thz, Neither is the Aden Govern- peninsula ond Peršlam Chald, nect the old phrases in new
from the Yemeni Government which are thought to be for ment; which is hastening reform. Vital, British, oll- and other WHYB
now' part of Nasser's United Russian MIG aghters,
The general attitude is; we commerciet interests are at: "I hove had absolutely ro Arab
Republic for
We must pocket The Russians and Czechs must prepare for the worst, but stake in the area, musical education. I am unable money.
live mainly in Sanu and. Taiz it may not come
have the men to defend them. to read notes. I play the piana
Wad
his
his
father, Moses Baline, took large inmily to the United States in 1892.
That first hit song of his has been called the overture to the Berlin Moses endeavoured to support Jazz age, and although
his wife and eight children by did not originate ragtime, he working as a part-time cantor quickly became s chief inter- and as an inspecter of meat in prețer, Kosher butcher shops.
/
doughters.
Made $10,000,000
for the Army
In the Second World War
in only 'onic key, and I must say I play it terribly."
Irving Berlin is a genuinely
է 1
At the age of 25, he had Irving Berlin served the coun- Izzle, as the youngest Bailne progressed from the push-carts try of his adoption as faithfully was known, spent most of his and poverty of the East Side to as he did in the First. His childhood playing around the the status of a wealthy song- second Army show, "This Is Bast River docks of New Yacks writer, publisher and vaudatile Army? toured several modest and humble man. Suc There had been cantors for artist. By 1918; four years after countries and was made into a cess has not greatly changed, three generations in the family it was published "Alexander's film. It. netted about ten him and no man could love his and probably he, too, would Ragtime. Band" had sold over million dollars, all of which was own country more. He feels have been trained as one. But 2,000,000 copies...
donated to the Army Emergency that he owes America A debt when Izzie was eight years old,
Rellet Furid,
which can never be fully re his father died. So he was soon dang his best to help sup-
paid, for giving him so port the family by selling news
opportunities, papers on the street.
When he was 14, Izzie decided to leave home and try to care his living as a singer. "You
seen."
Years afterwards, rivals were so jealous of his success they spread the rumour that Berlin Ind bought the time secretly from a negro. The composer angrily denied the suggestion.
The show, which took six months to prepare, had a cast of 300 soldiers and Irving Berlin,
his Fame and torture has brought who appeared nightly
him it share World War I unitorin
of cares. Big singing "Oh, How I Hate To Get Up Insibilities; he has frequently been. money brings new respon- While composing and pub- The Morning."
troubled by plagiarism suits and
But
wait and sce," he told his Ilahing his song young Berlin Berlin wrote several songs has had to suc entertainers for mother. "Will the money I shall earn, I'll buy you the was still working as a singer. specially for his country, includ using restricted material. finest rocking-chair you've ever In 1010 he made his first Broad- ing "God Bless America", which he has always been able to take "Up and now has the status of second care of himself in the business Way appearance in
world and he is now president Down Broadway" at 50 dollars national anthem.
of a song-publishing empire. In time, he was able to keep a week. A critic wrote: "He The royalties from It bo that promise, but things were
The king of Tin Pan Alley not easy at first. His first job has a dandy style in delivering donated to the Boy Scouts, Girl
Scouts and Campire Girls. In has made -millions and given was to lead about Blind Sol, a song."
1940 the song earned him on millions away. But, he has also well-known Bowery character.
award for the best composition never forgotten the hardship be saved millions. For Be bax
endured as a' vagwani singer of the year.
Irving Berlla is small and from the snowy steppes £1,000 a slight with dark hair bhd dark Siberia."
י,
So successful' was Berlin as a From that modest start, he showman that in 1912 he was went on to become a busker, a signed to appear in London for street singer and a song-plugger the princely sum of
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of
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1926-1958
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