Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

  • Irving Berlin

  • New York Genius
  • By: James Kaplan
  • Narrated by: L. J. Ganser
  • Length: 11 hrs and 8 mins
  • 5.0 out of 5 stars (2 ratings)

Try for £0.00
Thousands of incredible audiobooks and podcasts to take wherever you go.
Immerse yourself in a world of storytelling with the Plus Catalogue - unlimited listening to thousands of select audiobooks, podcasts and Audible Originals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
Irving Berlin cover art

Irving Berlin

By: James Kaplan
Narrated by: L. J. Ganser
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

Buy Now for £20.99

Buy Now for £20.99

Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Listeners also enjoyed...

 Eternal Troubadour cover art
Sondheim cover art
Goldwyn cover art
Master of Ceremonies cover art
Chita cover art
Indian Sun cover art
Bright Boulevards, Bold Dreams cover art
Just a Story from America cover art
Jerome Robbins, by Himself cover art
John Farnham cover art
John Prine cover art
The Hustons cover art
Looking to Get Lost cover art
Barry Cryer: Same Time Tomorrow? cover art
God Bless America cover art
Sunshine and Laughter cover art

Summary

A fast-moving, musically astute portrait of arguably the greatest composer of American popular music

Irving Berlin (1888-1989) has been called - by George Gershwin, among others - the greatest songwriter of the golden age of the American popular song. "Berlin has no place in American music," legendary composer Jerome Kern wrote; "He is American music." In a career that spanned an astonishing nine decades, Berlin wrote some 1,500 tunes, including "Alexander's Ragtime Band", "God Bless America", and "White Christmas". From ragtime to the rock era, Berlin's work has endured in the very fiber of American national identity.

Exploring the intertwining of Berlin's life with the life of New York City, noted biographer James Kaplan offers a visceral narrative of Berlin as self-made man and witty, wily, tough Jewish immigrant. This fast-paced, musically opinionated biography uncovers Berlin's unique brilliance as a composer of music and lyrics. Masterfully written and psychologically penetrating, Kaplan's book underscores Berlin's continued relevance in American popular culture.
©2019 James Kaplan (P)2019 Recorded Books
Music Entertainment & Celebrities Biographies & Memoirs
Show More Show Less

What listeners say about Irving Berlin

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Audible.co.uk reviews

Amazon reviews
Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for colin thomas

Entertaining

A good read if you appreciate this era of music. From dire poverty to one of the most celebrated tunesmiths of all. I thoroughly enjoyed this listen.

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!