Irving Berlin A Musical Showcase

Symphonic Band Series — 5 minutes 10 seconds

Music by: Irving Berlin

Arranged by: Charles Booker

Irving Berlin, A Musical Showcase was arranged by Charles Booker in the winter of 2025 and is comprised of the following songs: “Alexander’s Ragtime Band,” “Always”, “What’ll I Do?”, and “Blue Skies”. Irving Berlin, born in Russia May 11, 1888, came to the United States with his parents at age 5. He lived to be 101 and died in New York on September 22, 1989. He was an American composer and songwriter, and his music forms a large part of the “Great American Songbook”. During
his lifetime, Berlin received numerous honors including an Academy Award, a Grammy Award and a Tony Award. The late journalist Walter Cronkite stated he “helped write the story of this country, capturing the best of who we are and the dreams that shape our lives”. Alexander’s Ragtime Band published in 1911 was an enormous hit selling 1,000,000 copies the first year of it’s release. The song was later featured in musical films Alexander’s Ragtime Band (1938) and There’s No Business Like Show Business (1954). Always composed in 1925 was a wedding gift to his wife Ellin McKay and was later used in the 1944 film Christmas Holiday. What’ll I Do? was composed in 1924 and Paul Whiteman’s recording reached the top of the popular music charts. The piece was later featured in the 1974 film The Great Gatsby and later recorded in 1983 by Linda Rondstadt. Blue Skies, finished overnight in December 1926 for the Broadway show Betsy, was subsequently used in films The Jazz Singer (1927), Glorifying the American Girl (1930), Alexander’s Ragtime Band (1938), Blue Skies (1946) and White Christmas
(1954).

Printed Complete Score and Parts (B25006)           $195.00
Printed Large Full Score (B25006LGPFS)               $32.00
Complete Score and Parts Download (B25006DL)        $100.00
Large Full Score Download (B25006LGFS)               $25.00