Songs by Irving Berlin

New York: Irving Berlin, 1911. A Composer's Archive: Irving Berlin's Personal Songbook
Presented to Leslie Bricusse, with 1969 Letter Referencing Roger Eden

BERLIN, Irving. Songs by Irving Berlin. New York: Irving Berlin, n.d.

Thick folio (12 x 9 inches; 305 x 229 mm.). A remarkable compilation of nearly 200 individual musical scores, gathered and bound into a substantial volume. Specially prepared in black cloth, covers and spine lettered in gilt, all edges gilt, housed in a protective clear jacket. An imposing and evidently custom-assembled anthology of Berlin's principal songs.
Binding strong and handsome; inscription bold; letter well-preserved with original folds. A superb, museum-worthy ensemble.

Provenance & Association:

Inscribed by Berlin to Leslie Bricusse: "For Leslie Bricusse / with all good wishes / from / Irving Berlin."
Accompanied by an exceptional typed letter signed (TLS) on Berlin's stationery, dated March 28, 1969, addressed to Bricusse at his Beverly Hills residence. In it, Berlin explains his decision to send this bound volume rather than individual songs, and adds a warm compliment on Bricusse's score for Goodbye, Mr. Chips. Crucially, Berlin notes that he had earlier sent a copy of the same book to Roger L. Eden of Broadcast Music, Inc. - a revealing detail that firmly establishes the present volume as a purpose-assembled professional reference copy, circulated among leading figures in the music world. The association places this example within a rarefied network of composer-to-composer and composer-to-publisher exchange.

Contents & Dating:

The volume comprises a sweeping retrospective of Berlin's career, from early Tin Pan Alley successes (Alexander's Ragtime Band, 1911) through his great Broadway and Hollywood years, including later works such as There's No Business Like Show Business (1946) and You're Just in Love (1950), establishing a terminus post quem of 1950 for the compilation. It represents, in effect, a working archive of Berlin's canon, assembled late in his career.

Significance:

A powerful artifact of 20th-century musical history: Berlin - the defining architect of the American Songbook - here acknowledges and encourages Bricusse, one of its most accomplished successors. Association copies linking composers of this stature, with substantive correspondence referencing both the object itself and contemporary work, are of the highest desirability. The reference to Roger Eden further elevates the piece, situating it within the inner professional circles of music publishing and rights management.