As we celebrate the Fourth of July, we are highlighting a special vintage piano roll performance of God Bless America by Irving Berlin from the personal piano roll collection of Ben Roth.
Few patriotic songs have remained as deeply woven into American culture as God Bless America. Originally written by Irving Berlin in 1918 during World War I, the song was initially set aside and later revised in 1938 amid growing international tensions. Upon its release, it quickly became one of the most recognizable patriotic songs in the United States, performed by generations of singers, musicians, and communities during moments of both celebration and reflection.Read More About This…
Celebrating Irving Berlin’s Birthday with “Ragtime Violin” — In English, Yiddish, and on Piano Roll!
This May 11th, we’re celebrating the birthday of one of America’s most iconic songwriters: Irving Berlin (1888–1989). Born in Imperial Russia and raised on the streets of New York City’s Lower East Side, Berlin went on to write more than 1,500 songs, many of which are considered standards of the American songbook. From White Christmas to God Bless America, his music has left an enduring legacy—but long before those classics, Berlin had a knack for catchy tunes that captured the spirit of their time.Read More About This…
Do you think player pianos are a thing of the past? Join Ben Roth-Aroni as he shares some new and old tunes on his player piano at home during National Piano month!
Player pianos, pianolas and piano rolls were all the rage during Prohibition.
By the early 1920’s new advances in piano-roll technology gave rise to a complex, performance-oriented style of music that became the soundtrack of an era.
All types of music were recorded on piano rolls, from Ragtime to folk songs; from Jazz to Cantorial masterpieces. So….can these “Boardwalk Empire” era Jewish piano rolls still find an audience in today’s fast-paced electronic world?Read More About This…
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