{"id":5448,"date":"2025-05-09T17:37:53","date_gmt":"2025-05-09T17:37:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/?p=5448"},"modified":"2026-02-10T19:04:00","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T19:04:00","slug":"ragtime-violin-in-english-and-yiddish-celebrating-irving-berlins-early-genius","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/collections\/vintage-collection\/ragtime-violin-in-english-and-yiddish-celebrating-irving-berlins-early-genius\/","title":{"rendered":"Ragtime Violin in English and Yiddish: Celebrating Irving Berlin\u2019s Early Genius"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"Close-up<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Celebrating Irving Berlin\u2019s Birthday with “Ragtime Violin” \u2014 In English<\/strong><\/a>, Yiddish<\/a><\/strong>, and on Piano Roll<\/a><\/strong>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This May 11th, we\u2019re celebrating the birthday of one of America\u2019s most iconic songwriters: Irving Berlin (1888\u20131989). Born in Imperial Russia and raised on the streets of New York City\u2019s 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\u2014but long before those classics, Berlin had a knack for catchy tunes that captured the spirit of their time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of those early gems is “Ragtime Violin,” a playful and rhythmically spirited piece first published in 1911. To mark Berlin\u2019s birthday, we\u2019re featuring a special piano roll version of the song on our YouTube channel\u2014bringing a bit of the ragtime era to life just as it might\u2019ve been heard over a century ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n