Irving Berlin was born in the Russian Empire and emigrated to the United States as a child, launching a career in New York's Tin Pan Alley in the early 20th century as a composer and lyricist of popular music, Broadway theatre and film. His songwriting ranged from sentimental ballads to ragtime‑influenced up‑tempo numbers and theatrical songs, and his compositions were widely performed in Broadway shows and Hollywood films, reflecting themes of American life across the 20th century.
