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Yvetta Simonová/Irving Berlin/Irving Berlin/Jaroslav Moravec

Irving Berlin (May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989) was an American composer and lyricist of Belarusian Jewish origin (born near Mogilev in Russian Empire, nowadays Belarus), widely considered one of the greatest songwriters in American history. He published his first song, "Marie from Sunny Italy", in 1907 and had his first major international hit, "Alexander's Ragtime Band" in 1911.

"Alexander's Ragtime Band" sparked an international dance craze in places as far away as Berlin's native Russia, which also "flung itself into the ragtime beat with an abandon bordering on mania." Over the years he was known for writing music and lyrics in the American vernacular: uncomplicated, simple and direct, with his aim being to "reach the heart of the average American" whom he saw as the "real soul of the country."