Almost Missed This; Not My Victrola Century Special

Victrolaman posted Alexendar today, on the 100th anniversary of this Irving Berlin classic. Victrolaman's Notes: "Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Alexander's Ragtime Band, here is the Ragtime era Comedy Recording Duo of Arthur Collins and Byron Harlan on an original 1911 Victor First Prize Record. The Song was written by Irving Berlin and later published and Copyrighted by the Ted Snyder Co. of 112 West 38th Street, New York City on March 18, 1911. Irving Berlin picked the name Alexander, since it was one of the most common names used in many other Ragtime era "Coon" songs of that era. Although the song was not written to a Ragtime Beat, its immense popularity is considered by many to have stimulated a "Revival" of Ragtime Music Compositions in the United States. According to Berlin: "the greater portion of the song was written in ten minutes" - and then it sat around for months waiting to be finished. And even then his friend and publisher, Ted Snyder, didn't care for it. It was too long (32 bars, twice the length of a traditional 16-bar chorus), too rangey (an octave and four), and the verse and chorus were in different keys - which no popular pop song had ever attempted. Nevertheless, Berlin said that was the way he wanted it: He had concluded, entirely correctly, that the chorus was the most memorable part of a song. Therefore, if you made the chorus longer a song would be even more memorable. And thus did Irving Berlin help effect the biggest-single change in pop music in the early 20th century: the demise of the Victorian-style ballad with short 16-bar choruses and multiple story verses, and the rise of the 32-bar popular song with merely an introductory and entirely optional verse. Thank's to Mark Steyn for providing this historic information about this Irving Berlin Classic on its' 100 Birthday."