Berlin, who was Jewish, was one of the few Tin Pan Alley/Broadway songwriters who wrote both lyrics and music for his songs. Although he never learned to read music beyond a rudimentary level, he composed over 3,000 songs. Many of his songs, including "God Bless America", "White Christmas", "Alexander's Ragtime Band", and "There's No Business Like Show Business," left an indelible mark on American music and culture. He produced 17 film scores and 21 Broadway scores, in addition to his individual songs.
Overture
Irving Berlin Lyrics
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The city of Vienna is experiencing the largest lightning storm in its long history.
Within a large disheveled room,
Ludwig Von Beethoven is slumped over his piano
And on the piano sits the just completed manuscript for his tenth symphony.
It is his final, and he is certain, his greatest work.]
Since the time when ra and isis
And apollo dreamed athena
And men began to understand
That when darkness folds on darkness
In the restless tides of night
And lightning raises shadows
And for moments gives them life
It's been said by those who ponder
That it surely is a sign
That a life touched by the stars
Is now running out of time
And that somewhere in that darkness
In the heart of that great storm
The world returns a soul
That the gods caused to be born
And this was such a storm
The kind one rarely sees in life
For in a room now filled with shadows
The great Beethoven was spending
His last night
[From the shadows a beautiful spirit, fate,
And her deformed dwarf son, twist,
Emerge to inform Beethoven of what he has already deeply suspected,
That this is to be his last night on earth.
They are accompanied by numerous spirits and ghosts from his past.]
The lyrics of Irving Berlin's song "Overture" capture a haunting and poignant moment in the life of Ludwig Von Beethoven. It is a late night in the spring of 1827, and the city of Vienna is experiencing the largest lightning storm in its long history. Within a large disheveled room, Ludwig is slumped over his piano, and on the piano sits the just completed manuscript for his tenth symphony. It is his final work, and he is certain that it is his greatest.
The imagery of the lightning storm and the shadows it casts, combined with the presence of Fate and her deformed dwarf son, Twist, lend the scene an otherworldly air. The song suggests that the storm and the apparitions that accompany Fate are a sign that Beethoven's life is drawing to a close. It is a moment of great emotional weight, as the ghosts of Beethoven's past appear in his final hours.
Line by Line Meaning
On a late night in the spring of 1827
At a late hour during the spring season in the year 1827
The city of Vienna is experiencing the largest lightning storm in its long history.
Vienna is currently facing the biggest thunderstorm it has ever had.
Within a large disheveled room,
Inside an untidy and spacious room,
Ludwig Von Beethoven is slumped over his piano
Ludwig Von Beethoven is sitting wearily over his piano
And on the piano sits the just completed manuscript for his tenth symphony.
The freshly-finished manuscript for his tenth symphony lies on the piano.
It is his final, and he is certain, his greatest work.
He is convinced that it is his ultimate, and best, composition.
From the shadows a beautiful spirit, fate,
A stunning apparition, fate,
And her deformed dwarf son, twist,
Along with her twisted, dwarf son,
Emerge to inform Beethoven of what he has already deeply suspected,
Appear from concealment to inform Beethoven of something he already had a strong feeling about,
That this is to be his last night on earth.
That this particular night would be his last on this planet.
They are accompanied by numerous spirits and ghosts from his past.
They are accompanied by diverse phantoms and wraiths from his history.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JIMMY HOROWITZ, ROBIN MILLER, LEO ROST
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind