That Mesmerizing Mendelssohn Tune

Written by Irving Berlin in 1912, “Mendelssohn Tune” is one of the most entertaining examples of his early comic parodies, where the elegance of European classical music meets the streetwise rhythms of American popular song. The piece humorously imagines Felix Mendelssohn – the 19th-century German composer best known for The Wedding March and Songs Without Words – as a kind of unintentional ragtime pioneer. At the time, Berlin was already famous for novelty numbers like “Alexander’s Ragtime Band.” He had a keen sense for the changing tastes of American audiences, who were fascinated by the collision of “serious” music and the new syncopated sounds sweeping dance halls and theaters. “Mendelssohn Tune” captured that cultural moment perfectly: sophisticated enough to amuse, catchy enough to sing along to, and just self-aware enough to wink at both the elite and the everyday listener. Published by Waterson, Berlin & Snyder Co., the song circulated widely in sheet music form and was a small sensation among vaudeville performers who loved its fusion of European melody and American rhythm. Berlin’s lyric teased the contrast between the old world and the new – a theme that would follow him throughout his career as the son of Russian Jewish immigrants who helped invent modern American music. This performance revisits “Mendelssohn Tune” as a charming early example of Berlin’s musical wit and his ability to turn cultural contrasts into something joyful, tuneful, and distinctly American. #IrvingBerlin #TinPanAlley #VintageSong #JasonPaul #AmericanMusic