Two Russians in America
Irving Berlin and Dimitri Tiomkin
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
Irving Berlin and Dimitri Tiomkin provided American light music with lasting achievements. Berlin’s White Christmas and Tiomkin’s titel song for the film High Noon are classics. Both composers hail from Russia and, in their careers, are classic examples of the cultural dialog between America and Europe. However, this should not lead to the impression that these two distinct cultures communicated with one another in light music. A coherent European-American cultural landscape has existed since the 18th century. Only within it could Berlin and Tiomkin make an impact.
(Osteuropa 5/2007, pp. 43–56)