THE ASCAP FOUNDATION ACQUIRES RIGHTS
TO CATALOG OF IRVING CAESAR
-- Lyricist of "Tea for Two," "Swanee," and "Just a Gigolo" --
Marilyn Bergman, President of The ASCAP
Foundation, announced today that the Foundation has
been named the final beneficiary of all of Irving
Caesar's assets (copyrights), including those held
under his lifetime trust, those retained in his wholly
owned publishing company, as well as his memorabilia.
Caesar (1895 - 1996) was a prolific and beloved lyricist
who wrote hundreds of songs over the course of his
long life, including: "Tea for Two," "Just a Gigolo,"
"Swanee," and "Animal Crackers in My Soup," among
many others. Caesar's collaborators included Vincent
Youmans, George Gershwin, Rudolf Friml and Gerald
Marks. Together with Gerald Marks, Irving Caesar created
the popular children's educational song series, Songs
of Safety and Songs of Friendship.
In
line with this major bequest, The ASCAP Foundation
is establishing a series of programs designed to ensure
the preservation of the great Caesar legacy. These
efforts include music education and musical theater
programs in Irving Caesar's name with the goal of
providing enjoyable and meaningful music experiences
for young people with an emphasis on the economically
disadvantaged.
The ASCAP Foundation has completed a thorough inventory
of Irving Caesar's memorabilia, under the direction
of musical theater historian Robert Kimball, which
includes correspondence, autobiographical material,
song contracts, scripts for shows, patents for gadgets
and games invented by Mr. Caesar, as well as sheet
music, music and lyric manuscripts, photos, recordings,
artwork, books from Mr. Caesar's personal library
and financial records. Among the contents was material
dating as far back as the 1910s when Mr. Caesar was
a teenager.
Caesar became an ASCAP member in 1920, and remained
an active and devoted member for the next 75 years,
serving several terms as a member of the Society's
Board of Directors.
Commenting
on the new bond between the Caesar Estate and The
ASCAP Foundation, Marilyn Bergman said, "This
is a major milestone in the history of our Foundation.
Mr. Caesar was a legendary songwriter and we will
faithfully target proceeds from Mr. Caesar's catalog
to support ASCAP Foundation music education programs
for young people per Mr. Caesar's wishes. This extraordinary
bequest to The ASCAP Foundation will, I hope, serve
as an inspiration to others to follow Mr. Caesar’s
lead and support the vital work of the Foundation."
In Mr. Caesar's memory, the ASCAP Foundation
will create the Official Irving Caesar Website including
biographical information, a photo gallery, songs,
lyrics and sheet music, Broadway shows, Children's
Songs and licensing information.
Future plans also include a Caesar Tribute Concert
at New York's Carnegie Hall in early 2005 in
conjunction with Michael Feinstein's "Now
and Then" series.
Since 1975 The ASCAP Foundation has been dedicated
to supporting American music creators and encouraging
the development of American music through educational
and talent development programs. Included in these
are songwriting workshops, grants, scholarships, music
education programs, and public service projects for
senior composers and lyricists.
