My Twelve Tone Melody

"My Twelve Tone Melody" is a 1988 composition by Leonard Bernstein written in tribute to Irving Berlin in celebration of Berlin's 100th birthday.^[1] It was performed by Bernstein at the concert to celebrate Berlin's birthday at Carnegie Hall in May 1988.^[1]

My Twelve Tone Melody
by Leonard Bernstein
Irving Berlin in 1937
Composed	1988
Performed	11 May 1988 (1988-05-11): New York City

The piece was poorly received by Berlin's family at the concert, Bernstein's biographer, Joan Peyser, described it as a "dour, mean little piece" and that the piece could be interpreted as a "shot fired in a battle" between "late twentieth-century masters".^[2] Bernstein was the only performer at the concert not to perform one of Berlin's compositions.^[3]

The piece is written in the twelve-tone technique and adapts Berlin's songs "Always" and "Russian Lullaby". Bernstein remembered "Russian Lullaby" from his youth.^[1]

The piece is two minutes in length.^[1][4]