Gigli was born in Recanati, in the Marche, the son of a shoe-maker and an opera buff.
In 1914, Gigli won first prize in an international singing competition in Parma. His operatic debut came on October 15, 1914 when he played Enzo in Amilcare Ponchielli's La Gioconda in Rovigo, following which he was in great demand. Gigli made many important debuts, in quick succession and always in Mefistofele: Teatro Massimo di Palermo (March 31, 1915), Teatro San Carlo di Napoli (December 26, 1915), Teatro Costanzi di Roma (December 26, 1916), La Scala (November 19, 1918), and finally the Metropolitan (November 26, 1920).
Other roles Gigli became particularly associated with included Rodolfo in Giacomo Puccini's La Bohème and the title role in Umberto Giordano's Andrea Chénier, both of which he would later record in full.
Gigli rose to prominence after the death of Italian tenor Enrico Caruso in 1921. He was often called "Caruso Secondo", though he much preferred to be known as "Gigli Primo."
Gigli left the Met in 1932, ostensibly after refusing to take a pay cut. Giulio Gatti-Casazza, the Met's General Manager at the time, was furious at his company's most popular singer; he spread numerous lies to the press, e.g., that Gigli was the only singer not to accept the pay cut. There were several others, e.g., Lily Pons and Rosa Ponselle. And it is well-documented that Gatti-Casazza gave himself a large pay increase in 1931, so that after the pay cut in '32 his salary remained the same as it had been. Furthermore, Gatti was careful to hide Gigli's counteroffer to the press, in which the singer offered to sing five or six concerts gratis, which in dollars was worth more than Gatti's imposed pay cut.
After leaving the Met, Gigli returned again to Italy, and sang in houses there, elsewhere in Europe and in South America. He was criticized for being a favorite singer of Benito Mussolini, and toward the end of World War II was able to give few performances. However he immediately returned to the stage in 1945, and the audience acclaim was greater and more clamorous than ever.
In the last few years of his life, Gigli gave concert performances more often than he appeared on stage. Before his retirement in 1955, Gigli undertook an exhausting world tour of Farewell Concerts. This impaired his health in the two years that remained to him, during which time he helped prepare his Memoirs (based primarily on an earlier Memoir, fleshed out by a series of interviews). Gigli died in Rome in 1957.
Like many artists, Gigli was a man of contradictions. On the one hand, he gave more fundraising concerts and raised more money than any other singer in history -- one thousand benefit concerts! He was deeply and genuinely devoted to Padre Pio, his confessor, to whom he donated a huge amount of money. Also, Gigli sang an unusual amount of sacred music (especially in the 1950s), atypical of a leading operatic tenor. Additionally, he was throughout his life deeply devoted to the sacred music of Don Lorenzo Perosi.
On the other hand, Gigli's relationships with women were all tainted by scandal. He lied in his memoirs, saying that he was married six months earlier than he really was. This was to conceal that his wife Costanza was pregnant before reaching the altar. Gigli had two children with Costanza, Enzo and Rina. (The latter was a famous soprano in her own right.) Later, Gigli is well-known to have had a second family with Lucia Vigarani, producing three children. Gigli is rumored to have had at least three other children with as many different women. Like Caruso, Schipa, Björling, Tagliavini, and other of history's greatest tenors, Gigli's exact number of offspring will probably never be known.
There is little disagreement that Beniamino Gigli possessed the most beautiful lyric tenor voice of his time. It was also a large voice, which—with Gigli's extraordinary technique and vocal understanding—permitted Gigli to make frequent forays into repertoire normally reserved for spinto and dramatic tenors. Andrea Chénier was Gigli's favorite role. Another role in which he was unsurpassed was that of Des Grieux in Manon Lescaut. Both of these roles are supposedly for "heavier" voices, not lyric tenors.
Gigli's heart, which he infused into every phrase he sang, made him a natural in the realm of popular song. Whereas Caruso sang every song like it was his last, Gigli made each song or aria sound like he could sing twenty more with equal ease. And he sometimes did: Gigli's stamina was such that, after an opera, a piano would be wheeled onto the stage, and Gigli would sing an improvised concert of 10, 20, sometimes 30 encores. Virtually all of these post-opera concerts were fundraisers for which Gigli did not receive a penny. Gigli sang like this for 41 years without interruption. It is likely that neither Gigli's vocal longevity nor durability will ever be surpassed.
His remarkable singing can still be appreciated in the numerous recordings he made, both acoustical and electrical, primarily for RCA Victor (formerly known as the Victor Talking Machine Company). RCA even recorded Gigli's final performance in Carnegie Hall in 1955.
Mamma
Beniamino Gigli Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mamma, son tanto felice
perché ritorno da te.
La mia canzone ti dice
ch'c il piu bel sogno per me!
Mamma son tanto felice...
Mamma, solo per te la mia canzone vola,
Mamma, sarai con me, tu non sarai piu sola!
Quanto ti voglio bene!
Queste parole d'amore che ti sospira il mio cuore
Forse non s'usano piu,
Mamma!,
Ma la canzone mia piu bella sei tu!
Sei tu la vita
E per la vita non ti lascio mai piu!
Sento la mano tua stanca:
Cerca i miei riccioli d'or.
Sento, e la voce ti manca,
La ninna nanna d'allor.
Oggi la testa tua bianca
Io voglio stringere al cuor
Mamma, solo per te la mia canzone vola,
Mamma, sarai con me, tu non sarai piu sola!
Quanto ti voglio bene!
Queste parole d'amore che ti sospira il mio cuore
Forse non s'usano piu,
Mamma!,
Ma la canzone mia piu bella sei tu!
Sei tu la vita
E per la vita non ti lascio mai piu!
Mamma... mai piu!
The song "Mamma" by Beniamino Gigli is a tribute to a mother from her son. The lyrics express the happiness of the son in returning to his mother after being away for a while. He sings that his most beautiful dream is to be with his mother, indicating that there is no greater joy for him than to be reunited with her. Throughout the song, he expresses his love and admiration for his mother, stating that she is the most important person in his life.
The lyrics also touch upon the theme of aging and the passage of time. The son notes that his mother's hair has turned white and that her voice has grown weaker. However, he still wishes to hold her close and cherish every moment that he has with her. The lyrics remind us of the special bond between a mother and a child, and how it endures despite the passing years.
One interesting fact about the song "Mamma" is that it was written by Cesare Andrea Bixio and Bruno Cherubini in 1940, during the height of World War II. The song became a symbol of hope and comfort for those who were separated from their loved ones due to the war. Another interesting fact is that the song was originally written as a tribute to Bixio's own mother, who passed away shortly before he wrote the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Mamma, son tanto felice perché ritorno da te.
Mother, I am so happy to be returning to you.
La mia canzone ti dice ch'è il più bel sogno per me!
My song tells you that being with you is my greatest dream.
Viver lontano perché?
Why live far away from you?
Mamma, solo per te la mia canzone vola,
Mother, my song flies for you alone,
Mamma, sarai con me, tu non sarai più sola!
Mother, you will be with me, you will no longer be alone!
Quanto ti voglio bene!
I love you so much!
Queste parole d'amore che ti sospira il mio cuore
These words of love whispered by my heart to you
Forse non s'usano più, Mamma!
Perhaps they are no longer used, Mother!
Ma la canzone mia più bella sei tu!
But my most beautiful song is you!
Sei tu la vita e per la vita non ti lascio mai più!
You are my life, and I will never leave you again!
Sento la mano tua stanca: Cerca i miei riccioli d'or
I feel your weary hand searching for my golden curls
Sento, e la voce ti manca, la ninna nanna d'allor.
I hear, and your voice is missing, the lullaby of yesteryear.
Oggi la testa tua bianca io voglio stringere al cuor.
Today, I want to hold your white head close to my heart.
Mamma... mai più!
Mother... never again!
Contributed by Sadie T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@vassod9430
Mamma
Mamma, son tanto felice
Perché ritorno da te
La mia canzone ti dice
Ch'è il più bel giorno per me!
Mamma, son tanto felice
Viver lontano, perché?
Mamma, solo per te la mia canzone vola
Mamma, sarai con me, tu non sarai più sola!
Quanto ti voglio bene!
Queste parole d'amore
Che ti sospira il mio cuore
Forse non s'usano più
Mamma!
Ma la canzone mia più bella sei tu!
Sei tu la vita
E per la vita non ti lascio mai più!
Sento la mano tua stanca:
Cerca i miei riccioli d'or
Sento, e la voce ti manca
La ninna nanna d'allor
Oggi la testa tua bianca
Io voglio stringere al cuor
Mamma, solo per te la mia canzone vola
Mamma, sarai con me, tu non sarai più sola!
Quanto ti voglio bene!
Queste parole d'amore
Che ti sospira il mio cuore
Forse non s'usano più
Mamma!
Ma la canzone mia più bella sei tu!
Sei tu la vita
E per la vita non ti lascio mai più!
Quanto ti voglio bene!
Queste parole d'amore
Che ti sospira il mio cuore
Forse non s'usano più
Mamma!
Ma la canzone mia più bella sei tu!
Sei tu la vita
E per la vita non ti lascio mai più!
@Amokachi14n
محدش جاى من إشاعة حب ؟ 😁
@user-hc5wc2zv7p
أنا 😂😂
@t.alsabryegy6141
يا روح أمك 😂😂
@MrMrmido84
هههههههههههههههههه يوسف بك وهبي فشخله الاغنيه الي الأبد......
@naglafathi3307
انا😂😂
مااااماااا اا يا روح امك 😂😂😂😂
@MISayera97
انا
@falcoluminoso
Dedico questa meravigliosa canzone alla mia mamma scomparsa da poco,spero che da lassù possa sentirla e apprezzarla.Ogni volta che l'ascolto ho le lacrime agli occhi.Ciao dolcissima mamma!!😥😥😥😥
@JuVenom984
Ti capisco bene.
Stessa cosa capitata a me.
Lei, quando la ascoltava, si commuoveva perché pensava alla sua mamma.
Adesso succede a me…
Ti abbraccio forte
@falcoluminoso
@@JuVenom984 Grazie e buona notte
@hagerhelaly3
يارووح اوومك 😂😂😂 يوسف وهبي العظمه 😂❤️❤️❤️