Mancini was born Enrico Nicola Mancini in the Little Italy neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio, and grew up near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the steel town of West Aliquippa, Pennsylvania. His parents emigrated from the Abruzzo region of Italy. Mancini's father, Quinto, was a steelworker, who made his only child begin flute lessons at the age of eight. When Mancini was 12 years old, he began piano lessons. Quinto and Henry played flute together in the Aliquippa Italian immigrant band, "Sons of Italy". After high school, Mancini attended the renowned Juilliard School of Music in New York. In 1943, after roughly one year at Juilliard, his studies were interrupted when he was drafted into the army. In 1945, he participated in the liberation of a South German concentration camp.
Mancini recorded over 90 albums, in styles ranging from big band to classical to pop. Eight of these albums were certified gold by The Recording Industry Association of America. He had a 20 year contract with RCA Records, resulting in 60 commercial record albums that made him a household name composer of easy listening music.
Mancini's range also extended to orchestral and ethnic scores (Lifeforce, The Great Mouse Detective, Sunflower, "Tom and Jerry: The Movie", Molly Maguires, The Hawaiians), and darker themes ("Experiment In Terror," "The White Dawn," "Wait Until Dark," "The Night Visitor").
Mancini was also a concert performer, conducting over fifty engagements per year, resulting in over 600 symphony performances during his lifetime. Among the symphony orchestras he conducted are the London Symphony Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic, the Boston Pops, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. He appeared in 1966, 1980 and 1984 in command performances for the British Royal Family. He also toured several times with Johnny Mathis and with Andy Williams, who had sung many of Mancini's songs.[citation needed]
Mancini had experience with acting and voice roles. In 1994 he made a one-off cameo appearance in the first season of the sitcom series Frasier, as a call-in patient to Dr. Frasier Crane's radio show. Mancini voiced the character Al, who speaks with a melancholy drawl and hates the sound of his own voice, in the episode "Guess Who's Coming to Breakfast?" Mancini also had an uncredited performance as a pianist in the 1967 movie Gunn, the movie version of the series Peter Gunn, the score of which was originally composed by Mancini himself.
Mancini was nominated for an unprecedented 72 Grammys, winning 20 Additionally he was nominated for 18 Academy Awards, winning four. He also won a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for two Emmys.
Mancini won a total of four Oscars for his music in the course of his career.
Mancini died at the age of 70 in Beverly Hills/Los Angeles, California of pancreatic cancer. He was working at the time on the Broadway stage version of Victor/Victoria. At the time of his death, Mancini was married to singer Virginia "Ginny" O´Connor, with whom he had three children. Ginny Mancini went on to found the Society of Singers a non profit organization which benefits the health and welfare of professional singers worldwide. Additionally the Society awards scholarships to students pursuing an education in the vocal arts and holds the annual Ella Awards.
The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers(ASCAP) Foundation "Henry Mancini Music Scholarship" has been awarded annually since 2001.
Dreamy
Henry Mancini Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like my mother sang to me
One with a good old-fashioned harmony
Play some simple melody
Musical demon, set your honey a-dreamin',
Won't you play me some rag
Just change that classical nag to some sweet beautiful drag
That is choppy you'll get all my applause
And that is simply because I wanna listen to rag
Play for me
That good old-fashioned harmony
Oh, won't you play for me
A simple melody
Play from a copy of a tune that is choppy
You'll get all of my applause because
I wanna rag it
Ragtime melody
The opening lines of the song refer to a nostalgic longing for a simpler time. The singer is asking the musician to play a tune that evokes memories of their childhood, a melody that their mother used to sing to them. This is a common theme in music, as people often look to music to transport them back to a specific time or place. The use of the word "simple" is interesting because it is both a description of the melody being requested and a reflection of the singer's desire for a simpler time.
The second verse of the song takes a different direction, as the singer implores the musician to play some ragtime. The use of the word "demon" to describe the musician is interesting, as it suggests that the power of music can be supernatural. The metaphor of the musician "setting honey a-dreamin'" is a reference to the hypnotic power of music.
The final verse brings the two themes together by asking the musician to play a "simple" ragtime melody. The phrase "ragtime melody" is interesting because it combines the old-fashioned sound of ragtime music with the newer concept of melodic phrasing. Overall, "Dreamy" is a song that explores the power of music to evoke memories and emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
Won't you play some simple melody
Requesting the musician to play a straightforward tune
Like my mother sang to me
Asking for a melody that is reminiscent of a song the mother used to sing
One with a good old-fashioned harmony
Requesting a melody with a classic style of music composition
Play some simple melody
Repeating the request for a straightforward tune
Musical demon, set your honey a-dreamin'
Addressing the musician with a nickname, claiming their ability to produce calming music
Won't you play me some rag
Requesting the musician to play a lively melody consisting of ragtime music
Just change that classical nag to some sweet beautiful drag
Asking the musician to transform a tedious, traditional tune into a beautiful, contemporary melody
If you will play from a copy of a tune
Asking the musician to play an existing melody rather than improvising
That is choppy you'll get all my applause
Assuming the artist will reward the musician's skill in playing a staccato melody
And that is simply because I wanna listen to rag
Explaining the reason behind the request for a ragtime music composition
Play for me
Requesting the musician to play another tune
That good old-fashioned harmony
Asking for a melody with a classic music composition
Oh, won't you play for me
Requesting the musician to continue playing music
A simple melody
Reiterating the request for a straightforward tune
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Henry Nicola Mancini
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind