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.
Love Theme
Henry Mancini Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Impetuous fire
What is a maid
Ice and desire
The world wags on
A rose will bloom
It then will fade
So does the youth
So does the fairest maid
Comes a time when one sweet smile
Hasn't seasoned for awhile
Then loves in loves with me
Some they only think to marry
Other will tease and terry
Mine is the very best perry
Cupid he rules us all
Caper the caper sing me the song
Death will come soon to hush us along
Sweeter than honey,bitter than gull
Love is the past time that will never pull
Sweeter than honey, bitter than gull
Cupid he rules us all
A rose will bloom,it then will fade
So does the youth,so does the fairest maid
The song "What is a Youth" from Franco Zeffirelli's 1968 film version of Romeo and Juliet is a poignant ballad that explores the fleeting and ephemeral nature of youth and love. The opening lines of the song, "What is a youth, impetuous fire; what is a maid, ice and desire," perfectly encapsulate the contrasting and often tumultuous emotions that young people experience when they fall in love. The world continues to turn, and time marches on, but the rose of youth and beauty will eventually fade away.
The song speaks of love that is both sweet and bitter, like honey and gall. The singer of the song acknowledges that some people only think of love as a means for marriage, while others use it to tease and tantalize. But the singer declares that their own "perry," or true love, is the very best. Cupid, the god of love, rules over all of us and determines who we will fall in love with. The caper, or dance, of love is sung about playfully, but the song acknowledges that death will come to "hush us along," reminding us that life is fleeting and should be treasured while we have it.
Overall, the song "What is a Youth" is a beautifully written and hauntingly beautiful ballad that perfectly captures the mix of emotions that young people experience as they navigate the complex world of love and romance.
Line by Line Meaning
What is a youth
What is the passionate flame of young love?
Impetuous fire
It burns so brightly and blazes fiercely, but can be extinguished so easily.
What is a maid
What is the essence of femininity, purity and longing?
Ice and desire
She is cool and reserved, but also yearning and passionate.
The world wags on
Time marches on relentlessly no matter what humans feel or do.
A rose will bloom
A beautiful flower bursts forth and swells with life.
It then will fade
It withers away and loses its perfect beauty and scent.
So does the youth
And so does young love, fleeting and fleeting.
So does the fairest maid
And so does the beauty of a woman, destined to fade with time.
Comes a time when one sweet smile
There will be a moment when a simple expression of love can move mountains.
Hasn't seasoned for awhile
When that gesture of affection is not given for some time, it becomes precious and memorable.
Then loves in loves with me
Love becomes mutual and all-consuming.
Some they only think to marry
Some people view love as a matter of practicality, bonding for life.
Other will tease and terry
Others may play at flirting without serious intentions or commitment.
Mine is the very best perry
But my love is the most delicious and refreshing.
Cupid he rules us all
The god of love controls our hearts and fates.
Caper the caper sing me the song
Dance joyously and revel in the power of love.
Death will come soon to hush us along
Mortality is always present, reminding us to live and love deeply while we can.
Sweeter than honey, bitter than gull
Love can be both exhilarating and painful, like the best and worst flavors.
Love is the past time that will never pull
Love is an activity that never gets old or tiresome, always worth pursuing.
Sweeter than honey, bitter than gull
Love can be both sweet and bitter, just like life itself.
Cupid he rules us all
Love is a force beyond human control, guided by a higher power.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GABRIEL ANDRE YARED
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@williamelanningjr5440
A time for us some day there'll be
When chains are torn by courage born of a love that's free
A time when dreams so long denied
Can flourish as we unveil the love we now must hide
A time for us at last to see
A life worthwhile for you and me
And with our love through tears and thorns
We will endure as we pass surely through every storm
A time for us some day there'll be a new world
A world of shining hope for you and me
For you and me
And with our love through tears and thorns
We will endure as we pass surely through every storm
A time for us some day there'll be a new world
A world of shining hope for you and me
A world of shining hope for you and me
@curtisthomas1731
Henry Mancini's version of Romeo and Juliet really touches your soul. A classic.
@Reggiec727
This is my favourite version of this wonderful song. Mancini never wrote it but this arrangement is by far the best and the rhythm in the background really makes it for me.
@dawnjohnson3263
Oh yeah
@michaeliannantuoni4636
A beautiful composition by Nino Rota.
@augustonunes4660
Alguem sabe de quem é a versão Original desta linda canção?
@augustonunes4660
Alguem sabe de quem é a versão original?
@tcbbear
This is one of the most beautiful, sad, memorising and powerful piece of music ever. It reminds me of love lost but never forgotten, of hurting and hope, of sorrow and peace. Simply amazing
@defshepard
Growing up, in the 60's and 70's I listened as my parents played Mancini's music. They were big fans of his. I am still grateful to this day that they introduced me to his beautiful music and arrangements. This is one of many favorites from his brilliant works.
@heatherbrown9368
had this played at our wedding 40 years ago, still makes me me feel
@heatherbrown9368
@Vanessa D Thank you