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.
Moon River 1961
Henry Mancini Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wider than a mile:
I'm crossin' you in style
Some day.
Old dream maker,
You heart breaker,
Wherever your goin',
I'm goin' your way:
Off to see the world,
There's such a lot of world
To see.
We're after the same
Rainbow's end
Waitin' round the bend,
My huckleberry friend,
Moon River
and me.
The song "Moon River" composed by Henry Mancini in 1961 is a masterpiece, and its lyrics are full of meaning. The song talks about crossing a river that is wider than a mile with style, which depicts the journey of life. The singer is confident that someday they will cross the river in style, and it is an aspiration that everyone has. The old dream maker refers to the one who gives us hopes and dreams, but sometimes they break our hearts. However, the singer shows that they are ready to follow the dream maker wherever they go.
The next set of lines states that they are two drifters off to see the world because there is so much to see. The world has endless possibilities that two drifters can explore. They are searching for the same rainbow's end and waiting around the bend. This speaks to the idea that everyone has a dream that they are waiting to accomplish. The line "my huckleberry friend" is a term of endearment, which refers to a close friend. The friend is with them on this journey in life, and they will cross Moon River together.
In conclusion, "Moon River" is a song about journeying through life and the endless possibilities that come with it. It's about following your dreams and having someone to share your journey with. The lyrics are powerful and timeless, and the melody is timeless, making it one of the greatest American classics.
Line by Line Meaning
Moon River,
The body of water, Moon River.
Wider than a mile:
The river is very wide and vast.
I'm crossin' you in style
Some day.
I will cross the river in a fashionable and stylish manner someday.
Old dream maker,
You heart breaker,
The river is personified as an old dream maker who can also break hearts.
Wherever your goin',
I'm goin' your way:
I will follow the river wherever it goes.
Two drifters,
Off to see the world,
We are two wanderers who want to explore the world.
There's such a lot of world
To see.
There is so much to see and explore in this world.
We're after the same
Rainbow's end
Waitin' round the bend,
We both seek to find the end of the rainbow, which is waiting for us just around the corner.
My huckleberry friend,
Moon River
and me.
I refer to the river as my trusted friend, along with myself and our shared journey.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOHNNY MERCER, HENRY MANCINI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@davidhertzberg
You can hear the original here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpxYuv2O46c // A photo album with close ups of the images displayed in this video can be reviewed here: https://plus.google.com/photos/108298623225603793041/albums/5743435896248444481?banner=pwa
@tl-zn5et
Such an exquisite song and a timeless movie! Thank you all.
@irishtaz44017
The first date I went on with my husband (which was a blind date, by the way!), he sat down & played this on the piano. His rendition was so beautiful, I cried...and the rest, as they say, is history!! We celebrated 36 years of marriage this past June & we're still as much in love now as we were then!!
@DougCeleste
IRISHTAZ: WOW, what a VERY lovely post and thanks so much for sharing!!! I was really touched by your words and all couples should be in love like you and your husband. And by the way, HAPPY 26TH ANNIVERSARY and God bless you both!!!
@SteveEcksteinDouglasDrive
MY WIFE'S FAV = "AUTUMN LEAVES" & " LOVES GROWN DEEP"(KENNY NOLAND),OUR WEDDING SONG. MY PICK;"WILDFLOWER" BY SKYLARK(DAVID(FAMOUS)FOSTER>MARRIED 8/14/77,
@therezabulhoes9204
@@SteveEcksteinDouglasDrive oki
@therezabulhoes9204
Folhas mortas
@brentbabb6559
aww that's so beautiful
@janefuller7335
I had them play the Lou Armstrong version of this for the final dance at our wedding. I lost my sweetie to cancer 13 years later, and I still can't listen to this song without crying. I miss my Huckleberry friend so much! 😢
@evensout
this was my wife's favorite song, I stop by to revisit it--from time to time, and I can almost feel her hand n mine...