He was also musical director for a large number of musicals and other plays, including ones by Noel Coward. After the war, he concentrated on recording, and eventually gave up live performance altogether. He worked with arranger and composer Ronnie Binge, who developed the "cascading strings" sound (also known as the "Mantovani sound").[citation needed] His records were regulars in stores selling hi-fi stereo equipment, as they were produced and arranged for stereo reproduction. In 1952 Binge ceased to arrange for Mantovani, but his distinctive sound remained.
He recorded for Decca until the mid-1950s, and then London Records. He recorded over 50 albums on that label, many of which were top-40 hits. These included Song from Moulin Rouge and Cara Mia, which reached No. 1 in Britain in 1953 and 1954, respectively. The latter was also Mantovani's first U.S. Top Ten hit.
In the United States, between 1955 and 1972, he released over 40 albums with 27 reaching the Top 40 and 11 the Top Ten. His biggest success was with the album Film Encores, which made it to No. 1 in 1957. Similarly, Mantovani Plays Music From 'Exodus' and Other Great Themes made it to No. 2 in 1961 and sold over one million albums.
In 1959, Mantovani starred in his own syndicated television series, Mantovani, which was produced in England and which aired in the United States. 39 episodes were filmed.[1]
Mantovani made his last recordings in 1975.[citation needed]
[edit] Music style and influences
The cascading strings technique developed by Binge became Mantovani's hallmark in such hits arranged by Binge as "Charmaine". Binge developed this technique to replicate the echo experienced in venues such as cathedrals by arrangement alone, in an echo-free surrounding.
Author Joseph Lanza describes Mantovani's string arrangements as the most "rich and mellifluous" of the emerging light music style during the early 1950s. He stated that Mantovani was a leader in the use of new studio technologies to "create sound tapestries with innumerable strings", and that "the sustained hum of Mantovani's reverberated violins produced a sonic vaporizer foreshadowing the synthesizer harmonics of space music."[2]
In 1958 Mantovani and his family bought a holiday home in Bournemouth in Durley Chine Road, then in 1961 acquired a new property in Burton Road (now part of Poole). He moved, finally, to a new home in Martello Road in Poole.
Since his death at a care home in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, in 1980, his music has enjoyed a minor revival,[citation needed] with much of his catalogue reappearing on CD and an orchestra bearing his name performing concert tours. The saleability of the Mantovani name is underscored by new recordings being made as the Mantovani Orchestra. Unfortunately[neutrality is disputed], a large number of CDs are also available of unauthorized recordings, billed as Mantovani or Mantovani Orchestra.[citation needed] There have also been CDs released under the Mantovani name of recordings made by others while Mantovani was still alive.[citation needed] Thus, consumers of this music are advised to familiarize themselves with the conductor's discography. Material with the London Records logo on it is apt to be genuine Mantovani, while other recordings are less likely to be actual Mantovani recordings.[citation needed]
The continued popularity of Mantovani's music is evident by the number of original albums which are being released, on labels such as Dutton-Vocalion, and by the many compilations available throughout the world. In 2008, as a result of successful, ongoing CD sales, amongst other contributing factors, the Mantovani Orchestra (performing from the original scores) was recreated for a tremendously successful historical tribute concert, sponsored by Bentley Motors, held at the Lighthouse, in Poole, England, on 27 January, conducted by Sam Newgarth, MBE. Much critical acclaim has led to the planning of a second concert, to take place in January 2009, at the same venue. There are four Mantovani websites in honour of the maestro, a written biography by Colin MacKenzie entitled Mantovani - A Lifetime In Music (ISBN 1-905226-19-5). For further information, please visit http://www.hallowquest.com/mantiindex.htm; http://members3.jcom.home.ne.jp/torumonty; http://www.lighthousepoole.co.uk (re. ticket sales for 31 January 2009). A ten CD set 'The Wonderful World of Mantovani' was released in November 2008 in Japan (a link to the website in Japan may be found by visiting www.hallowquest.com/mantiindex.htm), featuring many rare tracks which have never been released on CD before, in a superbly remastered format, and, following the success of the Mantovani Orchestra's 2008 concert, 'More MANTOVANI Magic' took place at Lighthouse in Poole, England, on 31 January 2009, again conducted by maestro Sam Newgarth MBE. The concert was sponsored by Poole Audi, and also with the generous support of Richard Cox.
It Happened In Monterey
Mantovani Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Somewhere along the Rio Grande
Sadly I'm reminiscing, madly again I'm kissing
Someone along the Rio Grande
It happened in Monterey, a long time ago
I met her in Monterey, in old Mexico
Stars and steel guitars
Broke somebody's heart
And I'm afraid that it was mine
It happened in Monterey
Without thinking twice
I left her and threw away the key to paradise
My indiscreet heart, longs for the sweetheart
That I left in old Monterey
Making believe I'm merry
In ev'ry glass of sherry
I see the sparkle of her eye
And when I hear the cello
Tender and sweet and mellow
I hear the music of her sigh
It happened in Monterey, a long time ago
I met her in Monterey, in old Mexico
Stars and steel guitars
And luscious lips, as red as wine
Broke somebody's heart
And I'm afraid that it was mine
It happened in Monterey
Without thinking twice
I left her and threw away the key to paradise
My indiscreet heart, longs for the sweetheart
The lyrics of Mantovani's song "It Happened in Monterey" are a lament for a lost love that the singer cannot forget. He takes consolation in his imagination and envisions himself finding comfort along the Rio Grande. The singer is recalling a time when he met a woman in Monterey, Mexico, and fell deeply in love with her. The lyrics describe a scene of stars and steel guitars, where the woman's luscious lips were as red as wine. However, without thinking twice, the singer left her and threw away the key to paradise. He is now filled with regret and longing, making believe he's merry but really never able to forget his love.
The lyrics are powerful and evoke a sense of melancholy and loss, with the singer wishing he could go back in time and make a different choice. The song is a classic example of the love ballad, where the pain of lost love is felt keenly and the singer is unable to move on. The imagery in the song is vivid, with the use of words like "luscious lips," "sparkle of her eye," and "music of her sigh" creating a sense of longing and desire.
Line by Line Meaning
In my imagination, I'm finding consolation
I'm trying to console myself by imagining things.
Somewhere along the Rio Grande
I'm imagining a place somewhere along the Rio Grande river.
Sadly I'm reminiscing, madly again I'm kissing
I'm reminiscing about my past love and imagining kissing her once again.
Someone along the Rio Grande
I'm imagining someone I was with in the past along the Rio Grande river.
It happened in Monterey, a long time ago
I have a memory from a long time ago in Monterey.
I met her in Monterey, in old Mexico
I met a woman in Monterey, which is located in old Mexico.
Stars and steel guitars
There were stars and steel guitars present.
And luscious lips, as red as wine
She had luscious lips that were red like wine.
Broke somebody's heart
Someone's heart was broken.
And I'm afraid that it was mine
I'm worried that it was my heart that was broken.
Without thinking twice
I acted impulsively without thinking.
I left her and threw away the key to paradise
I left her and lost the chance to be with her forever.
My indiscreet heart, longs for the sweetheart
My impulsive heart still yearns for my past love.
That I left in old Monterey
The woman I left behind is the one I met in Monterey.
Making believe I'm merry
I'm pretending to be happy.
In ev'ry glass of sherry
Every time I drink sherry, I pretend that I'm happy.
I see the sparkle of her eye
When I drink sherry, I remember the sparkle in her eye.
And when I hear the cello
When I hear the sound of the cello.
Tender and sweet and mellow
The sound of the cello is tender, sweet and mellow.
I hear the music of her sigh
When I hear the cello, I imagine hearing her sigh.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Billy Rose, Mabel Wayne
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sarah Berryman
I adore Mantovani, such a brilliant artist with his arrangements! What a superb melody!
Hans Arnold-Mueller
......Ich liebe den Sound von Mantovani sehr, feinfühlig, lieblich, romantisch, einmalig...................
Hossam Shawky
Glad that you like it. Enjoy the music in the channel. you will find a lots of mantovani work.
ศิริกุล ศรีสิทธิพร
I do have this record of Mantovani.