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.
They Say It's Wonderful
Mantovani Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's wonderful, so they say
And with the moon up above, it's wonderful
It's wonderful, so they tell me
I can't recall who said it
I know I've never read it
I only know they tell me that love is grand, and
Is wonderful, wonderful
In every way, so they say
To leave your house some morning
And without any warning, you're stopping people,
Shouting that love is grand, and
To hold a man in your arms is wonderful, wonderful
In every way, so they say
In Mantovani's song "They Say It's Wonderful," the singer explores the idea of love and romance, and how it is something that is considered beautiful and amazing by most people. The first verse begins with the statement that "falling in love is wonderful" and how "they say" this is true. The lyrics then go on to explain that this feeling of love is enhanced even further when there is a beautiful moon in the sky. The singer admits that they can't recall who originally said that love is wonderful; they just know it to be true because everyone tells them this.
The second verse elaborates on the idea of love even more. The singer explains that the concept of romance is universally understood to be something wonderful in every single way. The lyrics then imagine a scenario where someone is so in love that they leave their house and start telling strangers about how amazing it is to be in love. The verse ends with the observation that holding someone close in your arms is another wondrous aspect of love.
Line by Line Meaning
They say that falling love is wonderful
It is said that the experience of falling in love is a great feeling
It's wonderful, so they say
According to popular belief, the experience of falling in love is indeed wonderful
And with the moon up above, it's wonderful
The beauty of a moonlit night adds to the wonderful experience of falling in love
It's wonderful, so they tell me
People often tell me that the feeling of being in love is absolutely wonderful
I can't recall who said it
I don't remember who exactly made this statement
I know I've never read it
I am certain that I have not come across this statement in any written form
I only know they tell me that love is grand, and
All I know is that people tell me that love is a great thing
The thing that's known as romance
The experience of being romantic
Is wonderful, wonderful
Is truly amazing and delightful
In every way, so they say
People believe that romance is great in all aspects
To leave your house some morning
To step out of your house one fine morning
And without any warning, you're stopping people,
Without any prior notice, you go on to stop people
Shouting that love is grand, and
Yelling out that love is amazing and wonderful
To hold a man in your arms is wonderful, wonderful
The experience of embracing a man is truly a wonderful one in every sense
In every way, so they say
This is what people tell me about the experience of holding a man in my arms
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Irving Berlin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@wooddorcas
They Say It's Wonderful is a beautiful song, and I loved watching the different celebrities dance. Very nice, thank you very much. I hope you have a nice night tonight and day tomorrow.
@felixbautista
It's indeed beautiful and classy I must say except I wasn't able to, beyond my means correct the volume.. it was low as such. Thank you so much as well for listening.
@juryniner2832
. .its really wonderful. . . .thank you. . .great dance. .beautiful music
@felixbautista
Thank you as well for your kind attention and viewership.
@terrystrahl6006
Beautiful music.... Lets go dancing with the stars and relax!
@felixbautista
Thank you so much for your gracious attention and appreciation.
@marryannlamb9853
Awesome video thanks Tito Have a blessed day .
@felixbautista
Thank you as well..... have a wonderful upcoming week.
@marryannlamb9853
@felixbautista thanks Tito you too.