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.
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Mantovani Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
like sunrise in the morning
You make me believe anything is possible
I didn't have a dream to my name
Darkness was mine, it was such a shame
But you came to light up my life
You brought me faith, and hope,
and love, and light
With your tender smile
you brought me top the promise
Of life outside a world of nine to five
and Sunday
I didn't know how rich I could be
Until you gave your love to me
Don't you see, you light up my life
You give me faith, and hope,
and love, and light
You brought your sweet understanding
Like sun rays in my hazy sky
If you hadn't opened up my eyes
Love would have passed me right on by
I never knew how good I could feel
Loving you's left me with nothing to conceal
Yeah.you really light up my life
You give me faith, and hope,
and love, and light
The lyrics to Mantovani's song "You Light Up My Life" are a beautiful and heartfelt expression of appreciation and love towards another person. From the very first line, the song creates an image of the sunrise in the morning, suggesting that the person being addressed is like a ray of light and hope in the singer's life. The lyrics show that the singer did not have much hope or optimism before this person came into their life, but that all changed when they came along. This person gave the singer faith, hope, and love that they didn't previously have.
The second verse talks about the impact this person had on the singer's life. With their tender smile, they brought the singer to the promise of life outside of the usual routine of work and Sundays. This person showed the singer how rich their life could be with love and understanding that they had never experienced before. The chorus repeats the sentiment that this person "lights up" the singer's life, giving them faith, hope, love, and light.
In the final verse, the singer expresses that they never knew how good they could feel until this person came into their life. Their love had left the singer with nothing to conceal and opened their eyes to a brighter, more hopeful future. Overall, the lyrics of "You Light Up My Life" are a stunning tribute to the power of love and how it can transform a person's outlook on life.
Line by Line Meaning
You light up my life
You bring so much joy and happiness into my life.
like sunrise in the morning
Just like how the sunrise brings light to the darkness of the night, you bring light to my life.
You make me believe anything is possible
Because of your love and support, I feel like I can achieve anything.
I didn't have a dream to my name
I didn't have any aspirations or goals in life before you came along.
Darkness was mine, it was such a shame
My life was dark and empty without you.
But you came to light up my life
You brought light into my life and made it so much better.
You brought me faith, and hope, and love, and light
Through your love and support, you have given me faith and hope for the future, and have filled my life with love and happiness.
With your tender smile
Your kind and loving smile is so comforting and reassuring to me.
you brought me top the promise
You showed me that there is so much more to life than just going through the motions every day.
Of life outside a world of nine to five
There is a whole world out there beyond the typical office workday, and you helped me to see that.
and Sunday
Even on the day of rest, you bring light into my life.
I didn't know how rich I could be
I had no idea how full and rich my life could be until you came into it.
Until you gave your love to me
Your love has filled my life with so much richness and beauty.
Don't you see, you light up my life
You bring so much light and happiness into my life, and I am so grateful for it.
You give me faith, and hope, and love, and light
Through your love and support, you give me faith and hope for the future, and fill my life with love and happiness.
You brought your sweet understanding
You brought so much empathetic understanding to my life, which has been incredibly comforting to me.
Like sun rays in my hazy sky
Just like how the sun's rays cut through a hazy sky to bring light, your love cuts through the darkness to bring light into my life.
If you hadn't opened up my eyes
If you hadn't come into my life, I wouldn't have seen all the beauty and potential that was there.
Love would have passed me right on by
I might have missed out on the incredible love and light that you bring into my life, if you hadn't come along.
I never knew how good I could feel
Before you came into my life, I had no idea how much joy and happiness I was capable of.
Loving you's left me with nothing to conceal
Your love has filled my life with so much light and joy, that I have no reason to hide anything anymore.
Yeah.you really light up my life
Your love brings so much light and joy into my life, and I am incredibly grateful for it.
You give me faith, and hope, and love, and light
Through your love and support, you give me faith and hope for the future, and fill my life with love and happiness.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Carole King
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Trevor Ayson
As a child in the 70s I have fond memories of my late mother happily baking or making homemade jam, and Mantovani playing on the record player. 👍
Jane Self
Mom and Dad always played Mantovani in our home when I was growing up. I know every song. Beautiful...
Scopex
Mine too! Brings back happy memories, but thats all I have now as they are both gone. Life seemed so much better in those days the world wasnt rushing to destroy itself. Todays world is scary and each day feels like we are closer to 'the big bang?
Jane Self
@Scopex Let us keep peace in our hearts no matter what others do to try and destroy love. Keep listening to Mantovani!
HigherGround0001
Ditto. Just magnificent. Comfort.
ratanlalbannerji
LISTENING TO THE GREAT MASTER WITH CLOSED EYES TRANSPORTS MY SOUL TO THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF SPIRITUAL CONSCIOUSNESS
Piotr Mucha GCH-ST
Cudowna linia melodyjna, balsam dla psychiki.🇵🇱♥️☀️🌹
Ewa Gurowiecka
Popieram💗🌿🌹🌷👍🇵🇱
Irene Mesquita
Músicas mais lindas do mundo. Inesquecíveis.
Antoni Auguścik
Ta muzyka uspokaja, a melodie piękne!