Operatic career:
Born Alfredo Arnold Cocozza in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he was exposed to opera and singing at a young age, and by the age of 16 his vocal talent became apparent. Starting out in local operatic productions in Philadelphia, he later came to the attention of conductor Serge Koussevitzky, who provided young Cocozza with a full student scholarship to the Berkshire Music Festival at Tanglewood in Massachusetts. Koussevitzky would later tell Lanza that, "Yours is a voice such as is heard once in a hundred years."
His operatic debut, as Fenton in Otto Nicolai's The Merry Wives of Windsor, was at Tanglewood on August 7, 1942, after just six weeks of study with conductors Boris Goldovsky and Leonard Bernstein. It was here that Cocozza adopted his stage name from his mother Maria's maiden name of Lanza. His performances at Tanglewood won him critical acclaim, with Noel Straus of The New York Times hailing the 21-year-old tenor as having "few equals among tenors of the day in terms of quality, warmth, and power."
His operatic career was interrupted by World War II, when he was assigned to Special Services in the U.S. Army Air Corps. He appeared on the wartime shows On the Beam and Winged Victory while in the Air Corps.
He resumed his singing career in October 1945 on the CBS radio program Great Moments in Music, where he made six appearances singing various operatic selections. He later studied under Enrico Rosati for fifteen months, then embarked on an 86-concert tour of the United States, Canada and Mexico between July 1947 and May 1948 with George London and Frances Yeend. In April 1948, he sang Pinkerton in the New Orleans Opera's Madama Butterfly. A concert at the Hollywood Bowl brought Lanza to the attention of MGM's Louis B. Mayer, who signed Lanza to a seven-year film contract with Metro Goldwyn Mayer. This would prove to be a turning point in the young singer's career.
Film career:
MGM's contract with Lanza required him to commit to the studio for six months, and at first Lanza was able to combine his film career with his operatic one, singing two acclaimed performances as Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly for the New Orleans Opera Association in April 1948. He also continued to perform in concert, both in solo appearances and as part of the Bel Canto Trio with George London and Frances Yeend. In May 1949, he made his first commercial recordings with RCA Victor. However, his first two films, That Midnight Kiss and The Toast of New Orleans, were very successful, as was his recording career, and Lanza's fame increased dramatically.
In 1951, Lanza portrayed Enrico Caruso in The Great Caruso, which proved to be an astonishing success. At the same time, his popularity exposed Lanza to intense criticism by music critics, including those who had praised his work years earlier.
In 1954, Lanza was dismissed by MGM after he had pre-recorded the songs for The Student Prince. The film was subsequently made with actor Edmund Purdom miming to Lanza's vocals. During this period Lanza came very close to bankruptcy as a result of poor investment decisions made by his former manager. Owing about $250,000 in back taxes to the IRS, Lanza withdrew from the public eye for a time.
Mario Lanza at home.He returned to an active film career in 1956 in Serenade; despite its strong musical content, it was not as successful as his previous films. Lanza then moved to Rome, Italy in May 1957, where he worked on the film Seven Hills of Rome and returned to live performing in a series of acclaimed concerts throughout Britain, Ireland and the European Continent. In early 1958, he auditioned for the management of La Scala in Milan, and was immediately offered a minimum two-year contract to sing at that theatre. The opera initially discussed was Puccini's Tosca. Later that year, Lanza also agreed to open the 1960/61 season at the Rome Opera as Canio in Pagliacci. At the same time, however, his health began to decline, with the tenor suffering from a variety of ailments, including phlebitis and acute high blood pressure. The following year, in April 1959, Lanza suffered a minor heart attack, followed by double pneumonia in August. He died in Rome in October of that year at the age of 38 from a pulmonary embolism. His widow moved back to Hollywood with their four children and died of a drug overdose five months later; the younger of their two sons died of a heart attack at the age of 37. When Lanza died rumors spread that the notorious mob boss Lucky Luciano (Salvatore Luciano) had had him killed after he refused to perform for him but those rumors quickly died down because they simply were not true. Soprano Maria Callas would later say of him, "My biggest regret is not to have had the opportunity to sing with the greatest tenor voice I've ever heard."
Lanza's short career covered opera, radio, concerts, recordings, and motion pictures. He was the first artist for RCA Victor Red Seal to receive a gold disc. He was also the first artist to sell two and half million albums. A highly influential artist, Lanza has been credited with inspiring the careers of successive generations of opera singers, including Plácido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti, Leo Nucci and Jose Carreras, as well as those of singers with seemingly different backgrounds, and influences, his RCA Victor label-mate Elvis Presley being the most notable example. In 1994, tenor José Carreras paid tribute to Lanza in a worldwide concert tour, saying of him, "If I'm an opera singer, it's thanks to Mario Lanza."
Adeste Fideles
Mario Lanza Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Venite, venite in Bethlehem
Natum videte Regem angelorum
Venite adoremus
Venite adoremus
Venite adoremus
Dominum
Joyful and triumphant
O come ye, o come ye to Bethlehem
Come and behold Him
Born the King of Angels
O come, let us adore Him
O come, let us adore Him
O come, let us adore Him
Christ the Lord
Sing, choirs of angels
Sing in exultation
Sing all ye citizens of heaven above
Glory to God in the highest
O come, let us adore Him
O come, let us adore Him
O come, let us adore Him
Christ the Lord
The first verse of Mario Lanza's Adeste Fideles tells the story of how the faithful were invited to Bethlehem to witness the birth of the King of Angels. The lyrics invite all the faithful to come and adore the Lord who has been born in Bethlehem. The Latin phrase "Adeste fideles laeti triumphantes" means "Come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant". The verse is a call to action, urging the faithful to leave their homes and journey to Bethlehem to see the newborn king. The phrase "Natum videte Regem angelorum" translates to "Come and behold Him, Born the King of Angels". This phrase beautifully captures the majesty and significance of the birth of Jesus Christ, the King of Angels. The verse ends with a repetition of the phrase "Venite adoremus Dominum" which means "Come let us adore the Lord". Through these lyrics, Lanza highlights the importance of the birth of Jesus Christ and the need to adore Him and celebrate His coming.
The second verse of the song is a glorious celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ by the choirs of angels and the citizens of heaven. The verse speaks of the magnificence and exultation that surrounded the birth of the King of Angels. The choirs of angels and the citizens of heaven sing "Glory to God in the Highest" as they celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. In this verse, we see the significance of the birth of Jesus Christ not only on earth but also in heaven. The verse once again calls upon the faithful to join in and adore the Lord who has come to the world to bring salvation to all mankind.
Line by Line Meaning
Adeste fideles laeti triumphantes
Come, all you who have faith, with joy and triumph
Venite, venite in Bethlehem
Come, come to Bethlehem
Natum videte Regem angelorum
Behold the newborn King of the Angels
Venite adoremus
Come, let us adore Him
Venite adoremus
Come, let us adore Him
Venite adoremus
Come, let us adore Him
Dominum
Christ the Lord
Sing, choirs of angels
Sing, you choirs of angels
Sing in exultation
Sing with great joy and triumph
Sing all ye citizens of heaven above
All you citizens of heaven above, sing out
Glory to God in the highest
Praise God in the highest
O come, let us adore Him
O come, let us adore Him
O come, let us adore Him
O come, let us adore Him
O come, let us adore Him
O come, let us adore Him
Christ the Lord
Christ the Lord
Lyrics © Rudi Schedler Musikverlag GmbH
Written by: John Francis Wade
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@sabrinadubois2614
Adeste Fidelis, laeti triumphantes
Venite, venite in Bethlehem
Natum videte, Regem Angelorum,
Venite adoremus, venite adoremus, venite adoremus Dominum!
Mario was an altar boy as a child, he knows his Latin well
Beautiful pronunciation - no one could roll an “r” like Mario!
(The voice goes without saying of course)
This is my favorite recording of Adeste Fidelis by Mario, recorded in the summer of ‘59, just days before his untimely death.
This is from his last Christmas album, the one some critics called “dismal.” I stopped reading their posts & websites ever since. We are clearly not on the same page.
@cylonleader
My mum absolutely loved Mario Lanza and I grew up listening to his music as I’m half Italian myself he voice was amazing even now at 55 I still listen to him
@davidpostma8441
Absolutely.
Precious childhood memories.
Core to my faith.
@carolinedarcy25
My grandads favourite singer, he had me listening to him as a child... Absolutely love his voice... Just perfect!!!
@gabryc.3004
Anche se oggi 27/1/2021 non è Natale, sentire questo bellissimo pezzo cantato così magistralmente... mette il mio cuore in pace.. ne avevo veramente bisogno....
@BlueCanary-cr5um
Mario Lanza. A legend! 5ft 4in tall. With the voice of an operatic monster. Unbelievably good singer with an amazing voice. I have heard thousands of people sing professionally. He is in an elite group at the top.
@llwyde1104
So much of what you say is correct but he has peers...this is magnificent and my 'go to' version.😊
@barbarakempf761
A voice blessed by GOD
@gregorykingsley6179
This is the only Christmas music that matters...not Mariah Carey
@RainbowFlowerCrow
Thanks for the information about this guy! I grew up listening to him every xmas; his voice was always in our home every year! I didn't know that he had health issues and that he passed so soon after recording this album.... I love his voice so much.
@barbarakempf761
Greatest tenor