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."
Deep In My Heart Dear
Mario Lanza Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Enchantment is borne on the breeze
And clothes in the silver of tender moonlight
The birds murmur soft in the trees
As deep in the shadow your eyes look in mine
Within them a soft flame gently glows
The breath of the night wind is filled with the scent of the rose
Your love in the heart of a rose
Deep in my heart, dear
I have a dream of you
Fashioned of starlight
Perfume of roses and dew
Our paths may sever
But I'll remember forever
Deep in my heart, dear
I'll always dream of you
I've waited a lifetime for someone to say
The things you are saying to me
And darling, believe every word that I say
Just look in my eyes and you'll see
You smile and my tears have all melted away
My worries were all false and naught
It looks like the start of a beautiful day
Just holding you here in my arms
With you every day's a beautiful day
As long as I'm here in your arms
Deep in my heart, dear
I have a dream of you
Fashioned of starlight
Perfume of roses and dew
Our paths may sever
But I'll remember forever
Deep in my heart, dear
I'll always dream of you
The lyrics to Mario Lanza's song "Deep in My Heart Dear" speak of the magic of springtime and the enchantment that can be felt in the air. The singer describes the soft flame that glows in his lover's eyes as they look into each other's eyes. He also talks about the scent of roses carried by the night wind, and how he will always cherish his lover's love, enshrining it in the heart of a rose.
The lyrics express a deep sense of longing for the love that the singer has found, a love that he sees as being fashioned of starlight, perfume of roses and dew. He recognizes the fleeting nature of love, acknowledging that their paths may sever, but he assures his lover that he will always dream of her, and that her memory will be forever preserved deep in his heart.
Overall, the song is a romantic ballad that speaks to the power of love and the enduring nature of true affection. It emphasizes the importance of cherishing and holding onto love, even if it must be remembered only in the depths of one's heart.
Line by Line Meaning
The magic of springtime is around us tonight
Tonight, we are surrounded by the beauty and charm of springtime.
Enchantment is borne on the breeze
The atmosphere is filled with a mesmerizing aura.
And clothes in the silver of tender moonlight
It is illuminated by the gentle light of the moon.
The birds murmur soft in the trees
The birds are whispering sweet nothings amongst themselves.
As deep in the shadow your eyes look in mine
You gaze into my eyes with great passion, even in the darkness.
Within them a soft flame gently glows
In your eyes, I can see a flicker of love and warmth.
The breath of the night wind is filled with the scent of the rose
The air is filled with a delicate fragrance of roses carried by the wind.
Oh, love while I live, I will always enshrine
I will preserve and cherish your love for eternity.
Your love in the heart of a rose
I will keep the memories of our love in the deepest corners of my heart.
Deep in my heart, dear
My feelings for you are profound and genuine.
I have a dream of you
You are the image that haunts my dreams.
Fashioned of starlight
Made of the most beautiful and exquisite substance in the universe.
Perfume of roses and dew
With the sweet scent of roses and the freshness of the morning dew.
Our paths may sever
Our journey together may come to an end someday.
But I'll remember forever
But I will never forget the love we shared.
I've waited a lifetime for someone to say
I've been longing for someone to say these words to me for a long time.
The things you are saying to me
The words you speak are the ones I've always wanted to hear.
And darling, believe every word that I say
My love, trust me, and believe that these words are true.
Just look in my eyes and you'll see
The proof of my love is in my eyes - just take a look.
You smile and my tears have all melted away
Your smile has the power to chase away all my worries and sadness.
My worries were all false and naught
All my worries were unfounded and unimportant in the light of your love.
It looks like the start of a beautiful day
This moment feels like the beginning of a perfect day.
Just holding you here in my arms
Being close to you, feeling your embrace is all I need.
With you every day's a beautiful day
Being with you makes every day a beautiful one.
As long as I'm here in your arms
As long as I'm with you, I'll always feel safe and happy.
I'll always dream of you
No matter where life takes us, you will always be in my thoughts and dreams.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: SIGMUND ROMBERG, DOROTHY DONNELLY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Nancy Genovese
Just can't get over the regret of not having Mario in person along with his most beautiful voice in the Student Prince.
Kafka's Trial
My mother took me to see this film when she was expecting my sister, I was nearly 7 years old .I have never heard a more wonderful, moving, voice . I am now 74.
manny
No one could sing this song so beautifully. Mario's voice is so perfect for this duet. I love it.
Stella Jennings
Omg my heart goes out to these wonderful singers.👏👏👏❤💙💙💙❤❤
Ирина Малафеева
Как жаль,что только голос Ланца остался в фильме.Лучший голос в мире!!!
Marcela castaño
Mario Lanza was an icon for me in my teens. For this, I fell in love with classical and opera singing! ever since, I have been an unconditional fan of opera. My Dad took me to a M.L. concert and I knew I was hooked...
Sally Couvillion
What a beautiful rendition of this song. It is too bad that Mario Lanza was not permitted to act and well as sing in this film. He obviously knew how to put the song over better than the director. He was a good actor and a great tenor. His singing is so effortless even on the highest notes which seem to float from heaven.
MaryAnn Lewin
BEAUTIFULLY SAID.
Dawn Johnson
Yes he was wonderful but noone coukd have been the Prince in the Student Prince but Edmund Purdom. It was his role. Mario had other films. It would have ruined the feel of the film
clintonbwhyte
He was suppose to play the part of the Prince, he had a big bust-up with the producers and walked out purdom who mimed it perfectly replaced lanzo one of my favourite films seen it about 60 times can't get enough