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."
Granada
Mario Lanza Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And if you could speak what a fascinating tale you would tell
Of an age the world has long forgotten
Of an age that weaves the silent magic in Granada today
The dawn in the sky greets the day with a sigh for Granada
For she can remember the splendor that once was Granada
It still can be found in the hills all around as I wander along
Entranced by a land full of sunshine and flowers and song
And when day is done and the sun starts to set in Granada
I envy the blush of the snow clad Sierra Nevada
For soon it will welcome the stars
While a thousand guitars play a soft Habanera
Then moonlit Granada will live again
The glory of yesterday romantic and gay.
Mario Lanza's "Granada" is a song about the beauty and magic of the city of Granada, Spain. The first line of the song, "Granada, I'm falling under your spell," sets the tone for the entire piece. Lanza sings about the fascinating tale that Granada would tell if it could speak. This idea of a city with a story to tell almost personifies the place, and it is clear that Lanza feels a connection to it.
He goes on to speak about an age long forgotten, an age that created the silent magic that still exists in Granada today. The city's beauty is not only present in the physical landscape (its hills, sunshine, and flowers), but also in its song. Lanza's lyrics are deeply romantic, and the soft Habanera played by a thousand guitars at moonlit night makes the glory of yesterday romantic and gay.
Overall, the song is a love letter to the city of Granada. The lyrics are deeply poetic, and Lanza's rich tenor voice is the perfect accompaniment to the sweeping, dramatic melody.
Line by Line Meaning
Granada, I'm falling under your spell
I am captivated and entranced by the beauty and charm of Granada.
And if you could speak what a fascinating tale you would tell
Granada has a rich and fascinating history that would be worth hearing if only it could speak.
Of an age the world has long forgotten
Granada is home to a bygone era that has been forgotten by the rest of the world.
Of an age that weaves the silent magic in Granada today
The magic and charm that still exists in Granada today are a result of its storied past.
The dawn in the sky greets the day with a sigh for Granada
The beauty of Granada is so great that even the sky itself sighs in awe at its dawn.
For she can remember the splendor that once was Granada
The sky, like the people of Granada, remembers the grandeur and magnificence that once defined the city.
It still can be found in the hills all around as I wander along
Even today, the remnants of the past can still be found in the hills of Granada as I walk through them.
Entranced by the beauty before me
The beauty of the landscape and the city itself is so enchanting that I cannot help but be captivated.
Entranced by a land full of sunshine and flowers and song
The atmosphere of Granada is full of bright and vibrant energy in the form of sunshine, flowers, and music.
And when day is done and the sun starts to set in Granada
As the day draws to a close and the sun begins to set, the mood and energy of Granada changes.
I envy the blush of the snow clad Sierra Nevada
I am envious of the beauty of the snow-covered Sierra Nevada mountains that can be seen from Granada.
For soon it will welcome the stars
The night sky will soon make an appearance, along with the stars, over the mountains.
While a thousand guitars play a soft Habanera
The sounds of a thousand guitars playing a romantic and soothing Habanera fill the night air.
Then moonlit Granada will live again
The magic and charm that is unique to moonlit Granada will return.
The glory of yesterday romantic and gay.
The city will once again be filled with the romantic and festive energy of its past glory.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Agustin Lara
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Fafa Fly
Granada, tierra soñada por mi
Mi cantar se vuelve gitano
Cuando es para ti
Mi cantar hecho de fantasía
Mi cantar, flor de melancolía
Que yo te vengo a dar
Granada
Tierra ensangrentada
En tardes de toros
Mujer que conserva el embrujo
De los ojos moros
De sueño rebelde y gitana
Cubierta de flores
Y beso tu boca de grana
Jugosa manzana
Que me habla de amores
Granada Manola
Cantada en coplas preciosas
No tengo otra cosa que darte
Que un ramo de rosas
De rosas de suave fragancia
Que le dieran marco
A la Virgen Morena
Granada
Tu tierra está llena de lindas mujeres
De sangre y de sol
Granada Manola cantada en coplas preciosas
No tengo otra cosa que darte
Que un ramo de rosas
De rosas de suave fragancia
Que le dieran marco
A la Virgen Morena
Granada
Tu tierra está llena de lindas mujeres
De sangre y de sol
Compositores: Agustin Lara
Milly Bgt
Une aussi belle voix et sans forcer sur les notes très hautes !
Brendan Ryan
My God this guy's voice is beyond incredible , never heard anything so impressive in my life .
roundrock
Yet he went unrecognised!!!
Javi
@roundrock No he did not! He is well known and recognized.
Cacha Vacha
One of the best tenors
Gigi Godzilla
Check him out in the aria from Madame Butterfly with Kathryne Grayson. You can't help but fall in love with him.
Patrick Guinnane
welcome to the party pal...
Linda Cuffe
I grew up listening to Mario Lanza , I have very fond memories of my dad conducting the orchestra from the kitchen while listening to his favourite tenor Mario Lanza. Both are gone now but are never forgotten., whenever I hear Mario Lanza sing I have so many memories.
Linda Gyftopoulos
That sounds like my childhood
doncrist2012
Was more popular in our house then the Beatles