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."
Oh Danny Boy
Mario Lanza Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From glen to glen, and down the mountain side
The summer's gone, and all the roses falling
It's you, it's you, must go and I must bide
But come ye back when summer's in the meadow
Or when the valley's hushed and white with snow
It's I'll be here in sunshine or in shadow
But when ye come, and all the flowers are dying
If I am dead, as dead I well may be
You'll come and find the place where I am lying
And kneel and say an Ave there for me
And I shall hear, though soft you tread above me
And all my grave will warmer, sweeter be
For you, will bend and tell me that you love me
And I shall sleep in peace until you come to me!
The song is a touching ballad expressing the deep love between two friends who are parting ways. The lyrics evoke the image of the Irish countryside, with the mention of the pipes calling from glen to glen, and the reference to roses falling, depicting the end of summer. The singer expresses his sadness about his friend Danny leaving, and how much he loves him. He wishes for Danny to return when the valley is hushed and white with snow, and assures him that he will be here in sunshine or in shadow.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling
Danny boy, the sounds of the pipes are inviting you
From glen to glen, and down the mountain side
The sound is echoing throughout the valleys and mountainsides
The summer's gone, and all the roses falling
The summer has ended and the beauty of nature is fading
It's you, it's you, must go and I must bide
You must leave and I must stay behind
But come ye back when summer's in the meadow
Return when summer is at its peak
Or when the valley's hushed and white with snow
Or when the valley falls silent and white with snow
It's I'll be here in sunshine or in shadow
I'll be here waiting for you in all circumstances
Oh, Danny boy, oh Danny boy, I love you so!
Danny boy, I love you deeply and sincerely
But when ye come, and all the flowers are dying
But when you return and everything is fading away
If I am dead, as dead I well may be
If I have passed away, as is a possibility
You'll come and find the place where I am lying
You'll seek out my resting place
And kneel and say an Ave there for me
And kneel and pray for me at my grave
And I shall hear, though soft you tread above me
I will hear you, even if you walk softly above me
And all my grave will warmer, sweeter, be
My resting place will feel warmer and sweeter because of your presence
For you, will bend and tell me that you love me
Because you will bend down and express your love for me
And I shall sleep in peace until you come to me!
I will rest in peace until you join me
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: Traditional
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@belindawilliams3728
I am totally inamoured by dear Mario Lanza! I can't help but see him as 'the Patron Saint of tenors'
Perhaps there's a golden thread of Celtic soul within his heart! Bellissimo Mario!
@kaysimmons-lee3809
I'm of Irish descent and this is my favorite version of Danny Boy. What an amazing voice Mr. Lanza had. God rest his spirit... in passed away the year I was born.
@emiliam.7441
I gave $2 to a Chinese man who was playing "Danny Boy" on his flute. You don't have to be Irish to like our music!
@mandyharrison3799
The man was an absolute genius...I get goosebumps every time I hear that tremendous voice...god rest your beautiful soul x❤
@AineFahey-yy8dk
My dad loved Mario, and I feel privileged to love him too. His version of this gives me goose bumps too. Love you Mario.
@Bluesbee8
A song usually best done by Irish tenors... But through Mario Lanza's subtleties and voice placement he transfigures into the most splendid of Irish tenors! Absolutely beautiful..
@seanfabien1289
A Fantastic rendition of the song, sung by one of best singers in the world. A great man Mario Lanza . From Scotland
@nancycastanedaheavey8369
Mario Lanza!!! El prefido de mi mi madre.... y Danny boy como buena Irlandenza es una cancion adorada. Gracias mi viejieta preciosa por tu Danny Boy y Mario Lanza!!! Me reconfortan... como si estuvieras a nuestro ladito. I love you Mamy Patricia Heavey Tormey
@rouman7
sung by the best, a tenor that can never be matched.. simply a legend.
@ainefahey9885
My mum and dad loved Mario. No wonder. What a voice, and what a face. Beautiful, in both respects