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."
The First Noel
Mario Lanza Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Was to certain poor shepherds
In fields as they lay
In fields where they lay keeping their sheep
On a cold winter's night That was so deep
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel
Born Is the King of Israel
Shining in the East beyond them far
And to the earth it gave great light
And so it continued both day and night
This star drew nigh to the northwest
O'er Bethlehem it took its rest
And there it did both Pause and stay
Right o'er the place where Jesus lay
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel
Then entered in those Wise men three
Full reverently upon their knee
And offered there in His presence
Their gold and myrrh and frankincense.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel
The lyrics of "The First Noel" depict the story of how the angels appeared to the shepherds in the fields on the night of Jesus Christ's birth. The song emphasizes the humble beginnings of Christ's arrival on Earth, highlighting the fact that the angels chose to reveal the news of his birth to some of the poorest and most marginalized individuals in society- the shepherds. The reference to the "cold winter's night" in the first verse provides a sense of setting and atmosphere, painting a picture of bleakness and emptiness that contrasts with the light and warmth that Jesus Christ's birth brings.
The second verse refers to the appearance of a star in the East which the wise men followed to the stable where Jesus was born. The great light of the star symbolizes the way that the birth of Christ brought illumination and understanding to the world. The third verse tells of the wise men's arrival to the stable, where they presented gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the newborn baby, signifying his divinity, kingship, and eventual sacrifice. The repetition of the word "Noel" at the end of each verse ties the song together, serving as a festive refrain that gives the song an aura of celebration and joy.
Line by Line Meaning
The First Noel the angels did say
The angels were the first to convey the message of the birth of Jesus Christ
Was to certain poor shepherds
The angels gave the news to poor shepherds
In fields as they lay
The shepherds were in a field resting
In fields where they lay keeping their sheep
The shepherds were in the field watching over their flock of sheep
On a cold winter's night That was so deep
It was a very cold, dark winter's night
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel
Rejoice! The birth of Jesus Christ brings good news
Born Is the King of Israel
Jesus Christ, the King of Israel, has been born
They looked up and saw a star
The shepherds saw a bright star in the sky
Shining in the East beyond them far
The star was shining brightly in the East far away from them
And to the earth it gave great light
The star provided a great source of light to guide them
And so it continued both day and night
The star continued to shine both day and night
This star drew nigh to the northwest
The star appeared to draw near to the northwest
O'er Bethlehem it took its rest
The star then rested over Bethlehem
And there it did both Pause and stay
The star remained fixed and stationary
Right o'er the place where Jesus lay
The star was directly over the location where Jesus was born
Then entered in those Wise men three
Three wise men came to visit Jesus
Full reverently upon their knee
They kneeled down in reverence before Jesus
And offered there in His presence
They offered gifts in the presence of Jesus
Their gold and myrrh and frankincense.
The gifts they offered were gold, myrrh, and frankincense
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Traditional
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
MegaMusiclover1234
@Maria Matonti
It was a very popular album. However, due to a disagreement with the film's director, Curtis Bernhardt, who was later replaced, Mario parted company with the film. Veteran actor, Edmund Purdom, took his place and mouthed Mario's singing for the film. Mario's fans were greatly saddened not to be able to actually see him singing his own songs.
Thank you for your comment.
I'm sorry for the delay in replying to you. I just found out how to use the new YouTube apparatus. I am 70 years old and I am not very computer savvy. Please pardon the great delay.
Kind Regards,
Sandra
Kathleen Meury
Dear musiclover1234 From the bottom of my heart l thank you for uploading the glorious sounds of our beloved Mario Lanza. The depth and passion of his songs of Praise have always given me chills. My mom passed away 27 years ago at the young age of 57. I miss her terribly to this day. A joy of Christmas was always to listen to Mario Lanza's Christmas record and decorate our tree. I trust he and my mom are singing with the angelic hosts this Christmas! Thank you for bringing back to life a treasured memory through love of this fabulous artist and child of God. Merry Merry Christmas! God bless you!
Eva Smith
My mom died 6 years ago and I listen to my Mario Lanza Christmas tape every year in tears💙
Catherine Griessel
Me too loved this mab
MegaMusiclover1234
@MrSammyscroll Thank you so much for your comment. It is always wonderful to hear from Mario's fans. He passed away over 50 years ago, but his "glorious" voice lives on for those of us who heard him sing in person, on the radio, on TV, in his movies or on records and now for younger generations which can become acquainted with him through such venues as YouTube. Merry Christmas
Jane Ray
What an incredible voice! Glorious tenor.
MegaMusiclover1234
+Jane Ray
Jane,
You said it all in just a few words.
May you and your family have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Kind Regards,
Sandra
Joseph Lanzillo
Thee has never been a voice as beautiful , just awesome
MegaMusiclover1234
Joseph,
I agree with you completely.
Kind Regards,
Sandra
atenorforjesus
Mario is my favourite tenor. Where did you get that astonishing photo at 1min 22? Wow.
Emelina Diaz
Wow very nice voicce n song of mario i like it one of my favorite