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 Loveliest Night of the Year
Mario Lanza Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's the lovliest night of the year
Stars twinkle above
And you almost can touch them from here
Words fall in to rhyme
Any time you are holding me near
When you are in love
It's the lovliest night of the year
Like a breeze drifting over the sand
Thrilled by the wonder of you
And the wonderful touch of your hand
And my heart starts to beat
Like a child when a birthday is near
So, kiss me my sweet,
It's the lovliest night of the year
When you are in love
It's the lovliest night of the year
Stars twinkle above
And you almost can touch them from here
Words fall in to rhyme
Any time you are holding me near
When you are in love
It's the lovliest night of the year
Waltzing along in the blue
Like a breeze drifting over the sand
Thrilled by the wonder of you
And the wonderful touch of your hand
And my heart starts to beat
Like a child when a birthday is near
So, kiss me my sweet,
It's the lovliest night of the year
The Loveliest Night of the Year is a romantic ballad that celebrates the beauty and wonder of being in love. The song describes how everything seems to be more magical and enchanting when one is in love. The stars twinkle above and appear within reach, words rhyme, and hearts beat wildly. The singer encourages his love interest to kiss him because it is the loveliest night of the year, a time when they can revel in the wonder of their love.
The lyrics evoke feelings of joy, wonder, and enchantment, and the setting further contributes to the atmosphere of romance. The song mentions waltzing in the blue, as if the couple is dancing on a beautiful, starry night. The reference to the breeze drifting over the sand and the touch of a hand further adds to the dreamy scenery that accompanies this night of love.
In summary, the lyrics of The Loveliest Night of the Year describe the thrilling sensation of being in love and celebrating the enchantment of that moment. It also portrays the beautiful and serene setting where the couple finds themselves in love.
Line by Line Meaning
When you are in love
Being in love makes everything feel magical
It's the lovliest night of the year
Love can transform any night into the most beautiful night of the year
Stars twinkle above
The stars feel brighter when you're in love
And you almost can touch them from here
The stars feel so close that you can almost touch them
Words fall in to rhyme
Love can make everything poetic and romantic
Any time you are holding me near
Being close to the person you love can make any moment special
Waltzing along in the blue
Dancing with your love can make you feel like you're floating on cloud nine
Like a breeze drifting over the sand
Love can make you feel weightless and free, like a gentle breeze over the sand
Thrilled by the wonder of you
Being in love can make you feel thrilled and amazed by the person you're with
And the wonderful touch of your hand
The simple touch of your lover's hand can feel wonderful and electrifying
And my heart starts to beat
Love can make your heart race and skip a beat
Like a child when a birthday is near
Being in love can make you feel the excitement and anticipation of a child before their birthday
So, kiss me my sweet,
Being kissed by your loved one is one of the most beautiful and romantic moments in life
It's the lovliest night of the year
This night, because of the love shared, is the most beautiful and wonderful night of the year
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: IRVING AARONSON, JUVENTINO ROSAS, PAUL FRANCIS WEBSTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@OperaJH
I am in my 70’s now. I fell in love for the first time at 4 years of age - and it was with Mario Lanza and his beautiful voice. My beautiful mother who had a 5-octave singing range would often sing this song to me. So this song brings back many memories and feelings for me… Thank you for posting! 🎉❤
@markherron1407
Happy Birthday to the Late Mario Lanza Blessings and Hugs 💖💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕!
@edithithak3420
Hearing this wonderful song sung by Mario Lanza always bring me back to my golden days. Thanks
@daliadalipiazza6417
Immagino una coppia danzante appassionatamente il valzer, roteando in tutto il salone.
Bellissimo 💃💃💃🕺🕺🕺
@josephmosikili1902
This is the True Gentleman 's Voice. May Almighty God Bless Our Great Mario Lanza.
@elenewentzel610
🌹🌟Just listening to this amazing voice off Mario Lanza singing this song, gives me goosebumps. It’s such a pleasure listening to it and how beautiful and romantic it is.🌟🌹🥰👏👏
@nojokingbob
Thank you for posting this song, I grew up listening to Mario Lanza my mom was a huge fan of his and classical music in general. This song brought back so many wonderful memories of listening to this with my mother and just great memories of my child hood. Can't thank you enough for that wonderful gift. Thanks again and please keep posting.
Randy T.
@user-ll7lv1gh9r
Самый лучший в мире певец и Артист❤️🌹❤️🌹❤️🌹❤️🌹❤️🌹❤️🌹❤️🌹🙋♀️🥰с Уважением Лариса Эстония(08-11-2019!)
@cga6441
I was ecstatic when I saw Mario Lanza on you tube and I was able to listen again to almost all his songs, my favorite singer of all time. He was my father's favorite too, and now I can show him to my children, thanks to you all.
@jonibeehealthy
I am 85 and always loved Mario Lanza too. Yes, the world lost a great voice, too early.