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 Song Angels Sing
Mario Lanza Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Glory to the new-born king
Peace on earth, and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled
Joyful, all ye nations, rise
Join the triumph of the skies
With the angelic host proclaim
Christ is born in Bethlehem
Glory to the new-born king
Hail, the heaven-born
Prince of peace
Hail, the son of righteousness
Light and life to all he brings
Risen with healing in his wings
Mild he leads his thrown on high
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth
Hark, the herald angels sing
Glory to the new-born king
The lyrics of Mario Lanza's song "Hark! the Herald Angels Sing" describe the joyous announcement of the birth of Jesus Christ to the world by the angels. The first verse begins with the heralding of the angels and their declaration of "Glory to the new-born king." The second line speaks of "Peace on earth, and mercy mild," a reference to the message of hope that Jesus brought with him. The third and fourth lines of the verse reflect the important Christian belief in the reconciliation of God and sinners through the birth of Jesus.
In the second verse of the song, we see the angels hail Jesus Christ as the "heaven-born Prince of peace" and the "son of righteousness," emphasizing his divine nature. The verse goes on to depict Jesus as a bringer of light and life, with healing in his wings. The line "Born that man no more may die" reflects the Christian belief in eternal life through faith in Jesus, and "Born to give them second birth" reinforces the idea of spiritual rebirth through Christ.
Line by Line Meaning
Hark, the herald angels sing
Listen, The messengers of great news are singing
Glory to the new-born king
Praise the newborn king
Peace on earth, and mercy mild
May peace and mild mercy be on Earth
God and sinners reconciled
God has united with sinners to make peace
Joyful, all ye nations, rise
All nations, rise in joy
Join the triumph of the skies
Become victors with us in the skies
With the angelic host proclaim
Together with the heavenly host, proclaim
Christ is born in Bethlehem
Christ has been born in Bethlehem
Hail, the heaven-born
Greetings to heaven-born
Prince of peace
The peaceful leader
Hail, the son of righteousness
Greetings to the righteous son
Light and life to all he brings
He brings light and life to all
Risen with healing in his wings
Risen with the power to heal, like wings on his back
Mild he leads his throne on high
Gently, he leads his throne on high
Born that man no more may die
Born so that man will no longer die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to raise the people of Earth
Born to give them second birth
Born to give them a new life
Hark, the herald angels sing
Listen, The messengers of great news are singing
Glory to the new-born king
Praise the newborn king
Lyrics © DistroKid, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing, Integrity Music, Downtown Music Publishing, Abkco Music Inc., Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Charles Wesley, Felix Mendelssohn
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ritacrivaro7638
My mother's cousin. My grandfather and Mario's father were brother. His mother is Rita Lanza; my mom was also named Rita Lanza. My name is Rita. I went to my cousin's funeral as a little girl who understand the lost of a loved one. I am, at the age of 72, still saddened when I hear his voice and remember him. Thank you for sharing.
@alexvaliansky7707
Mario’s mother’s (maiden) name was Maria Lanza.
@Palmarola2012
It is truly amazing that a singer who passed away so long ago still captures the imagination of millions. It is a testimony to Mario Lanza's fantastic talent. It was a splendid but short lived career filled with passion and success and some difficult times. At the end, Lanza was back on his way up and was among the most popular entertainers of his era. I recommend reading A KID FROM PHILADELPHIA, MARIO LANZA, THE VOICE OF THE POETS, and to listen to him as you read the beautiful essays that are a homage to a star who is still with us and will always be with us.
@lindafischer7927
He was the best ever
@lindafischer7927
He was so handsome and such a beautiful voice.
@lindafischer7927
I was a real fan.
@purplegothicqueen
My dad passed away Tuesday and he loved Mario Lanza and so I am listening to him now in memory of my father.
@richardrodrigues783
purplegothicqueen He was also a different favourite of my dad who also sang but was never such a great voice.I grew up listening to the records of Maria Lanza.My mother was the actual collector of his records that she still has today and was a quiet fan of his.
@jamesstites6411
My father passed a week before Christmas, 2021, So ,I'll sing it to him myself......🙏🙏🙏🙏😇😇😇
@purplegothicqueen
@@jamesstites6411 very sorry for your lossxxx