Mantovani
Encyclopedia
Annunzio Paolo Mantovani (anˈnuntsi̯o ˈpaolo mantoˈvaːni) (November 15, 1905 – March 29, 1980) known as Mantovani, was an Anglo-Italian conductor
and light orchestra
-styled entertainer with a cascading strings
musical signature. The book British Hit Singles & Albums states that he was "Britain's most successful album act before The Beatles
... the first act to sell over one million stereo albums and had six albums simultaneously in the US Top 30 in 1959".
, Italy
into a musical family. His father, Bismarck, served as the concertmaster
of the La Scala
opera house's orchestra in Milan
, under the baton of Arturo Toscanini
. The family moved to England
in 1912, where young Annunzio studied at Trinity College of Music
in London
. After graduation, he formed his own orchestra, which played in and around Birmingham
. He married Winifred Moss in 1934, and they had two children: Kenneth (born July 12, 1935) and Paula Irene (born April 11, 1939). By the time World War II
broke out, his orchestra was one of the most popular in England, both on BBC
radio broadcasts and in live performances.
He was also musical director for a large number of musicals and other plays, including one composed by Noel Coward
. After the war, he concentrated on recording, and eventually gave up live performance altogether. He worked with arranger and composer Ronnie Binge
, who developed the "cascading strings
" sound (also known as the "Mantovani sound"). His records were regularly used for demonstration purposes in stores selling hi-fi stereo equipment, as they were produced and arranged for stereo reproduction. In 1952, Binge ceased to arrange for Mantovani but the distinctive sound of the orchestra remained.
Mantovani recorded for Decca
until the mid-1950s, and then for London Records
. He recorded in excess of 50 albums on that label, many of which were Top 40 hits
. His single tracks included "The Song from The Moulin Rouge", which reached Number One in the UK Singles Chart
in 1953. In the United States
, between 1955 and 1972, he released more than 40 albums with 27 reaching the "Top 40", and 11 in the "Top Ten". His biggest success came with the album Film Encores, which attained Number One in 1957.
Similarly, Mantovani Plays Music From 'Exodus' and Other Great Themes made it to Number Two in 1961, with over one million albums sold.
In 1958, Mantovani and his family bought a holiday home in Bournemouth
in Durley Chine Road, and then in 1961 acquired a new property in Burton Road (now part of Poole
). He moved, finally, to a new home in Martello Road in Poole.
Mantovani starred in his own syndicated television series, Mantovani
, which was produced in England and which aired in the United States in 1959. Thirty-nine episodes were filmed.
Mantovani made his last recordings in 1975. He died at a care home in Tunbridge Wells, Kent
, and was buried in Bournemouth, in 1980.
". Binge developed this technique to replicate the echo
experienced in venues such as cathedrals and he achieved this goal through arranging skill alone.
Author Joseph Lanza describes Mantovani's string arrangements as the most "rich and mellifluous" of the emerging light music
style during the early 1950s. He stated that Mantovani was a leader in the use of new studio technologies to "create sound tapestries with innumerable strings", and that "the sustained hum of Mantovani's reverberated violins produced a sonic vaporizer foreshadowing the synthesizer harmonics of space music
."
Mantovani is referred to by name in The Kinks
song "Prince of the Punks". He also had a big influence on Brian May, Queen guitarist.
. There are also many compilations. A large number of CDs are available containing unauthorized recordings, billed as Mantovani or Mantovani Orchestra. There have also been CDs released under the Mantovani name of recordings made by others while Mantovani was still alive.
The Mantovani Orchestra was recreated for a tribute concert held at the Lighthouse
, in Poole, England, on 27 January 2008. A second concert took place the following year at the same venue. A DVD and CD containing music by the orchestra was then planned.
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
and light orchestra
Light music
Light music is a generic term applied to a mainly British musical style of "light" orchestral music, which originated in the 19th century and had its heyday during the early to mid part of the 20th century, although arguably it lasts to the present day....
-styled entertainer with a cascading strings
Cascading strings
Cascading strings is an arrangement technique of British light music. This technique is associated in the U.S. with the style of Easy Listening known as Beautiful Music. The cascading strings effect was first developed by British composer/arranger Ronald Binge, but most associated with Annunzio...
musical signature. The book British Hit Singles & Albums states that he was "Britain's most successful album act before The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
... the first act to sell over one million stereo albums and had six albums simultaneously in the US Top 30 in 1959".
Biography
Mantovani was born in VeniceVenice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
into a musical family. His father, Bismarck, served as the concertmaster
Concertmaster
The concertmaster/mistress is the spalla or leader, of the first violin section of an orchestra. In the UK, the term commonly used is leader...
of the La Scala
La Scala
La Scala , is a world renowned opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the New Royal-Ducal Theatre at La Scala...
opera house's orchestra in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, under the baton of Arturo Toscanini
Arturo Toscanini
Arturo Toscanini was an Italian conductor. One of the most acclaimed musicians of the late 19th and 20th century, he was renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orchestral detail and sonority, and his photographic memory...
. The family moved to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1912, where young Annunzio studied at Trinity College of Music
Trinity College of Music
Trinity College of Music is one of the London music conservatories, based in Greenwich. It is part of Trinity Laban.The conservatoire is inheritor of elegant riverside buildings of the former Greenwich Hospital, designed in part by Sir Christopher Wren...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. After graduation, he formed his own orchestra, which played in and around Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
. He married Winifred Moss in 1934, and they had two children: Kenneth (born July 12, 1935) and Paula Irene (born April 11, 1939). By the time World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
broke out, his orchestra was one of the most popular in England, both on BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
radio broadcasts and in live performances.
He was also musical director for a large number of musicals and other plays, including one composed by Noel Coward
Noël Coward
Sir Noël Peirce Coward was an English playwright, composer, director, actor and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what Time magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise".Born in Teddington, a suburb of London, Coward attended a dance academy...
. After the war, he concentrated on recording, and eventually gave up live performance altogether. He worked with arranger and composer Ronnie Binge
Ronald Binge
Ronald Binge was a British composer and arranger of light music.-Biography:He was born in a working-class neighbourhood in Derby in the English Midlands. In his childhood he was a chorister at Saint Andrews Church , London Road, Derby - 'the railwaymens church'...
, who developed the "cascading strings
String orchestra
A string orchestra is an orchestra composed solely or primarily of instruments from the string family. These instruments are the violin, the viola, the cello, the double bass , the piano, the harp, and sometimes percussion...
" sound (also known as the "Mantovani sound"). His records were regularly used for demonstration purposes in stores selling hi-fi stereo equipment, as they were produced and arranged for stereo reproduction. In 1952, Binge ceased to arrange for Mantovani but the distinctive sound of the orchestra remained.
Mantovani recorded for Decca
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
until the mid-1950s, and then for London Records
London Records
London Records, referred to as London Recordings in logo, is a record label headquartered in the United Kingdom, originally marketing records in the United States, Canada and Latin America from 1947 to 1979, then becoming a semi-independent label....
. He recorded in excess of 50 albums on that label, many of which were Top 40 hits
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
. His single tracks included "The Song from The Moulin Rouge", which reached Number One in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
in 1953. In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, between 1955 and 1972, he released more than 40 albums with 27 reaching the "Top 40", and 11 in the "Top Ten". His biggest success came with the album Film Encores, which attained Number One in 1957.
Similarly, Mantovani Plays Music From 'Exodus' and Other Great Themes made it to Number Two in 1961, with over one million albums sold.
In 1958, Mantovani and his family bought a holiday home in Bournemouth
Bournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
in Durley Chine Road, and then in 1961 acquired a new property in Burton Road (now part of Poole
Poole
Poole is a large coastal town and seaport in the county of Dorset, on the south coast of England. The town is east of Dorchester, and Bournemouth adjoins Poole to the east. The Borough of Poole was made a unitary authority in 1997, gaining administrative independence from Dorset County Council...
). He moved, finally, to a new home in Martello Road in Poole.
Mantovani starred in his own syndicated television series, Mantovani
Mantovani (TV series)
Mantovani is an early American television series which aired in NTA Film Network syndication during 1959. It was a music program featuring British orchestra leader Annunzio Paolo Mantovani and his 46-piece orchestra, and hosted by John Conte....
, which was produced in England and which aired in the United States in 1959. Thirty-nine episodes were filmed.
Mantovani made his last recordings in 1975. He died at a care home in Tunbridge Wells, Kent
Royal Tunbridge Wells
Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town in west Kent, England, about south-east of central London by road, by rail. The town is close to the border of the county of East Sussex...
, and was buried in Bournemouth, in 1980.
Music style and influences
The cascading strings technique developed by Binge became Mantovani's hallmark in such hits arranged by Binge as "CharmaineCharmaine (song)
"Charmaine" is a popular song written by Erno Rapee, with lyrics by Lew Pollack. The song was written in 1926 and published in 1927. However, Desmond Carrington on his BBC Radio 2 programme marked the song's writing as being in 1913....
". Binge developed this technique to replicate the echo
Echo (phenomenon)
In audio signal processing and acoustics, an echo is a reflection of sound, arriving at the listener some time after the direct sound. Typical examples are the echo produced by the bottom of a well, by a building, or by the walls of an enclosed room and an empty room. A true echo is a single...
experienced in venues such as cathedrals and he achieved this goal through arranging skill alone.
Author Joseph Lanza describes Mantovani's string arrangements as the most "rich and mellifluous" of the emerging light music
Light music
Light music is a generic term applied to a mainly British musical style of "light" orchestral music, which originated in the 19th century and had its heyday during the early to mid part of the 20th century, although arguably it lasts to the present day....
style during the early 1950s. He stated that Mantovani was a leader in the use of new studio technologies to "create sound tapestries with innumerable strings", and that "the sustained hum of Mantovani's reverberated violins produced a sonic vaporizer foreshadowing the synthesizer harmonics of space music
Space music
Space music, also called spacemusic, is an umbrella term, synonymous with a segment of New Age Music and Ambient Music, used to describe music that evokes a feeling of contemplative spaciousness. Space music can be found within a wide range of genres. It is particularly associated with ambient, New...
."
Mantovani is referred to by name in The Kinks
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
song "Prince of the Punks". He also had a big influence on Brian May, Queen guitarist.
Post-death publishing
Much of his catalogue has reappeared on CDCompact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
. There are also many compilations. A large number of CDs are available containing unauthorized recordings, billed as Mantovani or Mantovani Orchestra. There have also been CDs released under the Mantovani name of recordings made by others while Mantovani was still alive.
The Mantovani Orchestra was recreated for a tribute concert held at the Lighthouse
The Lighthouse (Poole)
The Lighthouse is an arts centre in Poole, Dorset, England. According to the Arts council of England it is the largest arts centre in the United Kingdom outside London....
, in Poole, England, on 27 January 2008. A second concert took place the following year at the same venue. A DVD and CD containing music by the orchestra was then planned.
Popular music
- Plays The Music Of Romberg, London LL 1031, 1954
- Song Hits from Theatreland, London 125, 1955
- Plays The Immortal Classics, London LL 877, 1956
- Music from the Films, London 112
- Waltz Encores, London 119
- Film Encores, London 124, 1957
- Gems Forever, London 106, 1958
- Continental Encores, London 147, 1959.
- Film Encores, Vol. 2, London 164, 1959
- The Music of Victor Herbert and Sigmund Romberg, London 165, 1960
- The Music of Irving Berlin and Rudolf Friml, London 166, 1956
- The American Scene, London 182
- Songs to Remember, London 193, 1960
- Great Theme Music (Music from "Exodus"), London 224, 1961
- Theme from "Carnival", London 3250, 1961
- Themes from Broadway, London 242
- American Waltzes, London 248
- Moon River, London 249, 1962
- Selections from "Stop the World - I Want to Get Off" and "Oliver", London 270
- Latin Rendezvous, London 295
- Manhattan, London 328, 1963
- Folk Songs Around the World, London 360
- The Incomparable Mantovani, London 392
- The Mantovani Sound, London 419, 1965
- Mantovani Olé, London 422
- Mantovani Magic, London 448, 1966
- Mantovani's golden hits, Decca 1967 SKL 4818
- Mr. Music, London 474, 1966
- Mantovani/Hollywood, London 516
- The Mantovani Touch, London 526, 1968
- Mantovani/Tango, London 532
- Mantovani ... Memories, London 542
- The Mantovani Scene, London 548, 1969
- The World of Mantovani, London 565, 1969
- Mantovani Today, London 572, 1970
- From Monty with Love, London 585-586, 1971
- Annunzio Paolo Mantovani, London XPS 610, 1972
- An Evening with Mantovani, London 902, 1973
- The Greatest Gift Is Love, London 913, 1975
Semi-classical music
- Strauss Waltzes, London LL 685, 1953
- Strauss Waltzes, London 118 1958
- Concert Encores, London 133
- Operetta Memories, London 202
- Italia Mia, London 232, 1961
- Classical Encores, London 269
- The World's Great Love Songs, London 280
- Mantovani in Concert, London 578
Christmas and religious music
- Christmas Carols, London 142, 1954
- Songs of Praise, London 245
- Christmas Greetings, London 338
- Christmas Carols, London LL 913