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Hailed somewhat over-enthusiastically as ‘a newCaruso’ well before he made the biopic looselybased on the career of his Neapolitanpredecessor, the meteoric Mario Lanza was avital performer tailor-made for exploitation bothon screen and on disc. His best recordingsshow his instinctive flair for phrasing and oftenremarkable breath-control. To these he added acertain Latin fire which in the words of AndréPrevin (in the early 1950s an arranger at MGM)“brooked no musical dynamic under an eyeball-rolling triple forte”.

Mario was born Alfred Arnoldo Cocozza intoan immigrant Italian family in Philadelphia on31 January 1921. Resident in America from theage of sixteen his father Antonio was a disabledWorld War I veteran while his seamstressmother, Maria Lanza – luckily for Mario – was afrustrated soprano.As a lad he heard Caruso,Gigli and other great tenors on records and wasactively encouraged to sing. While at schoolmore inclined to sport than to study (hedropped out of high school to work in hisgrandfather’s wholesale grocery business), heremained nonetheless an avid vocal student inhis spare time. During his late teens he trainedfor about eighteen months with the baritoneAntonio Scarduzzo and was coached by thePhildelphia-born soprano Irene Williams (1887-1979) who had connections in society circles.

In 1942, Mario auditioned for Sergei Koussevit-

sky during a Boston Symphony Orchestra tourof Philadelphia and was awarded a scholarshipto study at the New England Conservatory inBoston. Later that year he made his stage début(as Fenton in Nicolai’s Merry Wives of Windsor)at the Berkshire Summer Festival at Tanglewood,the Boston Orchestra’s summer headquarters.Signed for a concert tour by Columbia, hiscareer was temporarily interrupted by twoyears’ war service in the United States Air Force.Based at Marfa,Texas, after auditioning success-fully for Peter Lind Hayes, he soon found anopening for his talent in forces’ shows and, afterdemobilisation in 1945, he joined the chorus-line of the Broadway musical Winged Victory –a fund-raising flag-waver scored by David Roseand devised by Moss Hart, presented by an allmilitary cast of US Army-Air Force personnel.

In mid-1945 Mario stood in for tenor JanPeerce on ABC’s ‘Celanese Hour’ and betweenOctober and February 1946 appeared in six‘Great Moments In Music’ concerts in NewYork. During 1946 he toured Canada in concertwith soprano Agnes Davis and embarked onfurther vocal training with Enrico Rosati (Gigli’ssometime teacher), through whose influence hewas invited to sing in the Verdi Requiem withthe NBC Symphony Orchestra, under Toscanini– an opportunity he turned down through lackof self-confidence. By 1947, however, Lanza’sreputation had grown – and with it his self-

MARIO LANZA Vol.3

The Christmas Album Original 1950-1952 Recordings

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confidence – and in July, in company withsoprano Frances Yeend (b. 1918) and bass-baritone George London (1919-1985), heformed the Bel Canto Trio, which over the nextyear gave 84 concerts in the USA, Canada,Newfoundland and Mexico.

On 28 August 1947 the end of their tour wasmarked with a gala at the Hollywood Bowl, withsymphony orchestra under Eugene Ormandy.Present on that occasion was Louis B. Mayer,who would soon be signing the tenor to aseven-year MGM contract. Meanwhile, however,two appearances in opera (as Pinkerton inMadama Butterfly during the 1948 NewOrleans Opera season) prompted Lanza toconclude that a greater future awaited him inthe more congenial spheres of concert, radioand screen. His MGM contract consolidatedthat conviction with unexpected financialsecurity: $750 dollars per week for the sixmonths spent preparing his first movie, plus a$10,000 bonus, $15,000 on completion of thefilm itself and freedom meanwhile to giveconcerts, radio appearances and makerecordings (under a prestigious, exclusivecontract with RCA-Victor).

Lanza’s first film – a 98-minute musical calledThat Midnight Kiss – was released in 1949,pairing Mario for the first time with the comely,North Carolina-born soprano Kathryn Grayson(b.1922). His second movie, The Toast Of New

Orleans (1950) netted him a fee of $25,000, itsscore also bringing the added cachet of anAcademy Award-winner,“Be My Love”, a SammyCahn–Nicholas Brodszky composition which

also topped the US charts Top 30 and by 1951became his first million-selling disc, makingMario a household name and recordingsuperstar.

During 1951, Lanza began weekly broadcastsof ‘The Mario Lanza Show’ (for CBS, sponsoredby Coca Cola) and made his third film-musical,The Great Caruso. Generally rated his besteffort, it was certainly the most commerciallysuccessful and to this day has kept its place inthe affection of Lanza fans. Its release wasfollowed by a coast-to-coast ‘Caruso ConcertTour’ during which ‘Lanza fever’ swept the USA,while the LP of its soundtrack became the first‘operatic’ long-player to attain Gold Disc status.In The Great Caruso Lanza introduced themillion-selling “Loveliest Night Of The Year”(based on the waltz “Over The waves”), andresurrected the ever-popular Ave, Maria (the1859 adaptation by Gounod of the first studyfrom Bach’s ‘Well-Tempered Clavier’) andBecause, a world-famous best-selling 1902ballad by Guy d’Hardelot (1858-1936).Recorded in its original French version byCaruso himself, in 1912, the Lanza version ofthis most popular of ‘English’ tenor love-balladswas a US No.16 in June 1951.

Already a ‘name’ – and a tenor-issimo name atthat – on both screen and radio, Mario wasseized on by RCA-Victor as a money-spinner. Aforce in the market he could combine certainaspects of the popular ballad-singing traditionearlier represented by McCormack, RichardCrooks, Nelson Eddy and others with the cachetof a modern film-idol, and from 1950 onwards

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all sorts of items old and new were added tothe growing Lanza discography. These includedballads of sentiment such as Trees (the famous1922 Oscar Rasbach setting of verses by theAmerican poetaster Joyce Kilmer (1886-1918)already long ensconced in US popularvocabulary) and the ‘inspirational’ ballads TheRosary (published in 1898, with words byRobert Cameron Rogers and music byPhiladelphia-born pianist-composer EthelbertWoodbridge Nevin (1862-1901), this was long afavourite of American women’s clubs) and TheLord’s Prayer (in the 1935 setting byPhiladelphia organist Albert Hay Malotte, 1895-1964).

Among the Lanza ‘love-ballad’ revivals we findGrieg’s I Love Thee (originally “Jeg elsker dig”,No.3 of Melodies of the Heart (1864), settingverses by Hans Christian Andersen) and (The)Song Of Songs (a tenor favourite of 1914 by‘Moya’ (alias of Harold Vicars) – originally set inFrench as “Chanson du Coeur brisé”by oneMaurice Vancaire, this has English text byClarence Lucas). Additionally various well-known numbers from Broadway musicals werechosen. Without A Song originates fromGreat Day (1929) and Through The Years,title-song of the 1931 show, was a personalfavourite of New York-born pianist-composerVincent Youmans (1898-1946). You’ll NeverWalk Alone, an early hit for Frank Sinatra and

nowadays an anthem for vociferous footballfans, by Long Islander Richard Rodgers (1902-1979), comes from Carousel (1945).

Lanza was good for the Christmas market tooand his spirited contributions included a notedversion in English of “O Tannenbaum”andseveral other time-honoured staples of theSeasonal repertoire. These include: O HolyNight (aka “Cantique de Noël”, this rousinghymn of praise by Adolphe Adam was first sungin Paris on Christmas Eve, 1847. More recentlyit was much featured and recorded by all thegreat tenors, notably Caruso, Paul Franz andGeorges Thill); The Virgin’s Slumber Song(this beautiful, lilting Max Reger miniature,originally ‘Mariä Wiegenlied’, No.5 of Neun

Kinderlieder, Opus 76, dates from 1912); theperennially-popular Silent Night (originally“Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht”, first sung inBavaria, to guitar accompaniment, on ChristmasEve, 1818, and thereafter popularised byTyrolean ensembles. The English version of thefamous Franz Gruber carol sung here firstappeared in the Lutheran Sunday-School bookof 1871) and, most famous of all carols, OCome, All Ye Faithful (aka ‘Adeste, fideles’,this Latin hymn and tune from circa 1740, isgenerally believed to be the work of Latinteacher and musical scribe John Francis Wade).

Peter Dempsey, 2003

Original monochrome photo of Mario Lanza from Michael Ochs Archives / Redferns

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1. O Holy Night 4:07(Adam) With Orchestra & Chorus conducted by Constantine CallinicosRCA Victor 12-1286, mx EORC 357Recorded 27 May 1950

2. The Virgin’s Slumber Song (Maria Wiegenlied) 3:27(Max Reger–Edward Teschemacher) With Orchestra & Chorus conducted by Constantine CallinicosRCA Victor 12-1286, mx EORC 359Recorded 27 May 1950

3. The Lord’s Prayer 3:24(Albert Hay Malotte) With the Jeff Alexander Choir; Orchestra conducted by Ray SinatraRCA Victor 10-3639, mx E1RB 0784Recorded 29 September 1951

4. The First Noel 3:15(French Traditional) With the Jeff Alexander Choir; Orchestraconducted by Ray SinatraRCA Victor 10-3640, mx E1RB 0779Recorded 28 September 1951

5. O Come All Ye Faithful 3:18(Portuguese Traditional; words, Frederick Oakeley) With the Jeff Alexander Choir; Orchestra conducted by Ray SinatraRCA Victor 10-3641, mx E1RB 0780Recorded 28 September 1951

6. Away In A Manger (Luther’s Cradle Hymn) 2:58(Martin Luther, John Thomas McFarland,William J. Kirkpatrick)

With the Jeff Alexander Choir; Orchestra conducted by Ray SinatraRCA Victor 10-3642, mx E1RB 0782Recorded 28 September 1951

7. We Three Kings Of Orient Are 3:04(John H. Hopkins Jr.) With the Jeff Alexander Choir; Orchestra conducted by Ray SinatraRCA Victor 10-3642, mx E1RB 0783Recorded 29 September 1951

8. Oh Little Town Of Bethlehem 2:47(Lewis Redner–Philip Brooks) With the Jeff Alexander Choir; Orchestra conducted by Ray SinatraRCA Victor 10-3641, mx E1RB 0782Recorded 28 September 1951

9. Silent Night 3:27(Franz Gruber–Joseph Mohr) With the Jeff Alexander Choir; Orchestra conducted by Ray SinatraRCA Victor 10-3640, mx E1RB 0778Recorded 28 September 1951

10. Guardian Angels 3:58(Harpo Marx–Gerda Beilenson) With the Jeff Alexander Choir; Orchestra conducted by Ray SinatraRCA Victor 10-3639, mx E1RB 0777Recorded 28 September 1951

11. Because 2:20(Guy d'Hardelot–Edward Teschemacher) Orchestra conducted by Ray SinatraFrom radio broadcast, February 29, 1952

12. I Love Thee 2:27(Grieg) Orchestra conducted by Ray SinatraFrom radio broadcast, 17 June 1951

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13. Ave Maria 2:40(Bach–Gounod) Orchestra conducted by Ray SinatraFrom radio broadcast, 12 June 1951

14. Without A Song 3:39(Vincent Youmans–Billy Rose–Edward Eliscu) Orchestra conducted by Ray SinatraFrom radio broadcast, 2 September 1951

15. The Rosary 2:35(Ethelbert Nevin) Orchestra conducted by Ray SinatraFrom radio broadcast, 23 September 1951

16. Through The Years 2:04(Vincent Youmans–Edward Heyman) Orchestra conducted by Ray SinatraFrom radio broadcast, 3 December 1951

17. Trees 2:41(Oscar Rasbach–Joyce Kilmer) Orchestra conducted by Ray SinatraFrom radio broadcast, 7 January 1952

18. Song Of Songs 3:51(Moya–Maurice Vaucaire–Clarence Lucas) Orchestra conducted by Ray SinatraFrom radio broadcast, 23 September 1951

19. Somebody Bigger Than You And I 3:32(Johnny Lange–Hy Heath–Sonny Burke) Orchestra conducted by Ray SinatraFrom radio broadcast, 23 May 1952

20. You’ll Never Walk Alone 1:46(Richard Rodgers–Oscar Hammerstein II) Orchestra conducted by Ray SinatraFrom radio broadcast, 16 May 1952

All selections recorded in Hollywood

Transfers & Production: David Lennick

Digital Noise Reduction: Arthur Ka Wai Jenkinsfor K&A Productions Ltd.

Original recordings from the collections ofDavid Lennick & John Rutherford

Special thanks to Vince Giordano

Also available in the Naxos Nostalgia series ...

8.120555 8.120564* 8.120668*

* Not Available in the U.S.

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Original 1950-1952 RecordingsTransfers and Production: David LennickDigital Noise Reduction:Arthur Ka Wai Jenkins for K&A Productions Ltd.

NOTES AND FULL RECORDING DETAILS INCLUDED

www.naxos.com MADE IN E.C.

h & g 2003 HNH International Ltd • Design: Ron Hoares ADD

Mario Lanza Vol.3 The Christmas AlbumBy the time ‘Be My Love’ had sold its millionth copy in 1951, Mario Lanza was a global householdname, adored for his vital, handsome Latin looks on the big screen and beloved for a golden voice ofunique beauty and passion. Here, in a collection of sacred ballads and Christmas carols, we presentsuperbly-remastered original recordings of the great Lanza at the peak of his considerable powers.

1. O Holy Night 4:072. The Virgin’s Slumber Song 3:27

3. The Lord’s Prayer 3:244. The First Noel 3:15

5. O Come All Ye Faithful 3:186. Away In A Manger 2:58

7. We Three Kings Of Orient Are 3:048. Oh Little Town Of Bethlehem 2:47

9. Silent Night 3:2710. Guardian Angels 3:58

11. Because 2:2012. I Love Thee 2:27

13. Ave Maria 2:4014. Without A Song 3:39

15. The Rosary 2:3516. Through The Years 2:04

17. Trees 2:4118. Song Of Songs 3:51

19. Somebody Bigger Than You And I 3:3220. You’ll Never Walk Alone 1:46

Total Time: 61:22