Mario Lanza And Friends

"With A Song In His Heart"

By

Jim Thompson

A man is born and lives and dies. Sometimes the man is an artist and sometimes his life is long or short. Let us speak of one man, one artist and one short life. The artist was Mario Lanza, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1921 and died in Rome, Italy in 1959. Lanza's career was comparitively brief with many highs and many lows. In a long lifetime, the highs and the lows are separated, we hope, by long intervals. In a short life they are almost welded together. Lanza's voice was unique in that all the necessary ingredients were born into him. Some study and direction were needed and he received them. Vocal coaching by Gigli's teacher, Enrico Rosati, served him well. In that brief twelve year career other well known mentors stepped up to also advise. The bright, light tenor voice of the 1940's darkened in the late fifties but the laser-like top to bottom solid sound remained. To this writer, who has always admired the qualities in Lanza's voice, if not the performance given every aria or song, this man's singing cradled the music he sang with the most caring touch even when full power was being used. To hear him sing softly, mezza voce, pianissimo was and remains ethereal to the ear. I firmly believe Mario Lanza would have had a stellar operatic career if Hollywood and the movies had never occurred. His induction into the Armed Forces during the Second World War slowed but did not stop his determination to have that career. For those unaware of the Lanza story, during his time in the Service he sang, went to California in an Army show, was heard by Hollywood moguls and almost overnight the career once headed to the opera house turned instead to the movie house. Was that all bad? I don't think so. Would the career have been a better one had it gone in an operatic direction? Possibly. I say possibly because I believe his life would have been different and he would have had challenges that, I believe, he could have handled better. Charlatans and hangers-on and money men and deceivers were there in Hollywood to carve up the Golden Calf. What they believed they could get from Lanza was certainly not right for the simple young man from South Philadelphia who just wanted to sing. The story of Mario Lanza is interesting and human. Talented, good looking guy marries sweet, lovely girl from Chicago. They have four beautiful children and everything is going well. Or is it? The charlatans etc. mentioned earlier are all around and the fence around the Lanza home and personality are neither high enough nor strong enough to fend them off. But listen. Listen with a capital "L". This is what the legacy of Mario Lanza is: the voice. His God given voice. That is what he was about on this earth and for a dozen or so years, he delivered. That is why almost a half century after his death, his voice has not passed on. It is with us in countless CDs and his world wide fans are still clamoring while new fans are discovering the magical sound of that glorious tenor voice. I am unhappy with most of what I have seen in documentary form about Mario Lanza. The producers of these accounts of his career have some people talking at great length about what went wrong in his life. I do not find that necessary or worthy of what the man accomplished and what he left us. Should a starry eyed portrait, a Wizard of Oz image be made? Absolutely not. But what about concentrating on the beauty that was delivered despite troubles? Unpleasant aspects of a life can be touched upon but do they have to be carved out in dreary and sometimes nasty detail? The Lanza voice thrilled millions who remain adoring fans to this day. His voice thrilled great singing artists who have been saying for years how he influenced them in their choice of a career. There have been informative biographies written by Derek Mannering, Armando Cesari, Roland Bessette, Terry Robinson, Eddy Lovaglio and by his son, Damon Lanza. Lanza is written about in glowing terms in books about Jussi Bjorling, Richard Tucker and Enrico Caruso. Mario and his wife, Betty, left a legacy in their children: Elissa and Damon survive. Death claimed Marc and Colleen. Almost fifty years after his death it is, in my view, unnecessary to delve into the darker side of this man's life either on television or in any projected movie about him. Call me a Pollyanna. "The Great Caurso" was anything but a real look at that Neapolitan's career. "The Jolson Story" was also a "Hollywood Version" of the great artist's life. Did those movies, that genre, hurt Caruso or Jolson? Not by a long shot. Mario Lanza, Tenor. Put one of his countless CDs in the player, sit back and let the sound envelop you. In this 21st century, the voice born in Philadelphia in 1921 still claims those of us who are now fervently into computers and all the other gadgets which abound. He lives on the internet but most importantly, he lives on in our hearts through that magnificent voice. I've written and said it before and do so again. Grazie, Mario! Bravo!