Annunzio Paolo Mantovani (; 15 November 1905 – 29 March 1980) was an

Anglo-Italian Italians in the United Kingdom, also known as British Italians or colloquially Britalians, are citizens or residents of the United Kingdom of Italian heritage. The phrase may refer to someone born in the United Kingdom of Italian descent, some ...

conductor,

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

and light orchestra-styled entertainer with a

cascading strings Cascading strings (also sometimes known as "tumbling 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 ...

musical signature. The book ''

British Hit Singles & Albums ''British Hit Singles & Albums'' (originally known as ''The Guinness Book of British Hit Singles'' and ''The Guinness Book of British Hit Albums'') was a music reference book originally published in the United Kingdom by the publishing arm of ...

'' stated that he was "Britain's most successful album act before the Beatles ... the first act to sell over one million stereo albums and

ave ''Alta Velocidad Española'' (''AVE'') is a service of high-speed rail in Spain operated by Renfe, the Spanish national railway company, at speeds of up to . As of December 2021, the Spanish high-speed rail network, on part of which the AVE s ...

six albums simultaneously in the US Top 30 in 1959".

Biography

Mantovani was born in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

, Italy, into a musical family. His father, Benedetto Paolo "Bismarck" Mantovani, was a violinist and served as the

concertmaster The concertmaster (from the German ''Konzertmeister''), first chair (U.S.) or leader (U.K.) is the principal first violin player in an orchestra (or clarinet in a concert band). After the conductor, the concertmaster is the second-most signifi ...

La Scala La Scala (, , ; abbreviation in Italian of the official name ) is a famous opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the ' (New Royal-Ducal Theatre alla Scala). The premiere performan ...

opera house's orchestra in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

, under the baton of

Arturo Toscanini Arturo Toscanini (; ; March 25, 1867January 16, 1957) was an Italian conductor. He was one of the most acclaimed and influential musicians of the late 19th and early 20th century, renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orch ...

. The family moved to England in 1912, where young Annunzio studied at

Trinity College of Music Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance is a music and dance conservatoire based in London, England. It was formed in 2005 as a merger of two older institutions – Trinity College of Music and Laban Dance Centre. The conservatoire has ...

in London. After graduation, he formed his own orchestra, which played in and around

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

. He married Winifred Moss in 1934, having two children: Kenneth (born 12 July 1935) and Paula Irene (born 11 April 1939). By the time

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

broke out, his orchestra was one of the most popular

British dance band British dance band is a genre of popular jazz and dance music that developed in British dance halls and hotel ballrooms during the 1920s and 1930s, often called a Golden Age of British music, prior to the Second World War. Thousands of miles aw ...

s, both on

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

radio broadcasts and in live performances. He was also musical director for a large number of musicals and other plays, including

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) 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 ...

's ''Pacific 1860'' (1946) and

Vivian Ellis Vivian John Herman Ellis, CBE (29 October 1903 – 19 June 1996) was an English musical comedy composer best known for the song "Spread a Little Happiness" and the theme " Coronation Scot". Life and work Ellis was born in Hampstead, London in 1 ...

's musical setting of

J. B. Fagan James Bernard Fagan (18 May 1873 – 17 February 1933) was an Irish-born actor, theatre manager, producer and playwright active in England. After turning from the law to the stage, Fagan began his acting career, including four years from 1895 t ...

's ''And So to Bed'' (1951).''Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians'' (2001) Schirmer, New York After the war, he concentrated on recording, and eventually gave up live performance altogether. He worked with arranger and composer Ronald "Ronnie" Binge, who developed the "cascading

strings String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

" effect (also known as the "Mantovani sound"). His records were regularly used for demonstration purposes in stores selling hi-fi

stereo Stereophonic sound, or more commonly stereo, is a method of sound reproduction that recreates a multi-directional, 3-dimensional audible perspective. This is usually achieved by using two independent audio channels through a configuration ...

equipment, as they were produced and arranged for stereo reproduction. He became the first person to sell a million stereophonic records. In 1952, Binge ceased to arrange for Mantovani but the distinctive sound of the orchestra remained. Mantovani recorded for

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label * Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label * Decca Studios, a recording facility in W ...

and

London Records London Recordings (or London Records and London Music Stream) is a British record label that marketed records in the United States, Canada, and Latin America for Decca Records from 1947 to 1980 before becoming semi-independent. The London nam ...

the US arm of the Decca Record Company, exclusively. He recorded in excess of 50 albums on that label, many of which were

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or " con ...

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * ''H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album se ...

. His single tracks included "

The Song from Moulin Rouge "It's April Again" (also known as "The Song from Moulin Rouge" and "Where Is Your Heart") is a popular song that first appeared in the 1952 film ''Moulin Rouge''. It became a No. 1 hit in the UK Singles Chart when recorded by Mantovani. The music ...

", which reached number one in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

in 1953; "

Cara Mia "Cara Mia" is a popular song published in 1954 that became a UK number 1, and US number 10 hit and Gold record for English singer David Whitfield in 1954, and a number 4 hit for the American rock group Jay and the Americans in 1965. The title me ...

" (with him and his orchestra backing

David Whitfield David Whitfield (2 February 1925 – 15 January 1980) was a popular British male tenor vocalist from Hull. He became the first British artist to have a UK No.1 single in the UK and in the United States with " Cara Mia", featuring Mantovani an ...

) in 1954; " Around the World" in 1957; and "Main Theme from Exodus (Ari's Theme)" in 1960. 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 the Top Ten in 1961, with over one million albums sold. Mantovani starred in his own syndicated television series, ''

Mantovani Annunzio Paolo Mantovani (; 15 November 1905 – 29 March 1980) was an Anglo-Italian conductor, composer and light orchestra-styled entertainer with a cascading strings musical signature. The book ''British Hit Singles & Albums'' stat ...

'', which was produced in England and which aired in the United States in 1959. Thirty-nine episodes were filmed.Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle (1964). ''The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows'' (3rd ed.). New York: Ballantine. Mantovani made his last recordings in the mid-1970s. He died at a care home in

Royal Tunbridge Wells Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town in Kent, England, southeast of central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the High Weald, whose sandstone geology is exemplified by the rock formation High Rocks. ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

. His funeral was held at the

Kent and Sussex Crematorium and Cemetery The Kent and Sussex Crematorium and Cemetery is a crematorium and cemetery located in Royal Tunbridge Wells in the county of Kent, England. Background As a quickly developing and popular Victorian era spa town, the town of Tunbridge Wells did n ...

on 8 April 1980.

Music style and influences

The cascading strings technique developed by Binge became Mantovani's hallmark in such hits arranged by Binge as " Charmaine". Binge developed this technique to replicate the

echo In audio signal processing and acoustics, an echo is a reflection of sound that arrives at the listener with a delay after the direct sound. The delay is directly proportional to the distance of the reflecting surface from the source and the list ...

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

reverb Reverberation (also known as reverb), in acoustics, is a persistence of sound, after a sound is produced. Reverberation is created when a sound or signal is reflected causing numerous reflections to build up and then decay as the sound is abso ...

erated violins produced a sonic vaporizer foreshadowing the synthesizer harmonics of

space music Space music, also called spacemusic or space ambient, is a subgenre of new-age music and is described as "tranquil, hypnotic and moving". It is derived from ambient music and is associated with lounge music, easy listening, and elevator music. ...

." His style survived through an ever-changing variety of musical styles prompting ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' to call him "the biggest musical phenomenon of the twentieth century". From 1961 to 1971,

David McCallum Sr David Fotheringham McCallum (26 March 1897 – 21 March 1972) was the Scottish leader (principal first violinist) of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Scottish National Orchestra. He was also the fa ...

was leader of Mantovani's orchestra. At this time, his son

David McCallum David Keith McCallum Jr. (born 19 September 1933) is a Scottish actor and musician. He first gained recognition in the 1960s for playing secret agent Illya Kuryakin in the television series ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E''. In recent years, McCallum ...

Jr was at the height of his fame, prompting Mantovani to introduce his leader to audiences with the quip, "We can afford the father but not the son!" Mantovani is referred to by name in

The Kinks The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, north London, in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhythm ...

song "Prince of the Punks". He also had a big influence on

Brian May Brian Harold May (born 19 July 1947) is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and astrophysicist, who achieved worldwide fame as the lead guitarist of the rock band Queen (band), Queen. May was a co-founder of Queen with lead singer Fredd ...

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

guitarist. During his lifetime, Mantovani did not always get respect from his fellow musicians. When

George Martin Sir George Henry Martin (3 January 1926 – 8 March 2016) was an English record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, and musician. He was commonly referred to as the "Fifth Beatle" because of his extensive involvement in each of the B ...

first suggested overdubbing

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...

's recording of "Yesterday" with strings, McCartney's initial reaction, according to Martin, was that he did not want it sounding like Mantovani. Martin therefore used a more classical sound, employing a

string quartet The term string quartet can refer to either a type of musical composition or a group of four people who play them. Many composers from the mid-18th century onwards wrote string quartets. The associated musical ensemble consists of two violinists ...

Posthumous publishing

Much of his catalogue has reappeared on CD. There are also many compilations. A large number of CDs are available containing unauthorised recordings, billed as Mantovani or Mantovani Orchestra, for example the CD titled "The Mantovani Orchestra" released in 1997 contained a track from the 1980s

Andrew Lloyd Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948), is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 21 musicals, ...

musical "

Cats The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of t ...

", which would have required posthumous conducting on the part of Mantovani. There have also been CDs released under the Mantovani name of recordings made by others while Mantovani was still alive. Following Mantovani's death in 1980, the Mantovani Estate continues to authorise numerous concerts worldwide and recordings using original and newly commissioned arrangements.

Discography

Albums

*''A Mantovani Program'',

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

LPB-127, 1949 *''Musical Moments'', London LPB-218, 1950 *''Waltzing with Mantovani'', London LPB-381, 1951 *''Strauss Waltzes'', London LL 685, 1953, later re-recorded in stereo as London 118, 1958 *''The Music of Victor Herbert'', London LL 746, 1953 *''An Album of Favorite Melodies'', reissued as ''An Enchanted Evening with Mantovani'', London LL 766, 1953 *''An Album of Romantic Melodies'', London LL 979, 1954 *''Plays The Music of Sigmund Romberg'', London LL 1031, 1954 *''Song Hits from Theatreland'', London LL 1219, 1955, later re-recorded in stereo as London 125, 1959 *''Plays The Music of Rudolf Friml'', London LL 1150, 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 Breeze'', London, Abbey road, 1961 *''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'', London 483, 1967 *''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 *''To Lovers Everywhere'', London PS 598, 1971 *''Annunzio Paolo Mantovani'', London XPS 610, 1972 *''An Evening with Mantovani'', London 902, 1973 *''The Greatest Gift Is Love'', London 913, 1975
''Mantovani Magic'', K-tel, NA603
*''Mantovani's Hit Parade '', London 1966

Light 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 Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, ...

'' (mono), London LL913, 1954 *''Songs of Praise'', London 245 *''Christmas Greetings'', London 338 *''

'' (stereo), London PS142 *''Merry Christmas to All of You'', Decca 66445009 (1963)

Singles

Selected filmography

* ''

Sing as You Swing ''Sing as You Swing'' is a 1937 British musical film directed by Redd Davis and starring Charles Clapham, Bill Dwyer and Claude Dampier. It was made as a quota quickie and features turns from a variety of radio and revue stars with little bac ...

'' (1937) * ''

Guitars of Love ''Guitars of Love'' (german: Gitarren der Liebe) is a 1954 West German musical film directed by Werner Jacobs and starring Vico Torriani, Elma Karlowa and Harald Juhnke.MacKenzie p.176 It was shot at the Bavaria Studios in Munich. The film's sets ...

'' (1954)

References

External links

Official Mantovani website
* * * {{Authority control 1905 births 1980 deaths 20th-century classical musicians 20th-century Italian conductors (music) 20th-century Italian composers Dance band bandleaders Easy listening musicians Entertainments National Service Association personnel Italian classical musicians Italian male conductors (music) Italian emigrants to the United Kingdom Italian male composers Italian music arrangers Light music composers London Records artists Musicians from Venice 20th-century Italian male musicians