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Mantovani
File:Apmantovani.jpg
Background information
Born	(1905-11-15)November 15, 1905 Venice, Veneto, Italy
Died	March 29, 1980(1980-03-29) (aged 74) Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England
Occupations	Conductor

Annunzio Paolo Mantovani (Italian pronunciation: [anˈnuntsi̯o ˈpaolo mantoˈvaːni]) (November 15, 1905 – March 29, 1980)^[1] 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".^[2]

1 Biography
2 Music style and influences
3 Post-death publishing
4 Discography
5 Selected filmography
6 See also
7 References
8 External links

Biography [link]

Mantovani was born in Venice, 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 British dance bands, both on BBC radio broadcasts and in live performances.^[3]

He was also musical director for a large number of musicals and other plays, including Noël Coward's Pacific 1860 (1946) and Vivian Ellis's musical setting of J. B. Fagan's And So to Bed (1951).^[4] 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").^[5] His records were regularly used for demonstration purposes in stores selling hi-fi stereo equipment, as they were produced and arranged for stereo reproduction. He became the first person to sell a million stereophonic records.^[6] 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.^[2] 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.^[4]

Similarly, Mantovani Plays Music From 'Exodus' and Other Great Themes made it to the Top Ten in 1961, with over one million albums sold.^[4]

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.^[7]

Mantovani made his last recordings in the mid-1970s.^[8] He died at a care home in Tunbridge Wells, Kent,^[1] and was cremated on 8 April 1980. His ashes are interred at Kent and Sussex Cemetery and Crematorium, Tunbridge Wells.^[9]

Music style and influences [link]

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 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."^[10] His style survived through an ever-changing variety of musical styles prompting Variety to call him "the biggest musical phenomenon of the twentieth century".^[11]

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.^[12]

During his lifetime, Mantovani did not always get respect from his fellow musicians. When George Martin first suggested overdubbing Paul McCartney's recording of Yesterday with strings, McCartney's initial reaction, according to Martin, was that he didn't want it sounding like Mantovani.^[13] Martin therefore used a more classical sound, employing a string quartet.

Post-death publishing [link]

Much of his catalogue has reappeared on CD. There are also many compilations. A large number of CDs are available containing unauthorized recordings, billed as Mantovani or Mantovani Orchestra.^{[citation needed]} There have also been CDs released under the Mantovani name of recordings made by others while Mantovani was still alive.^{[citation needed]}

The Mantovani Orchestra was recreated for a tribute concert held at the Lighthouse, in Poole, England, on 27 January 2008.^{[citation needed]} A second concert took place the following year at the same venue.^{[citation needed]} A DVD and CD containing music by the orchestra was then planned.^{[citation needed]}

Discography [link]

Popular music [link]

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

Christmas and religious music [link]

Christmas Carols, London 142, 1954
Songs of Praise, London 245
Christmas Greetings, London 338
Christmas Carols, London LL 913
Merry Christmas to All of You, Decca 66445009 (1963)

Selected filmography [link]

Gitarren der Liebe (1954)

References [link]

^ ^a ^b Thedeadrockstarsclub.com - accessed March 2011
^ ^a ^b Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 348. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
^ "Conductor Mantovani Dies after Long Illness" (April 1, 1980) Pacific Stars and Stripes, Tokyo, Japan
^ ^a ^b ^c Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians (2001) Schirmer, New York
^ "Sailing By - The Ronald Binge Story" (Mike Carey, 2000) ISBN 0-9530603-4-9
^ "Mantovani, Whose String Orchestras Sold Millions of Record Albums Dead at 74" (31 Mar 1980) The Boston Globe
^ Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle (1964). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows (3rd ed.). New York: Ballantine. ISBN 0-345-31864-1
^ "Annunzio Mantovani World-famous conductor was bridge to classics" (31 Mar 1980) The Globe and Mail, Toronto
^ Find-a-Grave
^ Lanza, Joseph (2004). Elevator Music: A Surreal History of Muzak, Easy-listening, and Other Moodsong. University of Michigan Press. p. 80. ISBN 0-472-08942-0.
^ "Mantovano Dies at 74" (March 31, 1980) Altoona Mirror, Altoona, Pennsylvania
^ "Roger Taylor & Brian May Interview - Part 2". Queenonline.com. https://www.queenonline.com/features/brian-and-roger-interview-part-2/?page=2. Retrieved 2012-04-01.
^ Cryer, Max. Love Me Tender: the Stories Behind the World's Favourite Songs. Exisle Publishing (Australia). ISBN 978-1-921497-02-5 .

External links [link]

Persondata
Name	Mantovani
Alternative names	Mantovani, Annunzio Paolo
Short description
Date of birth	November 15, 1905
Place of birth	Venice, Veneto, Italy
Date of death	March 29, 1980
Place of death	Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England

https://wn.com/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.

The series was produced in England during 1958 and 1959, but was distributed to local stations across the United States. 39 episodes were filmed for National Telefilm Associates. According to Brooks and Marsh (1964), guest stars included Vic Damone, Connie Francis, and Dorothy Collins.