Mario's Soft-Pedal

[Mike McAdam]

A short time ago, Armando and Derek offered some very insightful
descriptions of the subtle (and not so subtle) differences between
"Mezza Voce" and "Falsetto" singing. I don't know about the rest of
you but I'm still not sure if I can differentiate between the two?

With that in mind, I thought I'd offer a musical montage of my own
impressions of Mario's delightful softer passages in his English-
language songs: http://www.macadamedia.com/music/MellowMario2.mp3

There's mezza voce and falsetto here so you choose which is
which...but, most of all, listen to the voice and know why so many
people fell in love with this guy at the turn of the fifties. I've
tried to let the song excerpts flow from one to the other in a semi-
logical fashion.

Some of you have heard this 4 1/2 minute, 1.8 meg download before. If
you haven't...give a listen...I'd love to get your feedback.
Cheers, Mike

[Aline staires]

Damn!!! I couldn't download this. Maybe if you send it direct to my email address, Mike??? Aline    -------Original Message-------

.

[Muriel]

Michael, you surely have the heart of a true romantic! I'm a gibbering
wreck...

The only falsetto I detect is the end of Bayou Lullaby? The others are
simply the sweetest mezza voce ever produced!! Love it, love it, love
it.....Muriella

[Lover of Grand Voices]

Mike, this was beautiful and thank you for preparing it.

Yes, I agree that Mario's soft "Mezza Voce! was incomparable and you
have captured some of his most beautiful moments. No other singer has
this ability and is able to match it with his lyrical qualities. I
have assembled as many of his songs in several personal CDs that
include these selections. What this exhibits is that the "crossover"
was complete and done in an astonishingly beautiful manner that
confounds the average listener. Someone who listens to a selection of
these plus his magnificent arias would be confused to learn that the
same singer was able to capture the love and tenderness contained in
romantic love songs matched with the passion and emotion of grand
opera. Who else was able to accomplish this breathtaking effect and
make it appear that it was done effortless? Only the Great Lanza
could and no one since has come close.

Regards

Emilio

[Jan Hodges]

I couldn't download it either.....only listen. Very lovely Mike.....you did a great job. Mario sounds so soothing..ahhhhhhh!  Jan

[Aline staires]

I couldn't even listen!!!! Aline    -------Original Message-------

[Armando]

Beautiful stuff Mike! The only falsetto is at the end of the Bayou
Lullaby. At first I had my doubts about this being falsetto, but after
listening to it again I'm convinced it is. I can't hear the change
(usually a click) from head voice to falsetto but that's because Lanza
cleverly pauses briefly before switching to falsetto. The rest is a
combination of mezza voce and soft singing.

You didn't answer my question about the Student Prince!

[Mike McAdam]

Jan,

If you heard it, then you downloaded it successfully. It's an audio-
only file so will simply launch your Windows Media Player (or Real
player...whatever program you have mp3 files associated with on your
PC). Glad you liked it. I enjoyed putting it together.
M.

Aline:
You should be able to hear it once you click on the link. Do you get
Derek's mp3 music files when you click on them. Try one again and let
me know? If still no luck, I'll try to email it to you later this
evening as the east-coast blizzard (you're getting your own!) going on
at the moment is playing hell with the phones, sattelite TV, Internet
etc.
M.

On Dec 3, 5:39 pm, "Jan Hodges" <jmhod...@netspace.net.au> wrote:
> I couldn't download it either.....only listen.
> Very lovely Mike.....you did a great job. Mario sounds so soothing.

> ahhhhhhh!
> Jan

[Derek McGovern]

Hi, everyone: I see that "someone" (:-)) inadvertently created a new
thread for this subject (which a couple of us unwittingly replied to),
so I've just moved the following messages back to the thread they
belong on. Sorry for any confusion, but it's better than having two
separate threads related to the same topic.

Cheers
Derek



Aline staires
Dec 4, 5:16 pm

Mike; My 'puter is sooo slow that I gave up and went onto something
else and
part way thru' it on comes Mario singing snatches of some of his
romantic
songs. Was that what I was supposed to get? As you know, I'm pretty
dumb
when it comes to the technicalities of a computer and I feel really
dumb
asking this, but what do you mean"Derek's mp3"'s???

I tried to listen to his last offering but had to join some Premium
program(Which I did) but still couldn't get to the music. I probably
did the
wrong thing as usual.Ah me!!!Old age settling in I suppose.I'm afraid
I have
to cancel my Thailand trip as I can't find anyone to house sit.
Phooey!!
aline

*****************************


From: "Derek McGovern"
Date: Tue, 4 Dec 2007


Hi Aline: You did it! Mike's sound file was indeed snatches from some
of Mario's most romantic offerings. It just took you a while to
download it - that's all. As for MP3s, they're simply the recordings
that you can listen to (or download) in our Files section.

Best
Derek

*******************************


Muriel
4 Dec 2007

Ooooh, I especially liked A Night To Remember. You are sly and
slipped
that one in, Mikey! Can we keep this forever??? I love it...Bella,
Muriella

[am...@ruc.dk]

Hi Mike
I just have to echo the above, especially Jan's ahhhhh! This montage
is just soooooo beautiful. I can never ever get enough of Mario's warm
soft pedal. Sigh!
Thank you for sharing. :-)

Ann-Mai

[am...@ruc.dk]

Oh! What is the number 4? Right after "A Night To Remember". Mario
sings 'Somehow I wasn't aware that life was so beautiful..' I don't
recognize it.
Ann-Mai

> > Cheers, Mike- Skjul tekst i anførselstegn -
>
> - Vis tekst i anførselstegn -

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Ann-Mai: That's Never Till Now, from Lanza's November 1957 session.
Mario's intonation is a little off to begin with, but after that it's
beautifully sung - and, as you can hear - with gorgeous use of mezza
voce.

The song was written by Johnny Green for the movie Raintree County.
Green, who conducted, among other things, the material for Because
You're Mine, told Armando how impressed he was with Mario's recording
of this number.

[Armando]

Derek, The Trembling of a Leaf is also a Green composition.

On Dec 5, 11:46 am, "Derek McGovern" <derek.mcgov...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi Ann-Mai: That's Never Till Now, from Lanza's November 1957 session.
> Mario's intonation is a little off to begin with, but after that it's
> beautifully sung - and, as you can hear - with gorgeous use of mezza
> voce.
>
> The song was written by Johnny Green for the movie Raintree County.
> Green, who conducted, among other things, the material for Because
> You're Mine, told Armando how impressed he was with Mario's recording
> of this number.
>

[Derek McGovern]

Thanks, Armando: I didn't know that.

I love what he does with this rather awkwardly written song; did Green
say anything to you about Mario's rendition? I'd expect him to like
it!

It's interesting that every time Lanza recorded songs written by one
of his conductors, regardless of whether the number was a memorable
one or not, he invariably did a great job on it. Think of songs such
as A Kiss (Ray Sinatra), You Are My Love (Callinicos), etc.

Incidentally, in common with quite a number of Lanza's recordings,
I've never heard The Trembling of a Leaf sung by anyone else - though
I presume other versions exist.

[Muriel]

You guys are too quick for me!! I was looking for the lyrics to Never
Till Now and now you're off to The Trembling Of A Leaf!! Well here
are the lyrics to Never Till Now - ready or not:

Never till now were those rainbows there...did the skylark sing on
the bough...till his song filled the air..Somehow I wasn't aware that
life was so beautiful.

Never till now did I dream you'd care...did I dream my heart could be
true...Never till now have I found love......never till I found
you....

Going off to compose myself now... M

On Dec 4, 8:39 pm, "Derek McGovern" <derek.mcgov...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Thanks, Armando: I didn't know that.
>
> I love what he does with this rather awkwardly written song; did Green
> say anything to you about Mario's rendition? I'd expect him to like
> it!
>
> It's interesting that every time Lanza recorded songs written by one
> of his conductors, regardless of whether the number was a memorable
> one or not, he invariably did a great job on it. Think of songs such
> as A Kiss (Ray Sinatra), You Are My Love (Callinicos), etc.
>
> Incidentally, in common with quite a number of Lanza's recordings,
> I've never heard The Trembling of a Leaf sung by anyone else - though
> I presume other versions exist.
>

> > > > > - Vis tekst i anførselstegn -- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

[Muriel]

Now here's The Trembling Of A Leaf:

The Trembling Of A Leaf

Heidi recently expressed a wish that I write down my thoughts on The
Trembling of a Leaf, a song she has a particular fondness for. I am
happy to do it, even though it is not one I often play. So, with an
open mind, I've revisited it and found, with Mario's great talent for
phrasing and shading, I can identify what I feel is the essence of the
song. So, Heidi, this is for you!!

Each one of us forms our own individual opinions when we listen to a
song. In this one, I get the feeling the songwriter is trying to get
across the notion of the sensation of love's nascence. There is only
one instance of pyrotechnics here. Mario is not whistling a happy
tune, but rather quietly interpreting for us the response to love we
get before we can completely rationalize it. There is no notable
melodic line, only Mario in mezza voce softly ascending and descending
as the flow and ebb of the tide. The idea of love comes out in lines
such as, "The budding of a rose, the budding of a dream", and an
especially delicious "whisper of the wind", along with "the trembling
of a leaf" (this last expressing the excitement of anticipation).
Mario's voice trembles along on the words to convey the genuineness of
the emotion.

Oh, now, we are progressing with, "The trembling of your hand on
mine", and "The whisper of a promised thrill". Ummm, Mario begins to
fire up: "Be still, my de-lir-i-ous heart! You are pounding away like
the boom of a drum!" Ready??? Okay, here come the fireworks!!: He
commands, "Stand still, time and heaven and earth!!!! This night must
never, never go and (softly) dawn must never come". How briefly he
startles us, and then returns to soothe us. So now we have, "The
blooming of the rose" and "The blossoming of love" and we are
cognizant of love's existence. Another special treat comes in the
line, "The trembling of my lips on yours" - feel a little shiver
there??? At the very end he sums up the experience with a reprise of
the last line, "The trembling of a leee-ef (make that into two
syllables), the trembling of my heart (a very strong and upward) and
yours!!" There it is! Another story of love a la Mario!!

La Muriella strikes again....

(PS: I'm listening to Panis Angelicus now and wishing Mario had
recorded it - simply beautiful.)

> > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -

[Armando]

Hi Derek, At the time of the Green interview I had just discovered a
few days earlier that he was also a composer,( he was working on a
symphony) so when I asked him about it he mentioned the score of
Raintree County and how much he liked Mario's recording of the theme
Never Till Now. I didn't know then that he had also written The
Trembling of a Leaf ( which I rather like) and he didn't bring it up.
Had I known I would have asked him.

On Dec 5, 12:39 pm, "Derek McGovern" <derek.mcgov...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Thanks, Armando: I didn't know that.
>
> I love what he does with this rather awkwardly written song; did Green
> say anything to you about Mario's rendition? I'd expect him to like
> it!
>
> It's interesting that every time Lanza recorded songs written by one
> of his conductors, regardless of whether the number was a memorable
> one or not, he invariably did a great job on it. Think of songs such
> as A Kiss (Ray Sinatra), You Are My Love (Callinicos), etc.
>
> Incidentally, in common with quite a number of Lanza's recordings,
> I've never heard The Trembling of a Leaf sung by anyone else - though
> I presume other versions exist.
>

[Mike McAdam]

Good thread going here, guys 'n' gals. On my montage I included "A
Night to Remember" for you Muriella, of course (I was going to insert
the 1st two lines of "You Do Something To Me" originally).

I bet you and I could sit for hours and discuss obscure movies, young
Kiwi :-)
I remembered the music from "Raintree County" when I first heard Lanza
sing the theme [as I remember having to sit thru yet another mopey,
weepy Liz Taylor 'epic' with then girlfriend Sylvia (great name, eh?)]
And...her hair *was* like the night...sigh...memories. Blast! every
time I think of something it's a Lanza song ! :-))

I just re-listened to "the Trembling Of A Leaf" and had almost
forgotten that this was my 'example' song I used to play for newbies
to Lanza...to illustrate his interpretive skills. Great stuff.
Lovely little essay you did on that, Muriella.

> > > > > > - Vis tekst i anførselstegn -- Hide quoted text -

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Muriella: Thanks for posting those lovely thoughts on The Trembling
of a Leaf. As usual, you've singled out my favourite lines in this
rather unusual song: the way that Mario sings "the blooming of a
rose" (and you can somehow imagine that flower blooming!), "the
whisper of the wind", and, of course, his sensuous handling of "The
trembling of my lips on yours." It's impossible to imagine anyone else
imbuing these lines with such magic.

Goodness, that's an awkward shift in the song when he has to sing, "Be
still, my delirious heart!" But he makes it work.

Ciao Armando: Interesting that Green was working on a symphony when
you met him. I'd be curious to hear that. He was quite a guy, actually
- won five Academy Awards, entered Harvard at 16, I see, and was
apparently an excellent pianist in addition to all his other talents
as an arranger, conductor, etc. I read somewhere that from the
mid-1960s onwards, he refused to be called "Johnny" any longer (as
he'd always been credited in his films with Lanza); from then on, he
would tell people "you can call me 'John' or you can call me 'Maestro'
":-) I get the impression that he could be quite a prickly character.
But he obviously liked Lanza, and the two did collaborate on some
fantastic recordings: Granada, All the Things You Are, etc.

And finally Mike: Oh, yes, I love my "obscure" movies! Of course,
Raintree County was the film that Montgomery Clift was working on when
he had his horrific accident. One side of his face was left virtually
paralyzed, and in some of the scenes I remember that he appears
startlingly different. Not surprisingly, whenever possible they filmed
him from his good side.

[Armando]

Muriel, you are simply too much! Brava! I nominate you our resident
poet!

Derek, I found Green immensely approachable. He went out of his way to
arrange the interview with Dorothy Kirsten for me and had mostly fond
memories of Mario.
He did tell me that Merola, as well as wanting Mario to sing Andrea
Chenier, was trying to convince him (Green) to leave MGM and conduct
at the San Francisco Opera.
Like Mario, Green would have been torn between artistic fulfilment and
the huge amount of money he was being paid at MGM, so it was not
likely to happen and, as we know, it didn't.

Mike. What was that about The Student Prince? Just kidding! :-)

[jora...@comcast.net]

Great job Mike!!! May I sent this link to some non-Lanza friends of
mine?? Like too many uninformed people, they think Mario was only
capable of powerful high C's...who could argue with *this* artistry?
Let me know if I can do that, thanks! Joe

[Muriel]

Thanks, guys! You inspire me! Now I need some inspiration to decorate
my house and bake Christmas cookies....also, I need more hours in the
day. We had our first snowfall today and it was pretty, but oh! the
traffic jams. Ahime!

I'll work on that *resident poet* position. It sounds like fun, and
Mario gives me so much material to work with. I hope the music he left
us will continue to put joy into hearts, as the world needs more love
and beauty in it.....
Bella notte, M...

> > him from his good side.- Hide quoted text -

[Mike McAdam]

Tks Joe.
Yes, be my guest and send that link. The more exposure of the masses
to the multi-faceted Lanza diamond, the better.
(think I may do a similar montage of all Lanza's high notes....er, the
good ones:-)

Armando: Check the 'chit-chat' thread re 'The Student Prince'?

Cheers, Mike

On Dec 5, 10:43 pm, "jorain...@comcast.net" <jorain...@comcast.net>
wrote:

> > Cheers, Mike- Hide quoted text -

[Muriel]

Michael, is there any way to save that montage? I'd like to add it to
my playlist. Muriel

> > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -

[Derek McGovern]

(This is a message from Aline, not Derek - I'm just forwarding it.)

Aline staires
Thurs, Dec 6 2007 6:48 pm


Hi Muriel.....I just did what for me is something really smart... I
put
Michael's masterpiece in My Favourites and now I can listen to it when
ever.
Aline

[jora...@comcast.net]

Mike!, I am getting * astounding* feed-back from sending out your
lovely link to some friends. Most of the comments are like:" Wow, I
never knew the guy could sing like this!..".....," I am shocked, what
a sweet voice he had ( as well)"......." is this the same guy who
sings Drink, Drink, Drink??? are you sure???"...".gee, I knew Mario
could belt them out, but I never thought he could do THIS"........."
where can I get someof his CDs , what do you recommend "?"
One friend even said to me......"naw, this isnt the same guy that
sings Be My Love", you must be mixed up!

Not only have you provided a great and ez link for us all to enjoy,
but it is also a powerful tool to educate others. GOOD SHOW!

P.S I was wondering if you considered including part of his Shubert's
Ave Maria from Serenade while doing this?

Best Regards, Joe

On Dec 6, 12:37 am, Mike McAdam <macadame...@ns.sympatico.ca> wrote:

> > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -

[Muriel]

Joe, doesn't it make your heart grow a few sizes when you hear such
sensational responses? You're speading the beauty of Mario's voice.
Bravo to you! I've seen a few mouths drop open when I play Mario's O
Holy Night to unsuspecting visitors to my home at Christmastime. It
tickles me and the atmosphere becomes festive without any work on my
part!

What recommendations have you given your friends? Did you draw their
attention to A Night To Remember? (My special part...) I just love
Mario!!! M.

On Dec 6, 7:56 pm, "jorain...@comcast.net" <jorain...@comcast.net>
wrote:

[Muriel]

Armando, I hope you don't mind my lifting John Green's comments about
Mario from your book. I think it fits in as you and Derek mentioned
him. I find this interesting:

Mario has been often been touted as a difficult person to work with.
Mr. Cesari spoke with John Green, the MGM Musical Director, and this
is what he remembered about Mario: "I was convinced when I was working
with Mario, and I still am, that the instrument itself, the voice
itself was the voice of the next Caruso. Mario had an unusual, very
unusual quality...a tenor with a baritone color in the middle and
lower registers and a great feeling for the making of music. A great
musicality. I found it fascinating, musically, to work with Mario. He
had a sensational ear and he was bright..Mario was not stupid at all!
I was very fond of him. He was capable of such warmth and he had a
nice sense of humor. You could have great fun with Mario." It is a
pleasure to read accounts like this because some of his previous
biographers tended to focus on his negative behavior.

Mario *was* intelligent and it's nice to hear it from another good
musician.

> > > > > > - Vis tekst i anførselstegn -- Hide quoted text -

[Jan Hodges]

Thanks Muriel for reminding me that according to John Green Mario had a very good ear. This would explain why he didn't bother taking the trouble to learn to read music...if this is true. He wouldn't have needed to.Indeed it could have been a hindrance. It reminds me of an article I saw written about the great English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams. As he was going off to Trinity College  as a young man to study music, his father gave him this advice. "Don't let them educate the music out of you." Jan

[Armando]

On Dec 8, 2:08 pm, Muriel <mawscompu...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Armando, I hope you don't mind my lifting John Green's comments about
> Mario from your book. I think it fits in as you and Derek mentioned
> him. I find this interesting:

No problem Muriel. You're welcome!

[mort...@gmail.com]

Hello Mike

Could you please give the titles of all the songs included in your
'Mellow Mario'?

Thanks

Bruno

[Muriel]

Bruno, here are the songs:
1. Begin The Beguine
2. You And The Night And The Music
3. A Night To Remember
4. Never Till Now
5. I Never Knew
6. The Song Angels Sing
7. Some Day
8. The Night Is Young And You're So Beautiful
9. Sylvia
10. All The Things You Are
11. Serenade from Student Prince
12. Summertime In Heidelberg
13. Golden Days
14. If I Loved You
15. Silent Night
16. Bayou Lullaby

It was well worth listening again just to make this list. Any one song
would melt the heart, but all together, they could cause a major
conflagration! I'll bet composing this was one of the most enjoyable
ideas Michael ever had!! Cheers again to him...M

> > Cheers, Mike- Hide quoted text -

[Muriel]

Hi Jan: I know what you mean by "educating the music out of" Mario.
That would have been terrible! As his daughter, Ellisa, said - "He was
like a race horse" and we are the beneficiaries of that analogy. He
gave us whatever was inside him at any given time - sometimes great
and sometimes a little *cattivo* (naughty/unruly). We wouldn't have
wanted a *generic* Mario, now, would we?

Ciao - Muriel

> faint_grain1.jpg
> 1KViewDownload

[mort...@gmail.com]

Thanks very much Muriel

Bruno

> > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -