Mario Lanza

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Lore & Background

Born Alfredo Arnold Cocozza in Philadelphia, Lanza was exposed to classical singing at an early age by his Abruzzese-Molisan Italian parents. His mother, Maria Lanza, was from Tocco da Casauria in Abruzzo; his father, Antonio Cocozza, was from Filignano in Molise. By age 16, his vocal talent had become apparent. Starting out in local operatic productions for the YMCA Opera Company, he later came to the attention of Boston Symphony conductor Serge Koussevitzky, who in 1942 provided him a full scholarship to the Berkshire Music Center at Tanglewood. Koussevitzky reportedly told him, 'Yours is a voice such as is heard once in a hundred years.'

He made his first operatic appearance as Fenton in Otto Nicolai's The Merry Wives of Windsor at Tanglewood on August 7, 1942, after study with conductors Boris Goldovsky and Leonard Bernstein. There, he adopted the stage name Mario Lanza because of its similarity to his mother's maiden name. The New York Times' Noel Straus hailed the 21-year-old as having 'few equals among tenors of the day in terms of quality, warmth and power.' Herbert Graf wrote in Opera News, 'A real find of the season was Mario Lanza... He would have no difficulty one day being asked to join the Metropolitan Opera.' Lanza also appeared in a one-off presentation of Act III of Puccini's La bohème with Mexican soprano Irma González, who recalled that Lanza was 'very correct, likeable, with a powerful and beautiful voice.'

His aspiring operatic career was interrupted by World War II, when he was assigned to Special Services in the U.S. Army Air Corps. He appeared in the wartime shows On the Beam and Winged Victory, and in the film version of the latter. He resumed his singing career with a concert in Atlantic City with the NBC Symphony Orchestra in September 1945 under Peter Herman Adler. He then studied with Enrico Rosati for 15 months and embarked on an 86-concert tour of the United States, Canada, and Mexico from July 1947 until May 1948 with bass George London and soprano Frances Yeend. In April 1948, Lanza sang two performances as Pinkerton in Puccini's Madama Butterfly for the New Orleans Opera Association. Reviewing the opening night, Laurence Oden wrote in the St. Louis News, 'Mario Lanza performed... Lieutenant Pinkerton with considerable verve and dash. Rarely have we seen a more superbly romantic leading tenor.'

His film career began after a concert at the Hollywood Bowl in August 1947 brought him to the attention of Louis B. Mayer, who signed him to a seven-year contract with MGM. His first two starring films, That Midnight Kiss (1949) and The Toast of New Orleans (1950), both opposite Kathryn Grayson, were commercial successes. His recording of 'Be My Love' from the latter became his first million-selling hit. In 1951, he starred as Enrico Caruso in The Great Caruso, which was MGM's biggest success of the year and the 11th top-grossing film that year. It produced another million-seller with 'The Loveliest Night of the Year.' The title song of his next film, Because You're Mine, was his final million-selling hit and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song. After recording the soundtrack for The Student Prince, he battled with studio head Dore Schary over artistic differences with director Curtis Bernhardt and was eventually fired by MGM. Lanza was known to be 'rebellious, tough, and ambitious.' He suffered from addictions to overeating and alcohol, which seriously affected his health and his relationships. Hollywood columnist Hedda Hopper wrote that 'his smile, which was as big as his voice, was matched with the habits of a tiger cub, impossible to housebreak.' He made three more films before dying of an apparent pulmonary embolism at age 38. At the time of his death in 1959, he was still 'the most famous tenor in the world.' Author Eleonora Kimmel concluded that Lanza 'blazed like a meteor whose light lasts a brief moment in time.'

Reader's Guide

Mario Lanza's significance lies in his brief but intense impact as a popular tenor and film star during the late 1940s and 1950s. His recordings, including three million-selling singles—'Be My Love,' 'The Loveliest Night of the Year,' and the title song from Because You're Mine—brought operatic-style singing to a mass audience through Hollywood films. His portrayal of Enrico Caruso in The Great Caruso (1951) cemented his association with the legendary tenor and contributed to the film's status as the 11th top-grossing film that year. Despite a limited operatic stage career—as an adult he sang only two performances of an opera (Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly in New Orleans in 1948) prior to his film contract—his voice was hailed by critics as exceptional. Conductor Johnny Green recalled that Lanza possessed 'the voice of the next Caruso... a tenor with a baritone color in the middle and lower registers, and a great feeling for the making of music.' At the time of his death, Lanza was preparing to return to opera, planning to make his debut in the role of Canio in Pagliacci during the Rome Opera's 1960–61 season, and was preparing a series of complete opera recordings for RCA Victor. His legacy is marked by his commercial success and the enduring popularity of his recordings, though his career was cut short by health issues and conflicts with studio executives.

Did You Know?

• Lanza's first operatic appearance was as Fenton in The Merry Wives of Windsor at Tanglewood on August 7, 1942, after studying with conductors Boris Goldovsky and Leonard Bernstein.
• Conductor Serge Koussevitzky reportedly told Lanza, 'Yours is a voice such as is heard once in a hundred years.'
• Lanza's recording of 'Che gelida manina' from his first RCA Victor session in May 1949 was awarded Operatic Recording of the Year by the National Record Critics Association.
• At the time of his death, Lanza was planning to return to opera as Canio in Pagliacci during the Rome Opera's 1960–61 season.
• The title song from Because You're Mine was Lanza's final million-selling hit and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song.