Customer Reviews

Mario Lanza: Singing to the Gods (American Made Music)

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When I read Derek Mannering's first book, MARIO LANZA - A BIOGRAPHY, in 1993, I knew then that this was the best work written to date on the great tenor who was my boyhood idol and musical inspiration. Yet that was only the beginning: since then, Mannering has produced two other first-rate books, SINGING TO THE GODS and MARIO LANZA - A LIFE IN PICTURES (both published in the UK), that have been even better than his first effort. He has also in those years become BMG's primary consultant on the release of new Mario Lanza CDs, resulting in Lanza's return to the best-seller lists in the UK, even hitting #1 with THE DEFINITIVE COLLECTION -- a remarkable feat for a singer who died five decades ago.

Now, happily, the first-ever American edition of MARIO LANZA - SINGING TO THE GODS has been published by University Press of Mississippi. Not merely a copy of Mannering's book produced for the UK, this new, updated edition includes never-before-released material in the way of photos and interviews, including several poignant reminisces of Lanza's niece, actress Dolores Hart, who retired from the screen more than 40 years ago to become a nun, Mother Dolores. As in his previous works, Mannering has had the blessings and cooperation of two very important people in Mario Lanza's life - his best friend and trainer, Terry Robinson, and Lanza's only surviving daughter, Elissa Lanza Bregman, who wrote the book's heartfelt Foreword.

Always written in a lively and entertaining style, the strength of Derek Mannering's books lies in the fact that he focuses on Mario Lanza's incredible talent, and how he used that talent -- thru films, radio, television, concerts and recordings -- to bring the world of opera and great music to the average person. And, at the same time, influencing more of today's opera singers than almost any other artist in memory.

Mannering points out Lanza's flaws and mistakes, which caused the singer much difficulty and heartache in his lifetime, and more than a little controversy that lingers to this day. Yet at the same time, Mannering does not dwell on these failings. And while, like all others who have written Lanza bios, Mannering ponders the "what ifs," he does not invent a career which Lanza never had, and celebrates instead the remarkable career for what it was and what it achieved, which was considerable.

For those who might wonder how Derek Mannering's SINGING TO THE GODS stacks up to the other books out there (and Lanza has more bios than almost any other singer I can think of), I would let Mario's daughter, Elissa, speak in the closing words of her Foreword:

"Anyone who wants to know about the life and times of Mario Lanza need go no further than this book."


DAVID WEAVER is the author of BLACK DIVA OF THE THIRTIES - THE LIFE OF RUBY ELZY, published in 2004 by University Press of Mississippi.

Another in a series of Lanza biographies from various sources, Mr Mannering's Singing to the Gods is a searching book detailing Mario Lanza's life and career, and allowing the fascinating personality of the great tenor to emerge.

This excellent book is a useful one to anyone who wishes to learn about Mario Lanza - singer, voice and man - without becoming sidetracked by prying or speculation. Mr Mannering's work steers a course to show the facts about Lanza, avoiding undue, sensational speculation. Views expressed are clear, invariably positive and (the greatest virtue of all in a biography), suitably informative.

A pity that the opportunity to include a CD as a sweetener was not taken, but nonetheless this book no doubt will encourage many readers to seek to hear more of Mario Lanza - and also to generate consumer requests for the re-release of his films in high quality DVD, or other improving, formats.

This is a splendid work about a man who was not only a magnificent voice but one who was able to "crossover" from the classical to the popular and be the best of his generation and all generations. Mr. Mannering has made a definitive contribution to the Mario Lanza legend and reputation by searching for the truth and explaining the truth about this wonderful artist who contributed so much to his profession. Greater awareness about Lanza's legacy is needed so that future lovers of grand voices can appreciate what Mario's fans have known for decades. The next step is to make a movie about him so that the world can understand and know his glorious gifts.

Derek Mannering's new biography of the American tenor Mario Lanza seeks an admirable middle ground between idolatry and spite. For in the past we have had biographies dictated by either camp. Some people castigate Lanza for his failure to pursue a career in the great opera houses (as far as we know, he played twice in Madame Butterfly and that's it). Whereas others, the idolators, say that he never made a mistake. (You should hear Derek Mannering on the subject of Lanza'a "disgraceful" 1959 STUDENT PRINCE!) And while we're on the subject, Derek Mannering really, really, seriously hates the "pseudo-rock") "Pineapple Pickers," which I consider one of Lanza's best upbeat tunes and far better than much of what Elvis wound up singing in his movies. Let's have more tracks like "Pineapple Pickers" and less painful numbers such as "Drink, Drink, Drink" if you ask me.

Mannering carefully shows us how Lanza became a movie star--almost through a series of divinely inspired accidents it seems, while skimping a little bit on the childhood in Philadelphia which other writers have written tomes about. All the while we imagine that Lanza's childhood did hold something traumatic in it, otherwise he would have been beter equipped to withstand the disaster of success! As Joe Pasternak, the MGM producer, says (page 71), "Success is harder to take then failure." Well, that may not be true for all men and women, but it seems to have been true for Mario Lanza.

Derek Mannering is forthright about Lanza's various addictions--for example, he describes a late life discovery of Campari that persisted despite taking a regular course of Antabuse (pills that supposedly make you ghastly sick if you take a drink). The man had an iron constitution, and yet of course it failed him in the end, as he died of an embolism in his swollen leg which travelled to his heart. And Mannering travels lightly over Betty Lanza's fondness for tranquillizers, a very 50s addiction. Again and again we hear testimony, from Richard Bonynge, Licia Albanese, Jussi Bjoerling, that yes, Mario's voice was big enough to fill an opera house; I would believe it more if Mannering has included one opera singer with a negative opinion of Lanza, for we know there were many. In this one instance I don't believe Mannering is telling both sides of the story.

And, because he is from Britain, some of his phrasing has an unusual, piquant air, as though Julie Andrews were telling the story. For example, in Rome members of the Mafia may have crashed Lanza's big party at his rented villa, for "keeping them our of his home, when a come-all party was in swing, was not always possible." COME-ALL PARTY? Que come-all party? I like the phrase, and I really like this book.

Mario Lanza's rise to stardom could not have happened ten years earlier, or ten years later, than it did. The repressive atmosphere of the post-WWII period saw a shift from the soothing crooning of Sinatra and Crosby to the era of the "big belters" of pop, such as Frankie Laine and, a bit later, Johnnie Ray. Mario Lanza was unique in that he straddled the pop and classical markets with his powerful and emotive voice, and connected with the inner desire for passion that the era attempted to suppress. Gifted singer, movie star and, yes, sex symbol: even Caruso never made as much of an impact on American popular culture as did Lanza. The author of this book provides none of this context in his drab retelling of Lanza's career path.

At the very least, the meteoric career of the troubled tenor was colorful, but the colorless, pedestrian prose of Mannering reads like an album's liner notes. At no point did I get a real feeling for Lanza, the man. An endorsement from Lanza'a daughter is actually a red flag; the seamier side of Lanza's well-documented personality gets short shrift here. We see Lanza destroying himself; the author gives us precious little by way of explanation as to what inner demons drove him to self-destruct.

Put simply, the material cries out for a writer whose prose style (and research skills) could capture the nuances of the era and the soaring highs and crushing lows of Lanza's short but blazing career. The author fails on both fronts.

Additionally, the book seems to have scarcely been proofed; one can not read more than two or three pages without encountering an egregious typo (i.e. "the Metropolital Opera") or an incomplete sentence. After a few chapters, one becomes very annoyed that the editors could not perform this most basic function.

The reproduction size of the photos is so small that one literally needs a magnifying glass to identify Lanza in some group shots!

As for the discography, it nicely sets down all of Lanza's sessions in chronological order - but fails to list the singles and albums as they were released! This will not be helpful for those who might want to actually begin to collect Lanza's vinyl output.

A Lanza completist might want to buy this as a cut-out, or obtain a clean used copy at a nominal price. I don't feel like I got my $20 worth from this book.

No one has done more to advance Mario Lanza's legacy in the past decade than Irish author Derek Mannering. In addition to three outstanding books on the tenor's life and times (be sure to check out Mannering's stunning pictorial tribute "Mario Lanza: A Life in Pictures"(...)), the author is also responsible for compiling most of the terrific Lanza CDs released by BMG over the past few years. A recent Mannering compilation "Mario Lanza: The Definitive Collection" reached the top of the classical charts in the U.K. last year and features a bonus CD "The Mario Lanza Story" written by the author and brilliantly read by "Star Wars" actor Christopher Lee. (Memo to BMG: This fabulous CD should be on sale in the U.S.!)
With such a solid body of work behind him, it's no surprise that Mannering's newly revised biography "Singing to the Gods" bears the Gold Seal of approval with a Foreword by the tenor's daughter Ellisa Lanza Bregman. The book in every way does her father proud. This is the one Lanza biography that does not seek to trash the tenor or level pompous accusations of incompetence at those who surrounded him. Mannering lets the facts speak for themselves and in doing so brings the reader to a greater and more sympathetic understanding of Mario Lanza's tragic failings and inevitable downfall. Mannering also avoids the trap of making fatuous claims that Lanza was a major opera singer. Most people agree that Lanza should have focused his talents on the Met but he remained a movie and recording star, by choice, and the "what if" factor is properly played down here.
The book is impeccably researched and full of interesting asides; who would have known, for example, that Lanza's niece is the lovely former actress Dolores Hart, she who gave Elvis Presley his first kiss in the movies? Miss Hart is now a nun in a convent in Connecticut and has contributed to this new edition, including a charming picture of herself with her family and "Uncle Mario" on stage in Chicago in 1946. The outstanding photo selection includes many rarities from the collection of Lanza's best friend and trainer Terry Robinson. The book is indispensable for its fully comprehensive reference section, including a one-of-a-kind alphabetical listing of every song Mario Lanza ever recorded, great for a quick reference, and a Discography which cross-references all the Lanza recordings to their current availably on CD.
"Singing to the Gods" is also the best written of all the Lanza biographies and I have read them all (the Irish really do have a way with words!) and if you're not moved by the beautiful closing summation, one that explains the book's title, then you just don't like Mario Lanza. (5 Stars)
Review Written by
"bigjackb"(Albany, New York)

If you want to know about Mario Lanza as a human being, as well as a legendary talent, then look into these pages, so sensitively and beautifully written by Derek Mannering. Mr Mannering gives the reader the best insight possible to this extraordinary talent, but very complex individual. He deals with the life, and the music, the heartaches and ultimately the final demise, with dignity and total understanding, very often bringing tears to one's eyes in the process. As for the accusation made by the previous reviewer regarding Mr Mannering not approving the later recording of 'The Student Prince', I think Mr Mannering is absolutely correct in his opinion! In no way can the later recording be classed as anything other than mediocre at best, whichever pitch you set it to! To denounce someone's knowledge of music and opera on this basis is ridiculous in the extreme! Mario Lanza was NOT an 'opera singer' in that sense of the word, however wonderful his voice was, and in my opinion, and I am sure Mr Mannering's too, it was the greatest in the world. As for any 'hearsay and uncorroborated material' being used, Mr Mannering has catalogued all his sources for any material used, much of which comes from people who were very close to Lanza, and with him for much of his career. The final words must go to Lanza's daughter, Ellisa Lanza-Bregman, who said in her foreword to 'Singing to the Gods'- 'If anyone wants to know anything at all about Mario Lanza, they need look no further than this book'

This book is yet another book on the great tenor Mario Lanza. It contains vibrant prose remeniscent of a novel rather than a serious study. Though the information is plentiful, a lot is made of hearsay and uncorroborated material. There are always inaccuracies made in books of this nature so the author should not feel overly concerned about such issues but there are some outright opinions that give the book a one sided view of Lanza. It is clear that Mr Mannering is only interested in the early voice of Mario Lanza rather than the operatic voice of 1955-59. Readers must not be put off by the book's slamming of the second Student Prince recorded by Lanza in 1959. This recording, when heard 'on pitch' is an absolute masterpiece! I'm afraid by slamming this recording in print, the author does untold damage to the recorded memory of the great man. Hopefully one day this recording will see the light of day and in the correct pitch, unlike the LP. Then we shall finally hear the best 'I'll Walk With God' Lanza recorded. Readers should by all means buy this book as it does possess an 'enthusiastic fan' quality to it but a genuine historical study of Lanza from an Operatic view has yet to be written. There is no 'one' authority on Lanza as everyone who has written a book on him believes they are the one. Maybe a musical historian with a genuine knowledge of Opera singing can one day oblige. Until then read Mr Mannerings tomes along with other Lanza offerings to gain a more round but still less operatic view.