Luciano Pavarotti Luciano Pavarotti

Luciano
Pavarotti
Level: W
DRA: 60
Genre:
Biography
Strategy:
Analyze/Evaluate
Skill:
Author’s Purpose
Word Count: 1,704
by Stephanie Sigue
4.2.10
HOUGHTON MIFFLIN
Online Leveled Books
ISBN-13: 978-0-547-01778-5
ISBN-10: 0-547-01778-2
1031609
1031609
H O UG H T O N M IF F L IN
Luciano
Pavarotti
by Stephanie Sigue
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS: Cover © Christian Charisius/Reuters/Corbis, Cover; 2–14 (border) © Ryan McVay/Getty
Images; tp © Beatriz Schiller/Time Life Pictures/Getty Images; 4 © Graziano Arici/age fotostock; 7 © Doug Mazell/Index
Stock; 9 © Beatriz Schiller/Time Life Pictures/Getty Images; 10 © Giorgio Benvenuti/epa/Corbis; 11 © Robert Eric/Corbis
SYGMA; 14 © Christian Charisius/Reuters/Corbis.
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Table of Contents
Who Was Pavarotti?
4
The Beginning of a Career
5
What Is Opera?
6
The Making of a Legend
8
Pavarotti the Superstar
10
Pavarotti and the Three Tenors
11
Pavarotti and Friends
12
Pavarotti’s Farewell
13
Who Was Pavarotti?
A half million people came to hear him sing in New
York’s Central Park. One hundred and fifty thousand
people, including Prince Charles and Princess Diana, sat
through a rainstorm to hear him in London’s Hyde Park.
He packed Madison Square Garden, the Hollywood Bowl,
and the Olympic Stadiums in Berlin and Barcelona.
He sang with a great many rock stars and appeared in
newspapers and on television.
Who was this person? He was one of the most famous
opera singers in the world and his fame crossed every
border. His name was Luciano Pavarotti. Throughout
his long career, Pavarotti’s talent towered over all other
singers.
Luciano
Pavarotti
4
The Beginning of a Career
Luciano Pavarotti was born in 1935 in Modena, Italy.
His father, a baker, was an amateur opera singer and sang
in the town chorus. Because his home was alive with
music, Pavarotti grew up with a love of music and song.
His parents encouraged rather than discouraged him.
They gave him voice lessons, but they insisted that he
continue his formal education. Pavarotti’s mother and
father knew that a career in music was difficult, and no
one knew at the time if it was even possible.
To please his parents, Pavarotti continued his
studies and became an elementary school teacher. He
taught for two years and then became an insurance
salesman. Although he enjoyed both professions, music
was his passion.
Pavarotti’s life changed when he and the town chorus
won an international music competition in Wales. After
that first triumph, Pavarotti began studying opera seriously, and, after winning another important competition,
he made his operatic debut playing Rodolfo in La Bohème
in 1961. During a career that spanned 40 years, Pavarotti
would go on to play that part in this famous opera
hundreds of times. In fact, it became his signature role.
5
What Is Opera?
Opera is a play in which the words and action are set
to music. The performers wear lavish costumes and the
sets are very expensive. A full-length opera can last for
more than four hours.
The text or words of an opera that the singers follow is
called a libretto, and the music that the orchestra follows is
called a score.
Opera began in Italy in the late 16th century. Italian
operas are some of the most beautiful and are still the most
popular. One of the first operas that we know about was
written in 1598 by an Italian singer named Jacopo Peri.
For more than 200 years, Italian was the language
of opera. Even if the opera was intended for an audience
in another country, the music was written and sung in
Italian. For example, even though Mozart wrote for an
Austrian audience, he wrote The Marriage of Figaro and
Don Giovanni in Italian.
Although most of the famous operas are Italian,
there are well-known operas in other languages, notably
German. Pavarotti, like all well-trained opera singers, was
capable of singing in any language.
6
Some composers divided operas into two parts:
dialogue sections and singing sections, called arias.
Opera lovers often identify an opera just from hearing
one of its arias.
Opera singers are usually divided into one of six voice
types. Women’s voices are soprano, mezzo-soprano, and
contralto. Men’s voices are tenor, baritone, and bass. Since
an opera is a play, different voices
Two of the great
sing different parts. A hero, the
opera composers of
main male part, is usually a tenor.
all time are Italians:
The heroine, the main female
Giuseppe Verdi and
part, is usually a soprano.
Giacomo Puccini.
La Scala, in Milan, Italy, is one of
the most beautiful and famous
opera houses in the world.
Their operas continue
to be popular
worldwide. Puccini
is well known for
Madame Butterfly,
and Verdi is well
known for Aida.
7
Luciano Pavarotti was a tenor. Lovers of opera say
he had a “golden voice.” With his voice, he had the ability
to produce both power and drama, and he could convey a
variety of emotions. Even when singing softly in mournful
tones, the strength of his voice seemed to carry, with little
effort, over the sound of an orchestra.
However, it takes more than just a powerful, rich voice
to achieve what Luciano Pavarotti did. He was more than
an opera star. He became a legend.
The Making of a Legend
Before Luciano Pavarotti, the most famous male
opera singer was Enrico Caruso. Caruso began his career
in the early 1900s and had the good fortune of being a star
when the phonograph, or record player, was first invented.
Therefore, people could hear him on records without
having to go out and see him in person. Caruso was a great
opera singer, but Luciano Pavarotti would become a star.
After Luciano’s successful debut in Italy in 1961, he
toured Western Europe, performing in many of the
great cities, including Amsterdam, Vienna, and Zurich.
In London, in 1963, he gave his first internationally
televised performance.
8
Pavarotti’s debut in
the United States took
place in 1965 in Miami
in a production of Lucia
di Lammermoor with
the famous American
soprano Joan Sutherland.
Pavarotti and Sutherland
were such a successful
operatic team that they
would appear together in
different roles on many
occasions throughout
their careers.
In one of his earliPavarotti gave stunning
est performances at the
performances.
Metropolitan Opera in
New York, Pavarotti effortlessly reached nine high Cs
while singing an aria—an extraordinary feat. That night,
Pavarotti’s reputation as one of the greatest tenors ever
was born.
9
Pavarotti the Superstar
Pavarotti was a big
man with a big personality. People were drawn
to him. He “loved” life,
and he loved a crowd.
He loved being the
center of attention,
which was often the case
with thousands of fans
all over the world.
After his great success in New York, Pavarotti began
to tour everywhere. In 1977, the Metropolitan Opera
began a series called Live at the Met. The first program in
the series was Pavarotti in his most famous role of Rodolfo.
The show had one of the highest ratings of any televised
opera.
As Pavarotti’s fame and reputation grew, he sang every
important role for a tenor. His concerts sold out, as fans
would often haul themselves through all kinds of weather
to hear him sing. His recordings sold millions of copies.
10
As Pavarotti’s fame grew, he also began to collect
awards. In 1978, he received his first Grammy award. He
was named Best Classical Vocal Soloist Performance. Over
the years, he would receive four more. In 1980, he made a
recording of non-classical songs that became very popular.
He also starred in a movie, appeared on television talk
shows, and accepted a role in the made-for-TV versions of
the operas La Bohème and Maria Stuarda.
Pavarotti and the Three Tenors
Although Pavarotti was an international superstar, he
was not the only accomplished and famous tenor in the
world of opera. Two other men, Placido Domingo and Jose
Carreras, are also very well known.
The popular Three Tenors—Luciano Pavarotti,
Placido Domingo, and Jose Carreras.
11
During the 1990 World Cup soccer match in Rome,
the three opera stars teamed up to form a group called
“The Three Tenors” and gave their first concert together.
Their success took the music world by surprise. They
appeared all over the world—in front of the pyramids in
Egypt, in the Forbidden City in China, at the Yokohama
Arena in Japan during the World Cup in 2002, and in
countless concerts throughout the rest of the world. The
threesome also sold tens of millions of CDs.
Pavarotti and Friends
People who knew Luciano Pavarotti well say he could
be stubborn, but he had a big heart. Because of his desire
to help people, Pavarotti began an annual event in his
hometown of Modena, Italy, called Pavarotti and Friends.
The money from the concert was set aside for people who
lived in places where wars were being fought. Pavarotti’s
“friends” made up a long list of the biggest names in pop,
rock, and jazz who were happy to help. In 2003, the
concert series celebrated its tenth anniversary.
Pavarotti also helped to develop new operatic talent by
teaching classes in music conservatories around the world
for upcoming opera singers. He also began an international vocal competition.
12
People often describe a famous person as being
“bigger than life.” Pavarotti was one of those people. In
the world of music, he was one of the names at the top of
the list. In the opera world, his name was at the top.
Luciano Pavarotti sang opera on stage for more than
40 years. Besides his numerous awards that celebrated his
voice, he was appointed a United Nations Messenger for
Peace. The United Nations also presented him with their
Nansen Award for raising more funds to help their refugee
agency than any other individual person. Pavarotti also
received a Kennedy Center Honors Award, which is given
to a precious few performing artists to recognize them for
their lifetime contribution.
Pavarotti’s Farewell
Pavarotti had a long and successful career. He accomplished so much since his teenage years singing in the
chorus in his hometown of Modena.
At the age of 70, Pavarotti decided to retire. But,
before he left the stage, he wanted to go on tour and sing
before his fans one last time. He chose the greatest stages
and his favorite theaters for his farewell tour. The plan was
to begin the tour in Germany in September of 2005, and
then continue around the world.
13
In 2006, halfway through the farewell tour, Luciano
Pavarotti became seriously ill. He underwent surgery in
New York and then, with his doctors’ permission, flew
home to Italy. After the surgery, Pavarotti spent his days
at his home in Modena, putting together new material,
spending time with his wife, daughters, and grandchild,
and visiting with friends. He hoped to complete his tour
after he recovered so that he wouldn’t disappoint his fans.
Unfortunataly, he passed away before he was able to.
Luciano Pavarotti once said, “I want to be famous
everywhere.” He was.
Luciano Pavarotti’s
farewell tour performances
captivated audiences.
14
Responding
Author’s Purpose What do
you think the author’s purpose was for writing
the book? What details does she use to support
her purpose? Copy and complete the chart
below.
TARGET SKILL
Text detail
?
Text detail
?
Text detail
?
Purpose
To show readers that Pavarotti was a great singer and
person.
HMRLR_ GO_InferenceMap.eps
Write About It
Text to Self Write two paragraphs about an
artist or performer you admire. Describe the
person and give details to persuade readers to
agree with your opinion.
15
TARGET VOCABULARY
border
debut
discouraged
hauling
mournful
permission
stubborn
toured
towered
triumph
Expand Your VocabularY
arias
libretto
score
tenor
author’s purpose Use text details to figure out the author’s reasons for writing.
TARGET SKILL
analyze/Evaluate Think carefully about the text and form an opinion about it.
TARGET STRATEGY
GEnrE biography tells about events in a person’s life, written by another person.
16
Luciano
Pavarotti
Level: W
DRA: 60
Genre:
Biography
Strategy:
Analyze/Evaluate
Skill:
Author’s Purpose
Word Count: 1,704
by Stephanie Sigue
4.2.10
HOUGHTON MIFFLIN
Online Leveled Books
ISBN-13: 978-0-547-01778-5
ISBN-10: 0-547-01778-2
1031609
1031609
H O UG H T O N M IF F L IN