Level: W Luciano - Hackettstown School District · German. Pavarotti, like all well-trained opera singers, was capable of singing in any language. 7 Some composers divided operas

ISBN-13: 978-0-547-01778-5ISBN-10: 0-547-01778-2

10316091031609

HOUGHTON MIFFLIN

by Stephanie Sigue

Lucianoby Stephanie Sigue

PavarottiLucianoPavarotti

4.2.10

HOUGHTON MIFFLIN

Online Leveled Books

Level: W

DRA: 60

Genre:Biography

Strategy:Analyze/Evaluate

Skill:Authors Purpose

Word Count: 1,704

by Stephanie Sigue

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LucianoPavarottiPavarottiLucianoPavarotti

Table of ContentsWho 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

Pavarottis Farewell 13

4

Luciano Pavarotti

Who Was Pavarotti?A half million people came to hear him sing in New

Yorks Central Park. One hundred and fifty thousand

people, including Prince Charles and Princess Diana, sat

through a rainstorm to hear him in Londons 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, Pavarottis talent towered over all other

singers.

5

The Beginning of a CareerLuciano 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. Pavarottis 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.

Pavarottis life changed when he and the town chorus won an international music competition in Wales. After that first triumph, Pavarotti began studying opera seri-ously, and, after winning another important competition, he made his operatic debut playing Rodolfo in La Bohme 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.

6

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.

7

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. Womens voices are soprano, mezzo-soprano, and contralto. Mens voices are tenor, baritone, and bass. Since an opera is a play, different voices sing different parts. A hero, the main male part, is usually a tenor. The heroine, the main female part, is usually a soprano.

La Scala, in Milan, Italy, is one of the most beautiful and famous opera houses in the world.

Two of the great opera composers of all time are Italians: Giuseppe Verdi and Giacomo Puccini. Their operas continue to be popular worldwide. Puccini is well known for Madame Butterfly, and Verdi is well known for Aida.

8

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 LegendBefore 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 Lucianos 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.

9

Pavarottis 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 earli-est performances at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Pavarotti effortlessly reached nine high Cs while singing an ariaan extraordinary feat. That night, Pavarottis reputation as one of the greatest tenors ever was born.

Pavarotti gave stunning performances.

10

Pavarotti the SuperstarPavarotti was a big

man with a big personal-ity. 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 Pavarottis 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.

As Pavarottis 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 Bohme and Maria Stuarda.

Pavarotti and the Three TenorsAlthough 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 TenorsLuciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, and Jose Carreras.

11

12

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 worldin 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 FriendsPeople 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. Pavarottis 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 interna-tional vocal competition.

13

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.

Pavarottis FarewellPavarotti had a long and successful career. He accom-

plished 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.

14

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 wouldnt 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 Pavarottis farewell tour performances captivated audiences.

HMRLR_ GO_InferenceMap.eps

15

RespondingTARGET SKILL Authors Purpose What do

you think the authors purpose was for writing the book? What details does she use to support her purpose? Copy and complete the chart below.

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.

Text detail ?

Text detail ?

Text detail ?

Purpose To show readers that Pavarotti was a great singer and person.

TARGET VOCABULARY

Expand Your VocabularY

borderdebutdiscouragedhaulingmournful

permissionstubborntouredtoweredtriumph

ariaslibretto

scoretenor

16

TARGET SKILL authors purposeUsetextdetailstofigureouttheauthorsreasonsforwriting.

TARGET STRATEGY analyze/EvaluateThinkcare-fullyaboutthetextandformanopinionaboutit.

GEnrEbiographytellsabouteventsinapersonslife,writtenbyanotherperson.

ISBN-13: 978-0-547-01778-5ISBN-10: 0-547-01778-2

10316091031609

HOUGHTON MIFFLIN

by Stephanie Sigue

Lucianoby Stephanie Sigue

PavarottiLucianoPavarotti

4.2.10

HOUGHTON MIFFLIN

Online Leveled Books

Level: W

DRA: 60

Genre:Biography

Strategy:Analyze/Evaluate

Skill:Authors Purpose

Word Count: 1,704

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