I would like to share all that I know of this man with the golden voice with the whole world, the man he was, and where he came from.

Place of Birth

Luciano was born on the outskirts in north-central Modena in Italy , on October 12, 1935. Him, his sister Lella, mother Adele, and father Fernando stayed in a small two-room apartment. His father was a baker and his mother worked in a tobacco factory. They did not have much money but Pavarotti always spoke fondly of his childhood. He loved playing soccer, and his childhood dream was to become a professional football goalkeeper. I bet he never thought that one day he’d be one of the best tenors in the world.

Falling In Love With Music

Pavarotti as young boy was introduced to music by his father. It was said that his father also had a fine tenor voice, but did not make a career of singing due to nervousness. Together with his father they would listen to popular tenors of the day, tenors like , Gigli, Martinelli and Schipa. At the age of nine he began singing with his father in a local church choir. Later he sang in Modena’s Corale Rossi city choir that took first price in an international competition in Wales. After that success, and realizing what music meant to him, Pavarotti started taking voice lessons with a local music professor. He would continue taking lessons until he left school.

Dilemma Of A Career Choice

After graduating from Schola Magistrale he was faced with the dilemma of choosing a career. He wanted to sing for a living , but also wanted to be a professional soccer player. His mother convinced him to train as a teacher, so that he had something to fall back on , should his music career not be a success. So he taught elementary school for two years, and was also a insurance salesman for some time. He did well in both jobs, but still he had the burning desire to become a professional tenor.

Realizing that he could no longer ignore the desire to sing professionally he asked for his fathers consent. Fernando gave his consent only reluctantly, the agreement being that Pavarotti would be given free room and board until age 30. If by then he did not make a success of his music career he would take any job to make a living.

Serious Study

So with the consent of his father Pavarotti began serious study in 1954 at the age of 19. A local Modena teacher Arrigo Pola would teach young Pavarotti for the next two and a half years before moving to Japan. Arrigo, a well known and respected professional tenor said that he would teach Pavarotti free of charge since he knew the family. Not until commencing study with Pola was Pavarotti aware that he had perfect pich. After Pola moved Pavarotti became a student of Etiore Campogalliani. The first six years of study resulted in nothing more than a few recitals, all in small towns and without pay.

A Measure of Success

A measure of success occurred when he made his Italian debut and won the Achille Peri competition in 1961. Still a long way from being a star Pavarotti needed someone to represent him. A well-known agent Alesandro Ziliani that was in the audience offered to represent him.

On His Way To Stardom

Ziliani recommended Pavarotti to be included in the package deal for the production of La Boheme in Lucca. Later Ziliani recommended him to conductor Tullio Serafin who gave Pavarotti the role of Duke of Mantua in Verdi’s Rigoletto. For the next months he would perform in productions all over Western Europe. Pavarotti made his London debut in 1963 and appeared on international television on Sunday Night at the London Palladium. He made his American debut in a Miami production of Lucia di Lammermoor in 1965. This was also the beginning of a legendary partnership with diva Joan Sutherland. Debuts in San Francisco and New York helped to build his reputation as one of the most promising tenors of his generation. He made his first of many appearances at New York Metropolitan Opera in 1968. In February 1972 he would later be known as the Pavarotti phenomenon following the production of La Fille du Regement at the Met in New York. The tenor had the audience on their feet when he sang nine high Cs effortlessly. His stature in the world of opera continued to grow over the next few years.

International Star

Pavarotti was by now a international star. He appeared at the Met in March 1977 where he reprised his role in La Boheme and attracted one of the largest audiences ever for a televised opera event. In 1978 he received his first of five Grammy Awards for Best Classical Vocal Soloist. In 1980 he had his first American hit record with an album of non-classical pieces called O Sole Mio- Favourite Neapolitan Songs. The album achieved gold-selling status and cracked Billboard’s top 100 album chart. The song O Sole Mio outsold any other record by a classical singer. This was followed up by a second album called double Greatest Hit collection which did equally well in the states. In 1982 he starred in a movie that was called Giorgio directed by Academy Award winner Franklin J.Schaffner. It was not a great success and failed to pick up any awards. In 1986 he starred in the made-for- TV film version of Poccini’s classic opera, La Boheme. In 1988 he starred with Joan Sutherland in the made-for-TV adaptation of Donizetti’s classic tragedy about Mary, Queen of Scots. That same year ,Distant Harmony-Pavarotti in China was released.

The Three Tenors

Pavarotti’s fame and popularity increased immensely during the 1990s. In 1990 he made his debut with Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras during the World Cup to be known as the Three Tenors. They would later make an album called The Three Tenors Christmas.

Pavarotti And Friends

In 1992 the big hearted man inaugurated his global relief initiative known as Pavarotti and Friends. Concerts that raised money for victims of war and violence. He sang with stars like Bryan Adams, Andrea Bocelli, John Bon Jovi, Barry White and many more. Most of these shows can be seen on You Tube on the Net. With his audiences growing bigger he sang before more than half a million people in New York’s Central park in 1993. A self-titled album was released in 1994 by the Three Tenors, which shot to the top and sold millions. Pavarotti was presented with the World Social Award in 2001, for his humanitarian and charitable work. In June 2001 the Three Tenors performed in Beijing’s Forbidden City, and in 2002 in Japan at the World Cup. The reunion coincided with the release of The Best of the Three Tenors in June that year. Pavarotti released his first solo studio album in 15 years, called Ti Adoro in 2003. It was all new songs and became a best seller.

Last Days

He made his final appearances at the Metropolitan Opera in New York in March 2004. Three performances of Tosca all sold out. In January 2005 he sang with U2 for the B-side of their single “Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own”. In February 2006 he sang at the Winter Olympics Ceremony in Turin, Italy, for which he received the longest standing ovation of the night. In July 2006 he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and underwent emergency surgery. September 6 the next year after a long and painful battle with cancer he died in his birthplace of Modena Italy at the age of 71.

My Feelings

I made the decision not to write anything of his personal problems, the breakdown of his marriage and the evasion of taxes. I just felt it would be better that way. Hope it made for good reading.