HENRY MANCINI

Composer and Arranger

Henry Mancini may be remembered as one of the great musical geniuses. That kind of distinction, however, usually goes to "serious" musicians, not to "popular" musicians. And Mancini was a "popular" musician, writing haunting, beautiful, but commercial music, mostly for movies and television.

Mancini was born April 16, 1924, in Cleveland, Ohio, but grew up in West Aliquippa, PA, a few miles from Pittsburgh. His father was an immigrant from Italy who worked in a steel mill, and taught Henry (his given was Enrico Nicola Mancini) to play the flute and piccolo. He took formal training in flute and piano, and began teaching himself arranging by copying from records. He got formal training in arranging music in Pittsburgh from Max Adkins. Adkins introduced Mancini to Benny Goodman, who encouraged him to move to New York. Mancini did this, and soon was accepted to the prestigious Julliard School of Music as well playing in several bands, but the war would cut his plans short.

When World War II began, Mancini was drafted. He was encouraged to audition for Glenn Miller's Band and, although he didn't make it, Miller recommended him for a spot in the 28th Air Force Band. After the war, he got a job as a pianist and arranger with the Glenn Miller Band, now run by Tex Beneke after Miller's death. It was here that Mancini met his future wife, Virginia O'Connor, a singer for the band. Ginny left the band to go back home to California, and Mancini soon followed, to be married and to try his longtime ambition of writing music for movies.

Mancini started out writing for radio, then worked writing some music for films (mostly for Universal Studios) for several years, winning an Academy Award in 1954 for his work on "The Glenn MIller Story." He began changing film music by adding an element of jazz to the traditional orchestral music that was then used. His biggest "break" came when Blake Edwards asked him to write the music for a new television show he was making, "Peter Gunn". This detective show was to be a huge hit, and the music was, too. It had a distinctive sound, as it was the first time jazz had been used for a T.V. show. Mancini won a Grammy Award for the music. Edwards' (and Mancini's) next show was "Mr. Lucky", a smooth, sophisticated character whom Mancini captured with a beautiful melody played by strings and organ with distinctive brass counterpoints. Once again, the music became famous - and so did Mancini.

At this time Edwards went to make a movie, and again asked Mancini to write the music. It was the famous "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and it contained another blockbuster hit, "Moon River", with lyrics written by Johnny Mercer. Mancini won an Academy Award for the movie score and another one for the song.

Mancini's career was by now legendary. He went on to write many more scores for movies such as "The Days of Wine and Roses", "Victor/Victoria", "Hatari", "Charade", and the famous "Pink Panther" series of film comedies. He composed other music as well, and did tours of the nation conducting bands as well as symphony orchestras, including the Pittsburgh Symphony, back where he had started this fabulous musical journey.

"Hank" Mancini died of cancer on June 14, 1994. He had scored over 80 movies, several television shows, and recorded more than 80 albums. Along the way he won 20 Grammy Awards (with a record-breaking 70 nominations), 2 Emmys, and was nominated for 18 Academy Awards, winning 4 times.

See Also:
The Year of Mancini
The Henry Mancini Institute at California State University Long Beach
Henry Mancini Collection at UCLA