Mantovani

Annunzio Paolo Mantovani , known as Mantovani, was an AngloItalian conductor, composer and light orchestrastyled entertainer with a cascading strings musical signature. The book British Hit Singles amp Albums states that he was Britains most successful album act before the Beatles...the first act to sell over one million stereo albums and six albums simultaneously in the US Topin 1959.

Mantovani was born in Venice, Italy, into a musical family. His father, Bismarck, served as the concertmaster of La Scala opera houses orchestra in Milan, under the baton of Arturo Toscanini. The family moved to England in 1912, where young Annunzio studied at Trinity College of Music in London. After graduation, he formed his own orchestra, which played in and around Birmingham. He married Winifred Moss in 1934, and they had two children Kenneth and Paula Irene . By the time World War II broke out, his orchestra was one of the most popular British dance bands, both on BBC radio broadcasts and in live performances.

Source: Wikipedia