Honoring the life and accomplishments of Luciano Pavarotti and recognizing the significant and positive impact of his astounding musical talent, his achievement in raising the profile of opera with audiences around the world, and his commitment to charitable causes.

I thank my good friend from New York.

I am pleased that today the House of Representatives is considering House Resolution 708, honoring the life and accomplishments of Luciano Pavarotti. As the sponsor of this legislation, I would like to thank the Committee on Foreign Affairs, especially the chairman, Mr. Lantos, for his assistance in

bringing this before the end of the year, the year 2007, the year in which Mr. Pavarotti died.

He was born on October 12, 1935, and he died on September 6, 2007, in Modena, Italy. I know, because I was in the Veneto that day when his death was announced by his family. And during his life, Mr. Pavarotti shared his incredible talent and passion for opera with the entire world. During his life, he actually began as a second grade teacher before he decided to turn to his pursuit of music full time. After devoting himself to serious voice training for over 7 years, Mr. Pavarotti made his operatic debut in the role of Rodolfo in Puccini's ``La Boheme.''

From that initial performance, Pavarotti continued to follow his dream of performing opera around the world. And after many years of hard work, of course, he became really one of opera's premier performers. But in addition to his incredible voice and his talent on stage; Mr. Pavarotti made frequent television performances, and as a result he really opened up the world of opera to a whole new audience. Mr. Pavarotti, with Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras, entered into one of the most famous collaborations in music, and The Three Tenors continued to bring opera music to more and more people around the world. As an established opera star, he decided to use his talent and his connections to benefit charities, and he began hosting the annual Pavarotti and Amici, or Pavarotti and Friends, concerts in Modena, Italy, to raise money for worthy United Nations causes.

Mr. Pavarotti's appeal to opportunities, he got an opportunity to see things that are rarely enjoyed by most of us. He earned five Grammy Awards and a Grammy Legend Award, and he became the first and so far the only opera singer to perform on ``Saturday Night Live.'' Mr. Pavarotti also received numerous honors for his charitable work including being named the United Nations' Messenger of Peace and receiving the Nansen Medal from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees in honor of his efforts to raise money on behalf of refugees around the world.

Mr. Pavarotti's career is an inspiration to aspiring young artists around the world, and it encourages them to continue to go after their dream. In addition, Mr. Pavarotti's commitment to charitable causes provides an important example of how artists can raise awareness in funding for people in need.

Mr. Speaker, since his death, the world has missed his talent and his passion. And although we will always have recordings of his beautiful music, we will continue to miss his presence and his love for life. And I know that in the last 10 years of his life he filled his life and was very fulfilled. But we should remember that Mr. Pavarotti once said: ``A life in music is a life beautifully spent, and this is what I have devoted my life to.''

Mr. Pavarotti's life was indeed a life beautifully spent, and I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting House Resolution 708 to honor his life and his achievements.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 708) honoring the life and accomplishments of Luciano Pavarotti and recognizing the significant and positive impact of his astounding musical talent, his achievement in raising the profile of opera with audiences around the world, and his commitment to charitable causes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution and yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, let me first thank my good friend and colleague from California, Representative Loretta Sanchez, for introducing this timely resolution.

Mr. Speaker, there is literally no one who has done more to expand world audiences for opera than the late Luciano Pavarotti. He achieved this with a combination of inimitable talent, determination, and an untiring and affable manner. Just as important, he parlayed this fame into an international presence, which he used to push for a host of important causes. This resolution honors his life, his talent, his commitment to those causes.

Like many an Italian boy, Pavarotti dreamed of becoming a soccer star and was better at it than most of his later fans would ever know. But his father, himself an amateur singer, and his recording of the great Italian tenors soon put young Luciano on a path which would catapult him to fame.

From his operatic debut in 1961 to his U.S. debut a few years later opposite Joan Sutherland in Lucia di Lammermoor, Pavarotti soon became known for the sheer beauty of his voice. But the world was wowed in 1972 when Pavarotti struck nine unwavering high C's at New York's Metropolitan Opera House, earning him a title the ``King of High C's.''

Roughly 20 years later, he recorded the biggest selling classical music album of all time, when he teamed up with Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras as the Three Tenors. It must have caused the man who once dreamed of soccer stardom great joy to have debuted this project for the 1990 Soccer World Cup in Italy.

He shared the stage with rock stars, including U2's lead singer, Bono, Eric Clapton, and even pop stars like Celine Dion and the Spice Girls. Pavarotti also won humanitarian awards during the Bosnia war, as well worked alongside Diana, Princess of Wales, to raise money to ban land mines, was named a U.N. Messenger of Peace in 1998, and received the Nansen Medal from the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees in 2001. He never tired of bringing his voice to rally around causes that make us all proud. When he died this year, his wife, sister, four daughters, nephews, and close relatives and friends were all at his side.

Mr. Speaker, Luciano Pavarotti was a man blessed with an unusual talent, a talent he used to promote not only opera, but a myriad of other causes that helped men and women all throughout the world. This resolution seeks to cast a small light on a soaring life, and I urge its passage.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Sanchez).

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I am pleased to rise in support of H. Res. 708, which honors the life and accomplishments of Luciano Pavarotti and recognizes the significant and positive impact of his amazing and astounding musical talent, his achievement in raising the profile of opera with audiences around the world and his commitment to charitable causes.

On September 6th of this year, a legend of the opera would take his final curtain call. When the great Luciano Pavarotti passed away in September, the world lost one of its most beautiful voices. Those with a love of all kinds of music, everyone from opera singers to instrumentalists and pop singers, grieved at the loss of such a great talent. One of those musicians, the rock singer Bono of the group U2, described Pavarotti as, and I quote, ``a great volcano of a man who sang fire but spilled over with a love of life in all its complexity.''

From the time that he made his first debut in 1961, Luciano Pavarotti was an inspiration, not just for the unmatched quality of God-given voice and talent, but for his generosity. Indeed, he used immense talent to raise funds for many worthy causes, including his concerts on behalf of refugees throughout the world.

In 1998, he was named United Nations Messenger of Peace. In 2001, the same year that he received the Kennedy Center Honors, he received a medal from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for his fundraising efforts on behalf of refugees throughout the world.

In memory of this giant man of music, beloved by all those who enjoy the great opera, I ask my colleagues to join in supporting H. Res. 708, introduced by our colleague from California, Ms. Loretta Sanchez.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.