Tenor serenades ice cream maker's cows

LANCASHIRE, England, May 15 (UPI) -- English ice cream maker Frank Frederick says he is reviving his Italian family's 100-year-old gelato brand and has hired an opera tenor to keep the cows happy.

Italian tenor Marcello Bedoni flew to Lancashire to serenade a field of Friesian cows at Cockshotts Farm with such tunes as "Amore ti vieta" by Giordano and "E lucevan le stelle" by Puccini.

"The cows are such gentle beasts and have a good ear for opera," Bedoni told the Daily Telegraph. "I have put together a special repertoire for my audience including soothing arias and Napolitan songs."

The gelato, an ice cream delicacy, which goes on sale this month, has been faithfully recreated from a century old family recipe created by Frederick's grandfather, Antonio Federeci.

Grandfather Federici lived near Portofino on the Italian Riviera and believed that listening to the opera he loved was beneficial to his cows and co-workers.

He was so convinced that it stimulated the production of endorphin-rich milk and created a happy working environment that he made music part of the recipe, and sang to his cows before milking them.