Eric Salzman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Eric Salzman
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Salzman at the Cell Theater in 2011 for the Center for Contemporary Opera atelier of his opera, Big Jim and the Small-Time Investors.
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| Born | September 8, 1933 New York City, U.S.
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| Died | November 12, 2017 (aged 84) New York City, U.S.
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| Education | Columbia University (BA) Princeton University (MFA) |
| Occupation | Composer, producer, author, music critic |
| Years active | 1958–2017 |
Eric Salzman (September 8, 1933 – November 12, 2017) was an American composer, writer, and music critic. He was also a record producer and helped create new music shows. Salzman was known for developing "New Music Theater." This was a new type of art form that combined music, theater, and other media. It was different from traditional grand opera and popular musicals.
He helped start the American Music Theater Festival. At the time of his death, he was a special composer at the Center for Contemporary Opera. His opera, Big Jim and the Small-Time Investors, was performed after he passed away. Many famous groups and people performed his works. These included the New York Philharmonic and the Kronos Quartet.
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Early Life and Education
Eric Salzman was born in New York City on September 8, 1933. He went to Forest Hills High School from 1946 to 1950.
He studied music composition privately for a few years. Then, he went to Columbia University. There, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in music in 1954. His teachers included famous composers like Otto Luening.
After Columbia, he continued his studies at Princeton University. He earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in 1956. He also received a Fulbright Fellowship. This allowed him to study music in Rome and Darmstadt, Germany. He learned from important composers like Karlheinz Stockhausen.
Music Critic and Producer
In 1958, Salzman returned to the United States. He started working as a music critic. He wrote for major newspapers like The New York Times and the New York Herald Tribune. He also wrote for Stereo Review for many years.
In 1964, he received a special award from the Ford Foundation. This allowed him to write about concerts in Europe. He won another award in 1969 for his excellent music writing. He also wrote for other music magazines.
Salzman was also involved in radio. He was the music director for WBAI-FM from 1962 to 1964 and again from 1968 to 1972. He won an award for his radio work. He interviewed many artists and was even interviewed by the famous composer Virgil Thomson.
Through his radio work, Salzman started the Free Music Store. This project offered free concerts at The Public Theater in New York City. It gave musicians a chance to try new ideas without needing to be paid. The Free Music Store even presented early ragtime music concerts.
From 1975 to 1990, Salzman produced many music recordings. Most of these were for Nonesuch Records. Two of his productions were nominated for Grammy Awards. He produced The Tango Project album, which became very famous. This album helped bring tango music to a wider audience around the world. Parts of it were even used in popular movies like Scent of a Woman.
New Music Theater Creations
Eric Salzman believed that the future of opera and musical theater was in smaller, more affordable shows. He thought music should be the most important part of these shows.
In 1967, he started the "New Image of Sound" series. His own theatrical piece, Verses and Cantos, was performed there. Later, in 1972, the famous conductor Pierre Boulez led the BBC Symphony Orchestra in performing this piece.
In 1970, Salzman created the Quog Music Theater. This group combined different art forms, like music and video. They performed many of Salzman's works. One piece, Ecolog, was a music theater show for television. It was later performed live by the New York Philharmonic. With Quog, Salzman explored new ways to tell stories with music. He created a radio opera and a music drama called Lazarus.
Salzman often worked with musician Michael Sahl. They wrote many theatrical pieces together. One of their most famous works was Civilization and Its Discontents. This music theater comedy toured Europe and was recorded for radio. It won a Prix Italia award.
American Music Theater Festival
In 1984, Salzman co-founded the American Music Theater Festival. This festival aimed to present new and exciting music theater works. Important artists like Stephen Sondheim and Philip Glass were on its advisory team.
For the festival's opening, Salzman helped bring back an old anti-war musical. It was called Strike up the Band by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin. Salzman was a co-director of the festival until 1993. During his time, the festival presented many important new works. These included X, The Life and Times of Malcolm X and The Gospel at Colonus.
Center for Contemporary Opera
From 2000 to 2012, Salzman was the Artistic Director of the Center for Contemporary Opera in New York City. He also served as a special composer for the company. The Center performed some of Salzman's works. They also held workshops for his opera Big Jim & the Small-time Investors.
Other Music Projects
In 1997, Salzman's work True Last Words of Dutch Schultz was performed in the Netherlands. Another work, La Prière du loup, was performed in France. He was also asked to create a new version of Gershwin's Strike Up the Band.
In 1980, Salzman composed music for an audio play of Homer's Odyssey. This play won a Peabody Award. The Kronos Quartet performed Salzman's arrangement of a John Cage piece on their 1997 album. Salzman also arranged other Cage pieces for string instruments. His later works include Jukebox in the Tavern of Love. This was a musical comedy performed by the Western Wind Vocal Ensemble.
Publications and Teaching
Salzman was the editor of The Musical Quarterly from 1984 to 1991. He also taught at several universities. These included Queens College, City University of New York and Yale University. He gave lectures at the famous Bayreuth Festival in Germany.
He wrote important books about music. His book Twentieth Century Music: An Introduction is a widely used textbook. He also wrote The New Music Theater: Seeing the Voice, Hearing the Body.
Eric Salzman Award for New Music Theater
After Eric Salzman's death, the Eric Salzman Award for New Music Theater was created in 2018. This award celebrates new works in music theater.
Personal Life
Eric Salzman was married to Lorna Salzman, an environmental activist. They were married from 1955 until his death. They had two daughters, Eva and Stephanie, who are also artists.
Salzman loved birdwatching. He was very good at recognizing bird calls from Eastern Long Island.
He passed away on November 12, 2017, at the age of 84, from a heart attack.
Recordings
- Civilization & Its Discontents (reissued January 2012; Labor Records LAB 7089)
- The Nude Paper Sermon/Wiretap (reissued October 2012; Labor Records LAB 7092)
- Jukebox in the Tavern of Love (released May 2014 – Labor Records LAB 7094) * This recording by the Western Wind Vocal Ensemble also features Meredith Monk's Basket Rondo; it was a WQXR Q2 Album of the Week in May 2014; and was chosen by Gramophone Magazine for inclusion in their 2014 Recordings of the Year.
