Maynard Solomon facts for kids

Maynard Elliott Solomon (born January 5, 1930 – died September 28, 2020) was an American music expert and record producer. He helped start Vanguard Records, a well-known music company. Later in his life, he became famous for writing books about famous classical music composers like Beethoven, Mozart, and Schubert.

Early Life and Education

Maynard Solomon went to the High School of Music & Art in New York. He then studied at Brooklyn College, part of CUNY, and earned his degree in 1950. He continued his studies at Columbia University for two years.

Later, he taught at several universities, including CUNY, SUNY Stony Brook, Columbia, Harvard University, and Yale University. In 1998, he joined the teaching staff at the Juilliard School.

Career in Music

Maynard Solomon started Vanguard Records in 1950 with his older brother, Seymour Solomon. They began their company with a loan from their father. Seymour was the president, and Maynard was the vice president.

Vanguard Records became very important during the folk and blues music boom in the 1950s and 1960s. Maynard not only produced many albums but also wrote the notes that came inside the record covers.

Their very first record was a classical piece by J.S. Bach. A Billboard journalist noted in 1966 that this first record was still popular, showing the Solomons' good taste.

Vanguard's first big success outside of classical music came with the folk group The Weavers. Their 1955 concert at Carnegie Hall was a huge hit for the label. Solomon also got the rights to record performances from the Newport Folk Festival. This meant he could release music by artists who weren't officially signed to Vanguard, including famous singers like Phil Ochs, Judy Collins, and Bob Dylan.

In 1959, Vanguard signed Joan Baez, who stayed with the label for 12 years. They also recorded Odetta at Town Hall in 1961. In 1963, The Rooftop Singers recorded their hit song "Walk Right In" with Solomon as a producer.

Maynard Solomon believed that performers should look neat on stage and sing clearly. He also bravely signed Paul Robeson to Vanguard during a difficult time known as the McCarthy era.

Solomon's strong beliefs influenced his work in the early years. In 1973, he wrote a book called Marxism and Art, which has been printed many times since then.

In the late 1960s, Vanguard also had success with rock artists like "Country Joe and the Fish". They also released some jazz, blues, and disco records. In 1969, Solomon signed Michael Szajkowski, an electronic composer. His brother Seymour had already signed electronic music artists Jean-Jacques Perrey and Gershon Kingsley in 1965. Their music is still used today in commercials and children's television shows.

Vanguard and its sister label, Bach Guild, released many popular classical music records between 1950 and 1966. These included music by Bach, Henry Purcell, Vivaldi (like his Four Seasons), Haydn symphonies, and an important series of works by Gustav Mahler.

As a Music Historian

Later in his life, Solomon started a second career as a music historian, also known as a musicologist. He became well-known for writing biographies about composers. His books, especially those about Mozart and Beethoven, were both praised and sometimes criticized for their ideas.

Solomon carefully studied historical evidence to create new ideas about the lives of great composers. For example, he described the last year of Mozart's life as a time of personal growth that was cut short by illness, rather than a slow decline.

Solomon worked closely with German scholars on Beethoven's life. In 1996, he became an adviser to the Beethoven-Archiv in Bonn, Germany.

In 1997, Solomon became a member of the International Musicological Society. His book Mozart: A Life was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. His biography of Beethoven and his study of Charles Ives also won awards. His book Beethoven Essays won the Otto Kinkeldey Award in 1988 for the best book on music that year.

Maynard Solomon also wrote articles about psychology and edited books on art. He was working on a book about Schubert before he passed away.

Solomon died on September 28, 2020, in Manhattan at the age of 90.

Selected Records Produced by Solomon

• "Best of the Vanguard Years" (2000) (The Clancy Brothers)
• "Best of the Vanguard Years" (2000) (Tom Paxton)
• "Best of the Vanguard Years" (1998) (Ian & Sylvia)
• "Best of the Vanguard Years" (2004) (The Rooftop Singers)
• "Best of the Vanguard Years" (2003) (Buffy Sainte-Marie)
• "Best of John Hammond" (1989) (John Hammond)
• "Best of Eric Andersen" (1970) (Eric Andersen)
• "Vanguard Sessions: Baez Sings Dylan" (1998) (Joan Baez)
• "Reunion at Carnegie Hall, 1963, Pt 1" (2001) (The Weavers)
• "Reunion at Carnegie Hall, 1963, Pt 2" (2001) (The Weavers)

See also

In Spanish: Maynard Solomon para niños