Robert Maxwell (songwriter)
Encyclopedia
Robert Maxwell is a harp
ist and songwriter, who wrote the music for two well-known songs: "Ebb Tide" and "Shangri-La
(originally a composition entitled "Fantasy for Harp").
He is the father of modern dancer Carla Maxwell, artistic director of The Jose Limon Dance Company. He and his two brothers, Abe Rosen and Myor Rosen, all played the harp professionally. Abe Rosen was known for his work playing in New York shows and Myor Rosen was the principal harpist for the New York Philharmonic for thirty years.
. Neither of his parents had been involved in music, but at age 10 he began playing the harp. In high school, he won a scholarship to the Juilliard School of Music
. At age 17, he became the youngest member of the National Symphony Orchestra. He also gave solo performances in both New York and Los Angeles
. Among the conductors he performed under were Arturo Toscanini
and Serge Koussevitsky.
He eventually found himself in the United States Coast Guard
in a unit commanded by Rudy Vallee
, giving him the opportunity to play the harp in a popular music
context. Vallee arranged tours where he performed for servicemen, and he developed a talent for playing in a more down-to-earth style.
He entered a contest on radio
station KFI in Los Angeles
, failing to make the finals but gaining second prize. This led to many appearances on radio
, television
, and the movies
, including one summer as replacement for Frank Sinatra
on the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) network.
, "Ebb Tide" (1953) was a perennial favorite, and "Shangri-La" (1964) hit #15 on the Billboard Hot 100
.
Another of his songs, "Solfeggio", performed by Maxwell's orchestra and the Ray Charles Singers, gained unexpected fame as the theme for Ernie Kovacs
' regular comedy skit called The Nairobi Trio
.
Harp
The harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
ist and songwriter, who wrote the music for two well-known songs: "Ebb Tide" and "Shangri-La
Shangri-La (1946 song)
"Shangri-La" is a popular song written by Carl Sigman , bandleader Matty Malneck, and Robert Maxwell in 1946. The term comes from "Shangri-La," the hidden valley of delight in James Hilton's 1933 novel "Lost Horizon." The term "Shangri-La," especially in the 1930s and 1940s, was slang for heaven...
(originally a composition entitled "Fantasy for Harp").
He is the father of modern dancer Carla Maxwell, artistic director of The Jose Limon Dance Company. He and his two brothers, Abe Rosen and Myor Rosen, all played the harp professionally. Abe Rosen was known for his work playing in New York shows and Myor Rosen was the principal harpist for the New York Philharmonic for thirty years.
Early life
Maxwell was born in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Neither of his parents had been involved in music, but at age 10 he began playing the harp. In high school, he won a scholarship to the Juilliard School of Music
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established in 1905...
. At age 17, he became the youngest member of the National Symphony Orchestra. He also gave solo performances in both New York and Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. Among the conductors he performed under were Arturo Toscanini
Arturo Toscanini
Arturo Toscanini was an Italian conductor. One of the most acclaimed musicians of the late 19th and 20th century, he was renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orchestral detail and sonority, and his photographic memory...
and Serge Koussevitsky.
He eventually found himself in the United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
in a unit commanded by Rudy Vallee
Rudy Vallée
Rudy Vallée was an American singer, actor, bandleader, and entertainer.-Early life:Born Hubert Prior Vallée in Island Pond, Vermont, the son of Charles Alphonse and Catherine Lynch Vallée...
, giving him the opportunity to play the harp in a popular music
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
context. Vallee arranged tours where he performed for servicemen, and he developed a talent for playing in a more down-to-earth style.
He entered a contest on radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
station KFI in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, failing to make the finals but gaining second prize. This led to many appearances on radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
, television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, and the movies
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, including one summer as replacement for Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
on the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) network.
Later life and work
Maxwell went on to devising his own arrangements, and composed three songs which he is remembered: "Little Dipper" (1959, written under the name The Mickey Mozart Quintet) peaked at #30 on the Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, "Ebb Tide" (1953) was a perennial favorite, and "Shangri-La" (1964) hit #15 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
.
Another of his songs, "Solfeggio", performed by Maxwell's orchestra and the Ray Charles Singers, gained unexpected fame as the theme for Ernie Kovacs
Ernie Kovacs
Ernie Kovacs was a Hungarian American comedian and actor.Kovacs' uninhibited, often ad-libbed, and visually experimental comedic style came to influence numerous television comedy programs for years after his death in an automobile accident...
' regular comedy skit called The Nairobi Trio
The Nairobi Trio
The Nairobi Trio was a skit Ernie Kovacs performed several times for his TV shows. It combined many existing concepts and visuals in a novel and creative way....
.
External links
- Biography on Music Match site
- Biography on Space Age Musicmaker site