Part Of

Maurice Solway fonds

Level

Fonds

Fonds

13

Material Format

multiple media

Date

1919-1989

Physical Description

11 cm of textual records and other material

Admin History/Bio

Maurice Solway (1906-2001) was a violinist, music teacher, composer, author and actor who lived and worked for most of his life in Toronto. Although he was highly respected as a musician in Toronto, and thoroughly immersed in the city’s musical culture from the 1920s until the 1980s, his greatest fame came to him later in life, as an actor in the Academy Award nominated NFB short film “The Violin”.

Maurice Solway's family lived at 164 York Street, Toronto, where he was born, in 1906. His parents, Jakob (b.1877) and Roza Solway (b.1877), had only just emigrated that year from Halofzen, Russia, where Jakob had been a musician and band leader. In Canada, Jakob adopted his father's trade and worked as a Kosher butcher, in Toronto’s St. John’s Ward. As a youth, Maurice played the violin in variety programmes with his sister, Dora, accompanying him on piano. His father was his first teacher, but he quickly showed enough promise to warrant private lessons with Harry Adaskin, and later with Dr. Luigi von Kunits, at the Canadian Academy of Music. He also studied at the Hambourg Conservatory in Toronto with Henri Czaplinsky and Geza de Kresz, starting in 1921.

Solway began his professional career with the New Symphony, which later became the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO). During the 1920s, he also played in the Famous Players Cinema orchestras that accompanied silent films, and performed lunch concerts in Toronto hotel and department store orchestras, professional venues that would disappear by the 1930s.

From 1926 to 1928, Solway left Canada to study in Brussels with the highly regarded violinist, Eugène Ysaÿe. There he befriended other students of Ysaÿe, such as Nathan Milstein, William Primrose, Viola Mitchell, Robert Velton, and Joseph Gingold.

Upon his return to Toronto, Solway gave several recitals that were both critically and publicly well-received. Few such opportunities, however, existed in Canada at the time, and Solway was obliged to find work in-between solo concerts. He also suffered an injury to his left hand while moving a piano in 1929 that required him to adjust his technique for three fingers and interfered with his being able to play comfortably for a number of years.

He was married in 1930 to Anne Cass (1907-1994), and they had a son, Stephen. Facing his financial obligations to his new family, he opted for the more dependable income of orchestral playing versus the riskier and transitory life of a soloist. Besides classical music, he played with jazz groups like the Jolly Bachelor’s Orchestra, Oscar Peterson, Jerome Kern, and Percy Faith, and on numerous recordings for the CBC, CFCA, and CKGW radio stations. He also played chamber music with the Joyce Trio, founded by Simeon Joyce (piano) and featuring Charles Mathe (cello).

In 1952, Solway retired from the TSO, dedicating himself to his chamber playing and radio work. He founded the Solway String Quartet (SSQ) in 1947, with Marcus Adeney (cello), Nathan Green (viola) and Jack Groob (violin). The quartet played a mixed repertoire that included standard classical music with more widely recognized popular songs and new compositions, especially works by Canadian composers such as Howard Cable, John Weinzweig and Jean Coulthard. Sponsored by the Ontario Board of Education and the CBC, the SSQ played rural Ontario towns and broadcast concerts for a wide demographic of music listeners. In 1955, they performed the Canadian debut of the Castelnuovo-Tedesco Quintet for guitar and strings with Andres Segovia. The SSQ, with frequent changes in personnel, continued performing until 1968. Other players in the SSQ included Robert Warburton, Martin Chenhall, Murray Adaskin, Arthur Milligan, Charles Dobias, Eugene Hudson, Berul Sugerman, Joseph Pach and Ivan Romanoff.

In 1973, Solway was invited to act in a short children’s film “The Violin,” co-produced by George Pastic and Andrew Walsh. Solway also contributed the original music to the film, which was nominated for an Academy Award in 1975. Following the success of the film, Solway also appeared on television, making guest appearances with Sharon, Lois and Bram, on the Elephant Show and Mr. Dressup. During this time, his wife Anne traveled with him and managed his appointments.

Solway was also a violin teacher throughout his career. In 1989, he published a preparatory book, Fiddling for Fun: the Visual and Aural Art of Violin Playing, in which he outlined a new theory for violin practice that proposed an easy to use visual system for familiarizing students with intervals and fingerboard positions.

He also wrote an autobiography, Recollections of a Violinist, in 1984, and continued to lecture and speak about music. In 1981 and 1983 he devised a lecture performance series to commemorate Ysaÿe, the proceeds of which went to the establishment of a music scholarship at the Royal Conservatory. As he began to play less frequently in the 1980s, he also began to compose more regularly, completing more than one hundred compositions, primarily works for solo violin and for violin and piano. As a composer, he returned frequently to folk themes and completed a series of songs based on his travels around the world. Among his folk themes are songs inspired by his visits to such diverse countries as Norway, Maui, Japan, Israel and Spain.

Maurice Solway was affiliated with the Beth Tzedec Synagogue and frequently contributed to charity concerts and fundraising efforts for organizations such as the Inner City Angels, a cultural society for disadvantaged children. He died in 2001 in Toronto.

Scope and Content

The Solway fonds is arranged into twelve files. The documents relate to Solway's professional activities as a musician, educator, composer, actor and author. These include printed texts, photographs, original music scores, promotional materials, programmes, audio cassettes, articles, correspondence, radioscripts and a video.

Notes

Includes 31 photographs, 2 v. of text, 1 videocassette (VHS) and 17 audio cassettes.

Name Access

Solway, Maurice, 1906-2001

Subjects

Musicians

Related Material

Fonds 25, Series 11, Item 9: Photo cabinet, photo #179 (oversized)

Photo cabinet, photo #501

Two titles in the archives library collection (1984-12-6) (1 title missing 15 Aug. 2006)

A vertical file has been created for Maurice Solway.

Creator

Solway, Maurice, 1906-2001

Accession Number

1988-10-9

1991-3-3

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Maurice Solway fonds

Level

File

Fonds

13

File

1

Material Format

graphic material

Date

[192-?]-1989

Physical Description

26 photographs : b&w and col. (7 negatives) ; 35 x 28 cm or smaller

Scope and Content

File consists of photographs documenting Solway's professional career as a violinist, from his early studies in Brussels, through his career as a prominent Canadian chamber musician and soloist, to his late performances as an established pedagogical figure.

Notes

There are no negatives for accession 1991-3-3. The negatives from accession 1988-10-9 are copies made by the archives from the original photographic prints.

Related Material

Additional graphic images of Solway are located in the promotional material of this fonds, as well as in the Levine and Cass family fonds (photo cabinet #179), and also photo cabinet #501.

Arrangement

The file contains 26 photographs. The 18 images of the database are arranged chronologically, however, the photographs and negatives are kept with their original accession in two separate folders.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Maurice Solway fonds

Photographs file

Level

Item

Fonds

13

File

1

Item

7

Material Format

graphic material

Date

1934

Physical Description

3 photographs ; b&w (1 negative) ; 21 x 26 cm or smaller

Scope and Content

The photograph is of Maurice Solway with his pupils, who have formed a string orchestra with piano. The caption under the photograph indicates that the concert was a violin recital at the Canadian Forester's Hall on May 10th, 1934. Maurice Solway is conducting and the concert was assisted by the Musical Arts College String Orchestra. Two prints were made from the original by the archives.

Notes

Photographed by A.E. Mackintosh, commercial press, 58 Carlton St., Toronto, Ontario.

The original print is 19 x 26 cm.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Maurice Solway fonds

Level

File

Fonds

13

File

2

Material Format

textual record

Date

1923-1989

Physical Description

3 cm of textual records

Admin History/Bio

In his lifetime, Maurice Solway composed over one hundred compositions, predominantly for violin and piano. Many of these were published by E.C. Kerby Ltd. and Berandol Music Ltd., both music publishers based in Toronto. Of these compositions, "Reminiscence and Warum," original music from the movie "The violin," remains in print.

Scope and Content

These are typically short instrumental compositions by Maurice Solway for solo violin, duet violin, violin and flute, and violin with piano accompaniment. One piece is written for cello. Most of these scores are dated in the 1970s and 1980s, but a number of them earlier and others are undated. Many of the pieces bear a dedication, frequently to pupils, friends, or family members with several of these marking important anniversaries and occasions. The longest composition is ten pages and many of the pieces are a single page in length or shorter. The file also includes four short compositions by Maurice's father, Jakob, including three dated from the 1920s, and another lyrical song by Maurice's brother, Sam Solway, co-written with Jack Lewis in 1935. Two copies of csardas, or gypsy songs, composed in 1986, by Maurice Solway are included with the material from acc. # 1988-10-9.

Arrangement

The copies and originals are mixed. They have been arranged in chronological order, where dates are available. Where more than one date is written on a score, the arrangement is by the earliest date. The undated scores are kept at the back of the folder.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Maurice Solway fonds

Level

File

Fonds

13

File

4

Material Format

textual record

Date

1926-1958

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Scope and Content

The file contains low quality photocopies from the original scrapbook. These are primarily of newspaper clippings regarding recitals and reviews from Toronto newspapers in the late 1920s and early 1930s.

Subjects

Scrapbooks

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Maurice Solway fonds

Level

File

Fonds

13

File

5

Material Format

textual record

Date

1919-1988

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Scope and Content

The correspondence includes reflections upon music, personal and professional recommendations and several personal letters of thanks. Most of these are originals but a few photocopies are included. The correspondents in this file include: Fanny Gottesman, Luigi von Kunits, Eugène Ysaÿe, Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Henrietta Wilkinson, Grace Lerner, Lionel De May, Joseph Gingold, Nathan Milstein, Stephen Fry, Dorothy Soichet and [Theresa Mc-?].

Notes

Much of the content of one of the photocopies is unclear, perhaps having been made from a particularly fragile original, and has been kept at the end of the folder, out of sequence with the other pieces of correspondence.

Arrangement

The records in this file are arranged chronologically.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Maurice Solway fonds

Level

File

Fonds

13

File

7

Material Format

textual record

Date

1927-1989

Physical Description

3 cm of textual records

Scope and Content

A number of articles in magazines and loose clippings were donated in both of the Solway accessions. These are kept with the original accessions in two folders. Included in accession # 1988-10-9 are six articles relating to Maurice Solway's career in professional music. Included in accession # 1991-3-3 are a number of original and copied articles, including a photocopy of the European magazine review of Solway's debut as a soloist from 1927, several reviews in CBC publications, various loose articles and published magazines containing articles about or by Maurice Solway.

Arrangement

These articles are arranged in chronological order within their respective folders.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Maurice Solway fonds

Level

File

Fonds

13

File

8

Material Format

textual record

Date

1922-1988

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Scope and Content

Concert programmes for this file are gathered in two accessions. Together these records document Solway's performance career as a soloist and in the New Symphony, the TSO, the Joyce Trio, the Solway String Quartet, and with various other ensembles in Toronto and throughout Ontario. The programme bills are arranged chronologically in each of two separate folders, separated according to the original accessions.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Gilbert Studios fonds

Jewish community events series

Level

Series

Fonds

37

Series

7

Material Format

graphic material

Date

1936-1979

Physical Description

8 negatives : b&w ; 11 x 13 cm

Scope and Content

Series consists of photographs taken by Al and/or Nathan Gilbert that document Jewish events held in the city of Toronto. The kind of events included are dedication ceremonies, groundbreaking ceremonies, city council meetings, dinners and walks.

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Gilbert Studios fonds

Jewish community events series

Level

Item

Fonds

37

Series

7

Item

7

Material Format

graphic material

Date

[ca. 1936]

Physical Description

1 negative : b&w ; 11 x 13 cm

Admin History/Bio

The Pride of Israel Sick Benefit Society was founded in 1905 to provide assistance to newly arrived immigrants and to promote a prosperous Jewish community. The Pride of Israel Sick Benefit Society's Ladies Auxiliary was founded in 1922 with Mrs. Sophie Torno as the first Chairlady. The Ladies Auxiliary assisted the Society in collecting funds for various philanthropic causes. Moreover, they organized lectures and entertainment.

Scope and Content

Item is a negative of the the Pride of Israel Sick Benefit Society's Ladies' Auxiliary parade. The image depicts a group of women walking down a street carrying a large banner with the inscription: "Pride of Israel Sick Benefit Society Ladies Auxiliary, Friendship, Established 1921." The women have sashes with Pride of Israel across them and 15th Jubilee.

Name Access

Pride of Israel Sick Benefit Society Ladies' Auxiliary

Subjects

Parade

Societies

Women

Repro Restriction

Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.

Source

Archival Descriptions