The Development of Collegiate Male Glee Clubs in America: an Historical
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UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI Date: 13-Jul-2010 I, Jeremy D. Jones , hereby submit this original work as part of the requirements for the degree of: Doctor of Musical Arts in Conducting, Choral Emphasis It is entitled: The Development of Collegiate Male Glee Clubs in America: An Historical Overview Student Signature: Jeremy D. Jones This work and its defense approved by: Committee Chair: Earl Rivers, DMA Earl Rivers, DMA 8/16/2010 901 The Development of Collegiate Male Glee Clubs in America: An Historical Overview A document submitted to the Division of Graduate Studies and Research of the University of Cincinnati in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS in the Ensembles and Conducting Division of the College-Conservatory of Music August 2010 by Jeremy D. Jones B.M., Middle Tennessee State University, 2001 M.M., East Carolina University, 2007 Committee Chair: Earl Rivers, D.M.A. ABSTRACT Collegiate male glee clubs have flourished in the United States since the first glee club was established in 1858 at Harvard University. For more than 150 years men’s glee clubs have proliferated from predominately autonomous student-led social organizations singing of school pride and spirit to organizations of musical and artistic prominence. While many collegiate glee clubs still retain certain elements of a social and fraternal-like nature, faculty directors helped instill traditions of musical excellence through various artistic missions, initiatives, and endeavors. Published historical accounts pertaining to the rich histories associated with individual glee clubs, as well as the movement as a whole, are sparse, and continued research in this field is needed to enhance the historical contributions of the male choral arts. This document serves to supplement the literature available on glee clubs through an historic overview of the development of male glee clubs among American colleges and universities. Selected glee clubs are discussed in Chapters IV and V serving as representative organizations in this broad artistic movement. Prior to the accounts of the selected American collegiate glee clubs, brief historical perspectives on Western European male singing societies as found in the English glee and German Männerchor traditions, as well as the early American male singing societies, are presented. The final Chapter concludes the study with pertinent information on professional service organizations, such as the Intercollegiate Men’s Choruses (IMC) and the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), pertaining to the advocacy of the male choral movement throughout the nation. Additionally, the concluding Chapter provides information on four well- known professional and community male choruses in the nation: Chanticleer, Cantus, the Turtle Creek Chorale, and the Washington Men’s Camerata. The document ends with an Appendix of iii forty-five recently composed twenty-first century works for male chorus commissioned by or written for specific male choruses. Its intent is to supplement available repertoire guides and provide conductors a valuable resource for programming quality literature for male choruses. iv Copyright © 2010 by Jeremy D. Jones All rights reserved v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the encouraging support, wisdom, and advice that Dr. Earl Rivers provided throughout my doctoral studies at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM). He served as my major professor, academic advisor, and committee chair for this culminating document. His professional leadership, mentorship, and investment in my academic and professional career were always accompanied with remarkable compassion and integrity. Additionally, I am grateful for the opportunity he gave to serve as the conductor of the UC Men’s Chorus throughout my tenure at CCM. The experience of leading this group of men helped my professional development as a conductor, teacher, and administrator and allowed for many professional opportunities. I also would like to thank Dr. Brett Scott for his beneficial assistance and instruction during my time at CCM. The success I had during my academic residence at CCM would not have been possible without the guidance of my mentor during my graduate studies at East Carolina University (ECU), Dr. Daniel Bara. He is a master teacher, consummate musician, and gifted conductor who possesses a genuine passion for sharing the music-making process with others. His mentorship has been invaluable and inspirational to my professional and personal growth. I would not have been prepared for graduate study without the training and experiences provided by many talented professors and exceptional musicians during my undergraduate studies at Middle Tennessee State University. Among the numerous influential teachers who helped shape my educational and professional outlook are Dr. Nancy Boone-Allsbrook, Mr. John Kramar, Dr. Michael Linton, Dr. Raphael Bundage, Mr. Stephen Smith, and Mrs. Angela Tipps. Without their guidance and encouragement, I would not be where I am today. Teaching in the public school system following my undergraduate study also provided significant experiences vi that have helped shape my professional career. I will always be grateful and indebted to the numerous students I had the fortune and pleasure of teaching and mentoring at Riverdale High School, my alma mater, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The passion for choral music and the fond memories that many of these students share have been influential to my professional development. I would like to thank my parents, family, and close friends for their ceaseless love, support, and encouragement throughout my life and during my graduate studies. My father’s advice and editorship was extremely valuable in the completion of this document. I am also grateful for the steadfast friendship of Keith Phillips and his wife Stephanie, whom I first met while we both worked on our master’s degrees in music at ECU. We have shared an invaluable companionship working on our doctoral degrees in conducting at CCM together. Lastly, I owe immense thanks to my wife Gretchen for her unconditional love and constant support. She has made countless sacrifices to help me pursue my academic studies and professional aspirations. Without her, I would have been unable to complete this career milestone in my life. Our twin sons Elias and Gabriel have been a wonderful joy in our lives over the past two years, and we have been blessed to be in Cincinnati surrounded by people who have helped us through this journey. I am forever grateful. vii CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ..........................................................................................................................x Chapter I. INTRODUCTION ..............................................................................................................1 Purpose of the Study ...............................................................................................1 A Continued Need for the Study .............................................................................3 Methodology and Scope .........................................................................................5 Limitations of the Study ..........................................................................................7 II. THE WESTERN EUROPEAN TRADITION OF MALE SINGING SOCIETIES ...........................................................................................9 The English Catch, Glee, and Partsong Tradition ...................................................9 The German Männerchor Tradition ......................................................................14 III. THE AMERICAN TRADITION: MALE SINGING SOCIETIES ESTABLISHED IN AMERICA ....................................22 The German-American Societies ..........................................................................22 The American Societies ........................................................................................27 IV. THE FIRST COLLEGIATE MALE GLEE CLUBS: HISTORIES AND TRADITIONS ...................................................................................34 The Arrival of a New Tradition ............................................................................34 Harvard Glee Club ................................................................................................38 University of Michigan Men’s Glee Club ............................................................48 Yale Glee Club ......................................................................................................55 An Expanding Tradition .......................................................................................62 V. THE RISE OF AMERICAN COLLEGIATE MALE GLEE CLUBS .............................64 Virginia Glee Club ................................................................................................66 The Ohio State University Men’s Glee Club ........................................................71 Michigan State University Men’s Glee Club ........................................................72 Penn State Glee Club ............................................................................................74 Miami University Men’s Glee Club .....................................................................76 Morehouse College Glee Club ..............................................................................80 Collegiate Male Glee Clubs: A Preeminent History with