Furman Singers: Discipline, Beauty, Excellence Troy David Robertson
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Florida State University Libraries Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School 2011 Furman Singers: Discipline, Beauty, Excellence Troy David Robertson Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact [email protected] THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF MUSIC FURMAN SINGERS: DISCIPLINE, BEAUTY, EXCELLENCE By TROY DAVID ROBERTSON A Dissertation submitted to the College of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Degree Awarded: Summer Semester, 2011 The members of the committee approve the dissertation of Troy David Robertson defended on July 1, 2011. Kevin Fenton Professor Directing Dissertation Christopher Moore University Representative Judy Bowers Committee Member André J. Thomas Committee Member The Graduate School has verified and approved the above named committee members. ii I dedicate this effort to Stephanie Robertson, whose support has sustained me, and whose example has inspired me. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to take this opportunity to thank the many individuals who helped me in the creation of this document. First I would like to thank Dr. Bingham Vick, Jr. for all of his help. His tireless dedication to Furman Singers has been evident in my perusal of the many thousands of documents in the Furman Singers Archives and in many hours of conversation. Special thanks are due to Julia A. Cowert of Furman University Special Collections and Archives for her assistance, as well as her colleague DebbieLee Landi. My thanks go to Dr. Hugh Floyd, current director of Furman Singers, and Dr. Mark E. Britt, department chair of Furman University’s school of music, for allowing me access to Furman Singers Archives. Thanks, as well, to Emily Sweezey, administrative assistant to Dr. Britt, for her help in making sure I had access to those materials. I would like to thank the individuals who contributed interview material to this project: Carolyn Dennis, Dr. Gordon Herring, Sarah Herring, Dr. Lloyd Linney, Dave Vassy, Dr. Bruce Schoonmaker, Dr. David Parker, Dr. Hugh Floyd, James E. Williams, III, and Dr. Bingham Vick, Jr. I would offer special thanks to my family members, Ryan, Sara, and Emery Glenn, who provided housing during my many visits to Furman University. I want to thank the members of my committee: Dr. Christopher Moore, Dr. Judy Bowers, Dr. André Thomas, and Dr. Kevin Fenton. Their guidance has helped to make this process an enjoyable one, and I am grateful to them for their expertise and mentoring during my time at Florida State University. I wish to thank Dr. Fenton in particular, whose support through these past three years of graduate school has meant more than he can know. I would like to thank my immediate family: my parents, Dave and Marisa Robertson, as well as my brother, Reid Robertson. Their lifelong support and love have urged me on through years of teaching and years of school. Finally, I would like to thank my wife, Stephanie Robertson, to whom this effort is dedicated. She is a constant source of encouragement and love. Moreover, she is an industrious scholar, and her example has inspired me throughout the process of writing this document. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures vii Abstract x CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION: PURPOSE AND PROCEDURES 1 Problem Statement 1 Sub-problems 1 Definition of Terms 1 Delimitations 2 Need for the Study 3 Purpose of the Study 6 Procedures 7 Organization of the Study 7 CHAPTER 2: FURMAN UNIVERSITY 9 Baptist Beginnings 9 Furman University’s First 75 Years 14 CHAPTER 3: EARLY CHORAL ACTIVITY AT FURMAN UNIVERSITY 24 Furman University’s Choral Activities in Context 24 The Furman University and Greenville Woman’s College Glee Clubs 28 The 1930s and the Return of a Glee Club Star 47 Enduring World War II 51 CHAPTER 4: DUPRE DIRECTED ME: THE TENURE OF DUPRE RHAME 54 The Founding of the Furman Singers and Rhythms of the School Year 54 The First Concert of the Year: Handel’s Messiah 58 Spring Tour 61 The Spring Opera 66 Impressions of DuPre Rhame 71 CHAPTER 5: I SING FOR BING: THE TENURE OF BINGHAM VICK, JR. 74 Bingham Vick, Jr. and a Handbook for Excellence 74 A Place of Our Own: the Herring Pavilion 86 The Last Month of the Year, the First Concert 90 Furman Singers and University Chorus 93 Chamber and Small Ensembles Associated with Furman Singers 95 Furman Singers on Tour 102 The Spring Oratorio Concert 109 Notable Performances 112 Furman Singers in Europe and Asia 119 The Furman Singers Alumni Association 123 Bingham Vick, Jr.’s Retirement and Hugh Floyd 126 CHAPTER 6: AN EXAMINATION OF THE TOUR REPERTOIRE OF v FURMAN SINGERS 128 DuPre Rhame and the Music of the Stage 128 Bingham Vick, Jr. and the Western Art Music Tradition 130 CHAPTER 7: SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH 133 Summary 133 Conclusions 136 Recommendations for Future Research 138 APPENDIX A: A SURVEY OF THE TOUR REPERTOIRE OF FURMAN SINGERS 139 APPENDIX B: INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTIONS 157 APPENDIX C: BIBLIOGRAPHY 196 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 215 vi LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2.1 – The Florentine Bell Tower and surrounding campus, “Old Campus” location. Photo courtesy Furman University Special Collections and Archives. 20 Figure 3.1 – An early picture of members of the Furman Glee Club. Photo courtesy Furman University Special Collections and Archives. 25 Figure 3.2 – The Furman Glee Club of 1903. Photo courtesy Furman University Special Collections and Archives. 29 Figure 3.3 – A flyer for a Greenville Woman’s College Glee Club concert, undated. Photo courtesy Furman University Special Collections and Archives. 32 Figure 3.4 – Furman students in field exercises, preparing for duty in World War I. The bell tower and old campus are in the background. Photo courtesy of Furman University Special Collections and Archives. 34 Figure 3.5 – DuPre Rhame as a senior at Furman University. Photo courtesy Furman University Special Collections and Archives. 35 Figure 3.6 – Furman Glee Club director J. Oscar Miller, pictured in the Bonhomie. Photo courtesy Furman University Special Collections and Archives. 39 Figure 3.7 – The front page of The Hornet, March 18, 1927. Photo courtesy Furman University Special Collections and Archives. 41 Figure 3.8 – This portrait of Nan Trammell Herring hangs in the lobby of the Nan Trammell Herring Music Pavilion. Photo courtesy Furman Singers Archives. 44 Figure 3.9 – Arnold Putman. Photo courtesy Furman University Special Collections and Archives. 46 Figure 3.10 – DuPre Rhame. Photo courtesy Furman University Special Collections and Archives. 49 Figure 4.1 – DuPre Rhame and the Serenaders. Photo courtesy Furman University Special Collections and Archives. 55 Figure 4.2 – Furman University Singers and DuPre Rhame, 1948. Photo courtesy Furman Singers Archives. 56 Figure 4.3 – McAlister Auditorium 57 vii Figure 4.4 – From left to right, Jerry Langenkamp, DuPre Rhame, and Gayle Gulley on tour. Photo courtesy Furman Singers Archives. 62 Figure 4.5 – Mr. and Mrs. Rhame on tour in 1967. Photo courtesy Lloyd Linney. 64 Figure 4.6 – Rhame in rehearsal in McAlister Auditorium. Photo courtesy Furman Singers Archives. 67 Figure 4.7 – This portrait of DuPre Rhame hangs in the lobby of the Herring Music Pavilion. Photo courtesy Furman Singers Archives. 72 Figure 5.1 – Bingham Vick, Jr., in 1970. Photo courtesy Furman Singers Archives 75 Figure 5.2 – Grilling at the annual Furman Singers fall picnic. Photo courtesy Furman Singers Archives. 78 Figure 5.3 – The annual Furman Band versus Furman Singers volleyball game. Photo courtesy Furman Singers Archives. 79 Figure 5.4 – Vick’s handwritten audition sheet for the 1980 fall audition. Photo courtesy Furman Singers Archives. 80 Figure 5.5 – Vick’s signature and customary accompanying smiley face. Photo courtesy Furman Singers Archives. 81 Figure 5.6 – Furman Singers managers in the spring manager skit, a usual part of the spring banquet and naming of the new sophomore manager. Photo courtesy Furman Singers Archives. 84 Figure 5.7 – Vick in rehearsal in Townes Lecture Hall. Photo courtesy Furman Singers Archives. 87 Figure 5.8 – The exterior of the Nan Trammell Herring Music Pavilion. 90 Figure 5.9 – Peter Schickele in rehearsal with the Furman Symphony Orchestra. Photo courtesy Furman Singers Archives. 98 Figure 5.10 – Mosquitoes and Honeybees in concert. Photo courtesy Furman Singers Archives. 102 Figure 5.11 – Robert Shaw in rehearsal with Furman Singers and the Greenville Symphony Orchestra. Photo courtesy Furman Singers Archives. 114 viii Figure 5.12 – Furman Singers, Bingham Vick, Jr., and Keith Lockhart. Photo courtesy Furman Singers Archives. 117 Figure 5.13 – Furman Singers in the Cathedral of the Assumption. Photo courtesy Furman Singers Archives. 122 Figure 5.14 – A button given at the 1995 Furman Singers reunion. Buttons expressing loyalty to DuPre Rhame read “DuPre Directed Me.” Photo courtesy Furman Singers Archives. 124 Figure 5.15 – This portrait of Vick hangs in the lobby of the Herring Pavilion. Photo courtesy Furman Singers Archives. 125 ix ABSTRACT Since 1946, the Furman Singers have been the flagship choral ensemble of Furman University, a private, liberal arts university in Greenville, South Carolina. The chorus has traveled extensively within the United States and abroad, serving as ambassadors for Furman University and the ensemble’s stated mission of “Discipline, Beauty, Excellence.” This study documents Furman University’s early history, the first few decades of choral activity at Furman University, and the complete history of Furman Singers through the tenure of Dr. Bingham Vick, Jr. The study explores 1) the individuals, events, and institutions that led to the formation of Furman Singers, 2) the mission of Furman Singers and the ways in which that mission has changed over the decades, 3) the individuals, events, and institutions that have shaped that mission, 4) the events that demonstrate contributions to the choral art on the part of Furman Singers, and 5) the ways in which the tour performance repertoire of Furman Singers reflects the ensemble’s mission.