The Singing Irish: A History of the Notre Dame Glee Club

by Michael Alan Anderson

Overview

In The Singing Irish, Michael Alan Anderson brings to life the rich history and traditions of the Notre Dame Glee Club. Replete with nearly three hundred images, the stunning large—format book examines the early history of the ensemble before 1915, its robust membership, rehearsal and concert customs, and the contributions of its conductors through the decades. Anderson interviewed dozens of Glee Club alumni going back to the early 1940s to narrate the vibrant story of the group, while assembling a wealth of documents that detail the activities undertaken—and impressions made—by this extraordinary musical ensemble. The group’s famous appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show in the early 1950s marked the height of the Glee Club’s visibility; however, the ensemble continues to sell out concerts on national and international tours, having traveled to nearly every state in the United States and numerous countries in Europe, Asia, and Central America. Through its eclectic repertoire and polished singing, the Glee Club has achieved a lofty status among collegiate choral ensembles in the United States, beloved by students, members of the Notre Dame family, and friends and supporters of the university around the world. Combining the meaningful culture of Notre Dame with the highest standards of artistic excellence, The Singing Irish makes a wonderful keepsake for fans and alumni of the Notre Dame Glee Club as it enters its centennial year.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780268020453
Publisher:	University of Notre Dame Press
Publication date:	10/01/2015
Edition description:	1
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	9.90(w) x 11.10(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Michael Alan Anderson is associate professor of musicology at the Eastman School of Music and was a member of the Notre Dame Glee Club from 1993 to 1997.

Read an Excerpt

“I thought I could write a book of the things I can recall, but after talking to some of the alumni at the reunion, I found myself a listener.” In the Notre Dame Glee Club’s inaugural alumni newsletter of 1963, Daniel H. (“Dean”) Pedtke wrote of his delight in reuniting with former singers at a celebration marking his twenty—fifth year as the group’s director. He also mentioned his idea to write a book about what had transpired during his time as conductor of the Glee Club,the distinguished all—male chorus of the university.Having led the ensemble for more than half of its history to that point, Pedtke was in an excellent position to compile his memories. But such a volume did not materialize.

Pedtke’s wish to collect his reminiscences of the Glee Club was not the only call to tell a history of musical life at Notre Dame.In 1928,Father James Connerton,C.S.C.(’20), then director of the Moreau Seminary Choir, former member of the Notre Dame Glee Club, and later president of King’s College in Pennsylvania, remarked that “hidden behind that veil of modesty which naturally envelopes all the arts, the history of music at the University of Notre Dame is practically lost to the modern world.” Perhaps the origins of a music program at Notre Dame were shrouded, but the early history of music at the university, including that of the Glee Club, does survive in fragments and deserves to be articulated. While several American universities had established men’s glee clubs in the later nineteenth century (Harvard was earliest at 1858), Notre Dame struggled to sustain a male chorus until the turn of the twentieth century, and even then there were breaks in continuity. Considering the Glee Club has now reached its centennial as a student organization, it is high time that the veil of modesty was lifted from the university’s chief choral ambassador.

According to the constitution of the group,“the function of the Notre Dame Glee Club is twofold: a) to represent the University in vocal performances on and off campus and b) to provide social activities.” But this generic statement could be said of any collegiate chorus.This book endeavors to showcase that which makes the Notre Dame Glee Club distinctive among American college choirs. Chapter 2 explains the slow rise of the university’s all—male chorus,charting some of the events and personalities that secured its footing as an organization in 1915. Although director Samuel Ward Perrott was no doubt a pivotal figure in the formation of a stable Glee Club, the activities of the group appear scattered in various contexts before Perrott’s arrival. Perrott’s musical standards and ambition for the group ensured its viability for the long term.

Following an account of the early history of the group, the book proceeds topically instead of chronologically, emphasizing a contextual frame for prominent aspects of Glee Club history rather than a strict timeline of key moments in its evolution. Chapter 3 examines membership in the Glee Club from a broad perspective, noting trends in enrollment, the role of the officers, and some special “Clubbers” who have been cited repeatedly for their contributions in the surviving documentation.The next two chapters focus on the gentlemen who took the podium and led the ensemble over the last century. A centerpiece of this study is the impact of longtime director Dean Pedtke, who guided the Glee Club for thirty—five years—over one—third of its history. Joseph Casasanta and Daniel Stowe, who have also conducted for substantial periods of time, offered valuable contributions that have shaped the programs that today’s audiences encounter on stage. Though other directors have had shorter tenures, each has nevertheless strengthened the ensemble in demonstrable ways.

Concert activity occupies the next major portion of this commemorative volume. Chapter 6 explores the performances that took place at Notre Dame and in South Bend more generally, while chapter 7 provides a perspective on the extensive travels of the ensemble away from the campus, both domestically and internationally. While European travel began rather late, in 1971, the Glee Club has embarked on tours to other parts of the globe in the last two decades that most collegiate ensembles will never match.The music that the Glee Club sings and its broad circulation in media are the subjects of chapters 8 and 9, respectively. The former chapter focuses on some of the greatest hits one is sure to encounter in Glee Club performances and the evolution of programs across the century. Chapter 9 is particularly crucial, as it demonstrates how the group’s music was disseminated publicly not only through recordings but also through frequent national radio broadcasts and an unparalleled set of consecutive annual appearances on Ed Sullivan’s Toast of theTown from 1949 to 1955.

This account of the Glee Club’s history wraps up with three chapters on the social aspects of the group, beginning with the relationship of the ensemble to Notre Dame’s football enterprise (chapter 10), from its appearances in the stadium to its pre— and post—game concerts offered for the spirited fan base of the university. In any endeavor at the University of Notre Dame, it is difficult to escape the long shadow of the football program. From its inception, the Glee Club has been closely linked to the team on the gridiron.The nickname “Singing Irish,” in fact, was part of an analogy that was invoked from the late 1920s through the mid—1980s to illustrate that the athletic prowess of the football team (the “Fighting Irish”) was paralleled in song by the Glee Club.A description of the 1985 Commencement activities in the Dome yearbook uses the label “Singing Irish” even before the words “Glee Club” are mentioned: “The evening provided an opportunity to hear the ‘Singing Irish’ as a near—capacity crowd filled Stepan Center to hear the Glee Club one last time.”4 Concert programs and group biographies were peppered with the moniker “Singing Irish,” and although this term is no longer in use in Glee Club culture, the name persisted for a good part of its history.

The subject of football yields to an overview of a variety of traditions and rituals that have formed within the ensemble, whether visible to the public or closely guarded by Club members (chapter 11). The vast array of activities undertaken outside of the rehearsal room and the concert hall fosters a brotherhood that is unmatched among campus organizations. Finally, the fraternal nature of the group is turned on its head in chapter 12, as the role of women in and around the organization is considered. Female movie stars, women soloists, and women’s choirs have figured prominently in Glee Club life since the 1920s. It would be a mistake to let these contributions go unmentioned.

(Excerpted from Introduction)

Table of Contents

Foreword by Daniel Stowe

Preface

1. Introduction
2. Traces of a Glee Club
3. Membership and the Privileged
4. Shaping the Sound I: Setting the Standards
5. Shaping the Sound II: Continuing the Tradition
6. Concerts at Home
7. Touring Life: Beyond the Dome
8. Songs of the Singing Irish:A Century of Glee Club Repertoire
9. Recordings,Airwaves, and the Silver Screen
10. The Glee Club and the Gridiron
11. Traditions Public and Private
12. Ladies Sweet and Kind:Women and the Glee Club

Postlude:The Next HundredYears

Notes

Image Credits

Editorial Reviews

One of the greatest assets we have here at Notre Dame is our Glee Club. Somehow, year in and year out, they come up with wonderful singers, great songs, and performances that are nothing short of fantastic. I don't know what we can do to thank the men for their long hours over the years that the Club puts into practicing for their performances. May I say that I am grateful for all of the wonderful performances of the Glee Club, not just here on campus but around the world. I have enjoyed many of their performances each year and I never cease to be edified by their spirit and wonderful presentation.” —Rev. Theodore Hesburgh, C.S.C. (1917–2015), President Emeritus of the University of Notre Dame

“Glee Club alumnus Michael Alan Anderson has bravely and lovingly taken on the job of recording the history of this special group in The Singing Irish. In the first place, it is thoroughly researched and scrupulously verified from archives, articles, letters, yearbooks, newsletters, and reports. But more than that, its real goal has been to uncover the spirit underlying the facts of the story. The Notre Dame Glee Club is not just a trained and well-practiced group of university level students working in the field of music. It is a fellowship, a fraternity, of more or less ordinary young men who have been guided and shepherded as much as academically taught, accompanied on their way to maturity.” —Dorothy A. Pedtke, daughter of longtime Glee Club director Daniel H. Pedtke

"Music historian Michael Anderson, a 1997 Notre Dame graduate and alumnus of the Glee Club, says the tradition of the club, along with the timing of the centennial, inspired him to write the club's history. . . . The group was primarily influenced by three directors, Daniel Pedtke, current director [Daniel] Stowe, and Joseph Casasanta, who wrote such favorites as the Alma Mater and 'Hike Notre Dame.' Two-thirds of the group's 100 years were under the leadership of one of these three men, Anderson says." —South Bend Tribune: In the Bend

“Impressively well written, beautifully illustrated, informed and informative, The Singing Irish: A History of the Notre Dame Glee Club is a delight to simply browse through and should be considered a ‘must’ for all Notre Dame alumni. A unique contribution, The Singing Irish is strongly recommended for academic library Music History reference collections. It should also be noted for personal reading lists that The Singing Irish is also available (enhanced with audio and video) in a Kindle edition.” —The Midwest Book Review

"We, the alumni of Our Lady's University, have been blessed by being able to listen to and enjoy the beautiful voices coming from the Notre Dame Glee Club. This book is a 'must read' for all Notre Dame alums and friends of the university. You will feel the spirit of The Singing Irish because it reflects the soul of the Notre Dame Glee Club throughout the group's first one hundred years. Michael Anderson has captured the essence of what makes this group so memorable for its members and for its audiences around the world. Let the music flow as you turn the pages." —Charles "Chuck" Lennon ('61, '62MA, DL H'11)

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