Founded in 1872, the Glee Club is Rutgers University’s oldest continuously active student organization, as well as one of the first glee clubs in the United States. For the past 150 years, it has represented the university and presented an image of the Rutgers man on a national and international stage.
This volume offers a comprehensive history of the Rutgers Glee Club, from its origins adopting traditions from the German Männerchor and British singing clubs to its current manifestation as a world-recognized ensemble. Along the way, we meet the colorful and charismatic men who have directed the group over the years, from the popular composer and minstrel performer Loren Bragdon to the classically-trained conductor Patrick Gardner. And of course, we learn what the club has meant to the generations of talented and dedicated young men who have sung in it.
A History of the Rutgers University Glee Club recounts the origins of the group’s most beloved traditions, including the composition of the alma mater’s anthem “On the Banks of the Old Raritan” and the development of the annual Christmas in Carol and Song concerts. Meticulously researched, including a complete discography of the club’s recordings, this book is a must-have for all the Rutgers Glee Club’s many fans and alumni.
Foreword
Introduction
Chapter 1
Early History
The Männechor Tradition and the English Catch Clubs
The Glee Club of London
Collegiate Glee Clubs in America
The Rutgers College Glee Club
Birth of the Rutgers College Glee Club
Composition of “On the Banks of the Old Raritan” (1873)
Sidebar – Howard Newton Fuller (1854-1931)
1872-1879 – Fits and Starts
1880-1895 – Stable Leadership
Loren Bragdon’s Leadership in the 1890s
Sidebar – Loren Bragdon (1856-1914)
Sidebar – The Rutgers Songbook (Songs of Rutgers)
Sidebar – Alma Mater
Chapter 2 – New Directions
George W. Wilmot (Musical Director/Leader, 1895-1906)
Raymond W. Smith (Leader, 1906-1915)
Collaborative Efforts
Merger
New Leadership
Chapter 3
The Modern Era – Rutgers at 150
Howard D. McKinney, ’13 as Director
World War I
Sidebar – Paul Leroy Robeson, ’19 (1898-1976)
Peacetime Pursuits – The Development of the Musical Clubs
Sidebar- The Jazz Bandits – Success after Rutgers
Rutgers University
Chapter 4 - Change in Focus
The Demise of the Mandolin Club and the Rise of The Musical Clubs
Leadership from Within
The Assistant Director – F. Austin Walter, ’32
World War II – An Unwelcome Detour
Sidebar – Glee Club Discography – From the Vicissitudes of War to European Tours
Post-War
Sidebar – Lake Minnewaska – An Idyllic Location for Work and Recreation
Chapter 5 – Prestige and Travel
The 1950s – The University Choir
Sidebar – Howard Decker McKinney (1889-1980)
The 1960s – International Travel
Sidebar – Glee Club on the Road – Sixty Years of International Travel
Sidebar – Glee Club and the Gridiron – Early Involvement and a Continuing Tradition
Sidebar – Soup Bowl – A Modern Glee Club Tradition – 1967-Present
The 1970s – The Centennial Year (1972)
The 1980s – Walter’s retirement – New Directors and Directions
Sidebar – Francis Austin “Soup” Walter (1910-2000)
Sidebar – Frederic Hugh Ford
Chapter 6 – Into the New Millennium
Sidebar – Patrick Gardner (b. 1953)
Patrick Gardner – 1993-Present
The New Millennium
The 2010s
2020 – the Glee Club in the Year of Covid-19
Beyond to the 150th Anniversary Celebration
Sidebar – Christmas in Carol and Song – A Rutgers Tradition for Over 100 years
Sidebar – Student Leadership – A Glee Club Hallmark
Epilogue
Index
Scarlet and Black
Slavery and Dispossession in Rutgers History
Edited by Marisa J. Fuentes and Deborah Gray White
