". . . The Love Music and They Love to Sing"

One evening in the spring of 1916, Archibald T. (Doc) Davison '06 was conducting a joint rehearsal of the Harvard glee Club and Radcliffe choral Society. After the two groups had finished singing Brahms' "Song of destiny" and the Bach motet, "I Wrestle and Pray," Davison triumphantly pulled open the stage curtains revealing Karl Mack, the awesome conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Muck, delighted with the performance, invited the groups to sing the pieces with the orchestra at the 1917 Pension Concert in Symphony Hall.

Probably no college group had ever sung with a professional symphony orchestra before that first concert, given April 1, 1917, but since then it has become almost commonplace, not only for the Harvard-Radcliffe chorus, but for other college singing groups as well. No other chorus, however, can match the long, continuous association between the Glee Club and Choral society and the Boston symphony. Tomorrow night's performance of Berlioz' Damnation of Faust in Carnegie Hall will be the 100th joint concert by the chorus and orchestra in a series dating back to that first concert.

"Terrified of the Man"

Davison still vividly remembers the 1916 "rehearsal" which was in reality an audition for Muck. "When he did come to hear us, we couldn't have him just sitting on the stage. There was a great legend surrounding the man-even members of his own orchestra were terrified of the man, he recalls. But the quality of the chorus impressed Muck just as it has such later BSO conductors as Pierre Monteux, serge Koussevitzky, and Charles Munch. the precedent once established in the 1917 concert, Davison's singers never again found it so difficult to get engagements with the BSO.

The first concert was more, however, than the start of a new association between the symphony and the Glee Club and Choral Society; it was also the start of a new association between the two singing groups. Ever since Davison had become conductor of the Harvard and Radcliffe singers, he had attempted to bring the two groups together. But the Glee Club members refused to have anything to do with Radcliffe. Consequently Davison had to start his plan in the University Chapel where, as choirmaster, he was in absolute control of the male singers.

At the Christmas carol service of 1913, President Lowell was stunned to see Radcliffe girls singing with the choir. He told Davison afterwards. "The University choir is perfectly adequate for the Chapel. I trust you will not invite the young ladies from Radcliffe to sing in the carol services again."

Don't Forget Radcliffe

The very next year, however, the young ladies from Radcliffe again sang in the carol service with the choir. Davison was taking a calculated risk, but he won. Lowell never said another word about the carol services. Indeed, shortly after the Harvard-Radcliffe performance with the BSO in 1917, Lowell requested Davison to have the Glee Club sing at a ceremony honoring Marshall Joffre. His closing remarks to Davison were, "and don't forget to invite the ladies from Radcliffe,"

Once Glee Club members had sung with the Choral society, Davison found it easy to persuade the whole glee Club to start rehearsing with Radcliffe. Until Muck's surprise appearance, no one except Davison thought the two groups would ever give a concert together, but the singers enjoyed rehearsing the songs for mixed voices.

Following the first concert, Boston critics gave rave notices to the Harvard Radcliffe singers. Penfield Roberts of the Boston Globe described Davison's method of introducing serious music to the singers: "He simply says, informally, words to this effect: 'Fellows, I've got a dandy new piece for you-listen.' Then he sits down and plays and sings it for them, and instead of being bored they like it..."

Augels Need Not Dress

When Pierre Monteux became conductor of the Boston Symphony in 1919, the reputation of the Glee Club and Choral Society was so well established that he did not even bother with an audition before inviting them to sing the grail scene of Wagner's Parsifal in 1921.

This performance received certain notoriety because of a notice which appeared in the CRIMSOSN just before the concert. Containing instructions for the singers, it read; 'Glee Club-Wear dark suits and stiff colors to the concert Friday and full dress Saturday. The angel chorus (Radcliffe) need not dress for either performance."

Monteux himself was delighted with the singing of the chorus. In 1923 he wrote; "I think it is the most wonderful chorus in America." He resigned his post as BSO conductor, however, after the close of the 1923-24 season, and Serge Koussevitzky was wary of using the amateur group.

Something Drastically Wrong?

As with Muck, Davison had to find a way to overcome Koussevitzky's prejudice. The task this time, however, was considerable easier. Even before the new conductor arrived in Boston, Davison had decided to have his chorus sing Brahms' German Requiem with the BSO. Monteux had never suggested such an ambitious choral piece, but Davison arranged to hire 60 members of the symphony for two performances of the work in April, 1925. He had planned to conduct these concerts himself, but at the last moment asked Koussevitzky to take his place, maintaining that although he liked to train choruses, he preferred to listen to the final performance.

This provided a perfect opportunity to introduce Koussevitzky to the Harvard and Radcliffe singers. At first the conductor did not want to accept Davison's offer; he though something must have gone drastically wrong in rehearsals and that Davison wanted to escape blame at the actual concerts. He finally agreed to conduct, however, and after the concerts wrote; "Harvard has the best trained chorus I have ever heard in any country of the world."

Sheer Aplomb and Bravado

The sharp attack and bright tonal qualities of the chorus perfectly suited Koussevitzky's temperament. He liked working with a large, enthusiastic group of singers, and he often used the chorus before his retirement in 1949 he would have only two joint rehearsals before each concert, and although these usually went quite poorly, he had the personal magnetism to make all the performances exciting musical experiences, despite any inaccuracies in the choral parts.

In 1933, G. Wallace Woodworth '24 succeeded Davison as conductor of the chorus as he was later to succeed him as James Edward Ditson Professor of Music. But under the present conductor of the Boston Symphony, Charles Munch, the Glee Club and choral society will never again perform pieces in the same grandiose manner to which they became accustomed under Koussevitzky. The change came in 1950, shortly before they were to assist the BSO in a Pension Fund performance of Beethoven's Missa Solemnis.

The size of the chorus was about 350- average for Koussevitzky. But Munch was nervous at the first joint rehearsal with the orchestra. Although the session went as well as any joint rehearsal Koussevitzky had held, Munch was for from satisfied. He liked to feel he had everything under control before a concert, rather than have to make the performance a success through sheer aplomb and bravado.

"When I am Nervous"

Halfway through the second and final rehearsal, Munch was obviously rattled. The soloists were giving him trouble and he feared he would not even get to the choral parts. The Koussevitzky self-confidence was missing. Much slowly turned to the orchestra. "You know," he said, "I never get nervous," Then, raising his hands to his head, he added in a loud, quavering voice, "But when I am nervous-."

The concert was not overly successful. Ever since, Munch has limited the size of the chorus to a comfortable, controllable 150 members. He has used such a chorus much more frequently, however, than Koussevitzky ever used the larger group. Eleven joint concerts have been scheduled for this year and ten were given last year.

As the Glee Club and Choral society given their 100th performance with the Boston Symphony tomorrow night they can look back on a proud record and look forward to maintaining high standards of choral singing. As Munch said last week:

"I have conducted choruses in many pairs of the world, but never with the pleasure that I fund in working with the Harvard Glee Club and Radcliffe Choral society. They are young, intelligent, and, above all, enthusiastic. From their remarkable conductor, G. Wallace Woodworth, they have learned to lover music and to love to sing. I am proud to conduct their 100th concert with the Boston symphony Orchestra. It is a joy to make music with them."