Arthur Jordan Conservatory of Music - Opus Yearbook (Indianapolis, IN)

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THE VOICE DEPARTMENT (As the outsider knows it) We are sure that all of you, at one time or the other, have heard of an organiza- tion like the Philharmonic Choir. You have heard that choirs do get up at five o ' clock in the morning to go on concert trips. You have also heard of choirs that give on the average of four concerts a week during the school year and still kept up with their studies. But did you ever really see or hear one? That is the kind of group we have and a prouder group you will probably never see. They are proud of their work, the institutions they represent, and last but not least, their director. He is a man for whom the forty-two members of the Philharmonic Choir would go to China if the demand arose. He is a man who seems to give them the inspiration to sing just by standing up and asking for it. Of course we mean Joseph Lautner. The choir began this year with a great deal of new music to learn and many programs to give. As yovi probably know, all their programs are sung from memory, so preparing the first few programs was quite a task. After preparing a repertoire of sufticient size for Immediate purposes, they began to build along the lines of variety and unusuality. Their average program consists of a group of religious music, usually including music of the old Russian school, eight part motets, and four part choral anthems. From there they progress through old English compositions, and perhaps some Negro spirituals. Their favorites in this class seem to be Deep River, and OV Arks A ' moverin ' . The final section of the program will probably contain modern and contemporary music. Professor Lautner and the choir enjoy doing adaptations of songs of the Kentucky and Tennessee mountains, and songs by the contemporary Roy Harris. In addition to this material they have an extensive repertoire of music for seasonal and holiday occasions. To the average person it would seem that this group would not need such an extensive repertoire, but you will find that they frequently .give two, three, or more concerts before the same audience during the course of a school year. Natvi- rally they must be prepared to give them a different program each time. They are prepared to sing for different types of audiences, too. They sing for high school and grade school auditorium programs, women ' s clubs, banquets, sorority mother ' s clubs, and formal concerts. In fact, if you will name the occasion, they will furnish music for it. In addition to concertizing, they recorded for the Butler University program which was broadcast over Radio Station WIRE every Monday evening during the fall semester. They sang on the Butler University broadcasts over Station WFBM once each month on Friday afternoon, and they gave the world premiere of Clarence Loomis ' opera, The Fall of the House of Usher, before the American Opera Society in Chicago. The second semester activities of the choir began with several concerts in nearby cities, including Mooresville, Greenwood, and Lawrence. They were com-

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bined, in April, with the Crawfordsville Symphony for a concert, and they aided in the presentation of Carl Dawson ' s operetta, Cinderella, both in recital and in broadcast. On Easter morning they added their voices to the many others for the Sunrise Service on the Circle. The Philharmonic Choir played an important part in the Second Annual Festival of American Music. One evening was devoted entirely to American choral music, and was under the direction of Mr. Lavitner. Then, on the last evening of the festival, the choir was combined with the Butler University Chorus and the Conservatory Orchestra under the direction of Fabien Sevitzkv in the presentation of Harl McDonald ' s Choral Symphony. The biggest event of the choir ' s school year, however, is the trip each May to the choral festival at the Westminster Choir School in Princeton, New Jersey. This year, before arriving at the festival, the choir gave concerts in New York City and Philadelphia. From these concerts they proceeded to Princeton to take their part in a full schedule of lectures, clinics, and recitals. During the month of March this year the members of the choir received an unexpected pleasure when, as guests of Mr. Lautner, they traveled to Indiana University. There they attended a lecture and received an interview with Dr. A. T. Davidson, Ph.D., Mus. Doc, Professor of Music at Harvard University. If one were to judge the Voice Department of the Conservatory bv the pre- ceding portion of this article, he would undoubtedly conclude that the Philhar- monic Choir is the only vocal activity present. However, we hasten to deny this. Suzon Osier, Ann Snedegar, Lloyd Patten, Marilyn Redinger, Rosalind Phillips, Thomas Norris, and Charmion Harp appeared in recital and demonstrated that all the talent at Jordan is not confined to group singing. Mr. Hedley ' s fine group presented selections from American opera on the third night of the American Festival. As a whole, our Voice Department is extremely active, and we are looking for great things to come from it in the future. THE VOICE DEPARTMENT (As we know it) To f josc u jo might [wss bly scan the contents of the folloiving treatise, ice should like to state hereby and forthwith that this is definitely not a partial requirement toward a Masters, Doctors, Third, or any other degree whatsoever. Also, similarity to persons is definitely intended. We solemnly declare that any legal action is entirely appropriate, hut useless. — The Editor. Our voice department is comprised of several types of students, namely: (1) those who intend to put Flagstad and Tibbett on the P. A., (2) those who