Augustana College - Rockety I Yearbook (Rock Island, IL)

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75 3 QI- -:pe MES E ,L in hr 7. aikJ4L'!f'!Q'- 'Ll -X. r . '11-f ' 'T 41. - M.. -, , , .. . - M. . . C5 3 -. 1L1l..cs-'?x.g,- fi 31 , Lg, .,'l yn ' X ' I' . Vinh' 'qlifib 1 f' -affix T' I-'5 if a- ' N 'f 'i ld' vs . ' ' . ' ll L,-gy I. A l 'I -' -it 'vi '- fran -- 'fr Af - e-., s- J... -.- :- V. -NL:-1. . i '-, .f,- -,V sz. 5. i 5: A X. - ,X .-- . . Y: ' qui' . ' ' -2 . -1' ii' C. ,gs -iikg '.j!.,: i,fg'i-51. - X . - . - .. ' ,x',' , -, .A - . , .---. .- 11, F., p . X V.. I . :1' 2 ,,.: . - 4 'Wi iii -- 'f ua e ' u - . -- - - - N - --.-. ' ' M, - '-: . . - .g' ' ' ' . -1. . 1 . t - is -. J 'ur 1 4 ,,. --- -' .-., 1' - '- ' ' A ',.:- '41 dig ' 1: - ' . ' ,.--a-:n.--- ' .V . V 'f'3-- ' MUSIC AT AUGUSTANA By CLARICE QUAIFE The history of music at Augustana covers a period almost as long as that of the institution itself. From the very beginning up to the present time Augustana has in one way or another presented her students with facilities for obtaining at least rudimentary training in the musical art. In June of 1873 President Hasselquist in his annual report to the Synod, then meeting in Pax- ton, included the following paragraph: I beg to call to the attention of the Synod the necessity of providing for an old but continual- ly increasing need of our institution, namely that of instruction in music, vocal and instrumental. The love of music, and the desire to develop its art has ever since the days of Luther constituted a marked characteristic of the Lutheran Church, and we must nbtr gllgw it to be blotted out in the midst of our new circumstances here. Even though it should prove impossible to do anything in this .matter now, yet it should not be forgotten, but rather be kept actively in mind? The Board of Directors did keep this in mind, for the catalog of the institution for the year 1873-7-at includes in the list of faculty members the name of Mr. Albert 'Wihlborg as instructor in voice. I , In the Spring of 1879 Dr. O. Olsson had taken a trip to Europe for his health, and had found opportunity to hear a rendition of I-Iandel's Messiah in London. This seems to have impressed him very deeply and on his return he emphasized greater musical activity at Augustana. In an article in Augustana he spoke at length concerning this matter, and in this article is to be found expressed the beginning idea of a conservatory at our college. Mr. WVihlborg,s period of service extended over several years. In the fall of 1878 Mr. J. F. Ring became instructor in vocal ,music and served in this capacity and that of organist until 1882, when Gustav Stalpe of Denver, Colo., became Musical Director, and Augustana announced her first Professor of Music. p Instruction in vocal music was at first required and the students were grouped into two classes of instruction, the lower and the higher. The lower class was given the theory of music. The higher class was occupied with singing in choir and with exercises for developing the voice and cul- tivating the musical expression. The year 1886 was a very important one for music at Augustana. During the previous year the faculty had held a number of informal meetings for the purpose of discussing the possibility of establishing a school of music at the college. It seems that the Board of Directors, while entire- ly favorable to the movement, was unwilling to assume the responsibility of such an undertaking, and so the result was that on January 18, 1886, the Augustana Conservatory of Music was estab- lished as a private undertaking, governed by the following Board of Trustees: Professors Gus- tav Stalpe, Principal of the Department, O. Olsson, Presidentg C. W. Foss, Secretary-Treasurer, Josua Lindahlg C. B. Esbjorn, and G. VV. Sandt. Courses were offered in harmony, voice, organ, piano, and violin. The Conservatory continued under private management throughout the years 1886-88. Miss Marion Reck was added to the faculty as assistant in piano, and seventeen students were en- rolled. The fall of 1887 marked the beginning of the Conservatory as an integral part of the institu- tion and thirty students were enrolled this year. The Conservatory offered well worked out courses in theory, voice, organ, piano, violin, and history of music, and a course of lectures on the Bible which all students of the Conservatory were required to attend. Later courses were offered also in viola and violoncello. Miss Marion Reck served on the faculty until 1888, Miss Emelia Meggle, 1888-1889, and llfiss Hilma Ohlin, 1888-1890. From 1890 to 1893 the Conservatory made rapid progress in raising and organizing its stand- ards. During 1890-1892 Professor Stalpe was assisted by Professor Albert Holmes, and Miss 44 bb

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A local chapter of the national forensic society, Tau Kappa Alpha, was established in May, 1921, but was relinquished when Augustana was awarded a chapter of Pi Kappa Delta. The Illinois Xi Chapter of Pi Kappa Delta, an exceedingly active national fraternity for forensics, was installed by Professor Toussaint of Monmouth, Illinois, in May, 1931. There are now nine active members and five debaters have been invited to be pledges. Since the first regular intercollegaite debate with Luther College in 1905, Augustana has been quite successful in her interschool forensic activities. Recent years especially have brought many successes. In 1930 the women's teams won Hrst in the League of Illinois Colleges, and in 1931 and 1935 they ranked second. The men's teams have ranked high in the League in nearly every year of participation, being undefeated in 1922, 1924, 1932, and 1935, and ranking sec- ond several times. In 1932 Augustana was represented by two men's teams and in 1934 by three men's teams and two women's in the tournament at Southwestern College, Vlfinfield, Kansas. In the last tournament, in the senior men's division, Augustana won third placeg in the womenis divi- sion she tied for fourth place, and in the junior college division she tied for fifth place. August- ana was the only school represented which had all of its teams ranked among the upper half of the participants. In the spring of 193-1, the college sent two men's debate teams to Lexington, Kentucky, to participate unofhcially in the Pi Kappa Delta national tournament, and in 1935 four women and four men represented the school in the fraternity's provincial tournament at Vilaukesha, Wisconsin. In these tournaments both in debate and in the extemporaneous speaking and oratorical contests, in which the debaters also took part, Augustana made a commendable record. In the tour- nament held by St. Thomas College, St. Paul, Minnesota, January, 1935, the four men representa- tives tied for seventh place out of the fifty-four schools present. In oratory for 1933 an Augustana student won Hrst place in the state oratorical contest for promotion of peace and second in the con- test sponsored by the State Oratorical Association with his oration, VVhat VVould You Call It?,' The women's representative in 19344 placed first in the state contest with her oration, A Defense of My People. . During the early years of the debating clubs, forensic activity was informally directed by Dr. E. P. Bartholomew through his argumentation classes. In 1913 Professor A. E. Keiber of Davenport High School was coach of debate. Following him Attorney Clinton Searle coached two years, Conrad Bergendoff, Dean of Augustana Seminary, for one year, and Professor J. F. Page, for two years. Then for a period of ten years, Dr. A. F. Schersten, Professor of Sociology, most successfully directed the debating activities making an excellent record for the school in this field and bringing forensic activity even more to the foreground than it had been in the past. Until about the middle of Dr. Schersten's term as debate coach, women participated with the men. VVhen the activities were separated, Dr. Schersten for some time directed both teams, but was re- lieved by Edwin C. Munson, then a student in the seminary, who coached the women in 1925, 1926, and 1927, by Leonard Smith in 1928, and by Gilbert Munson in 1929. In the spring of 1929, Pro- fessor Paulus Lange took Dr. Schersten's place as instructor of sociology and also assumed his duties as coach of debate. Sigfrid Engstrom, a student of the seminary, directed women's debating in 1930, 1931, and 1932, while Attorney Isadore Katz in 1930 and Dr. lVendell Lund in 1931 and 1932 had charge of the men's activities. Throughout her career as an instructor of oral expres- sion, Miss Iva Pearce was the director of oratory. In the fall of 1932 Martin J. Holcomb was ap- pointed to his present position as director of forensics. He is assisted by Theodore LeVander, formerly of Gustavus Adolphus College, who is coach of oratory. Under Professor Holcomb con- siderable progress has been made in the field of forensics, the program has been greatly enlarged, particularly in reference to participation in tournaments, and largely through his efforts the chap- ter in Pi Kappa Delta was awarded Augustana. iM'1..'!4z I 4' 4 ' ' 'J 1 Lhvlaxii MJ. ., 2:1 L lf'-- ' -- -' -L ,Q-1ry B 1 i. ,. l N E I 1 E i ,s if -1 1 1 l 1 l lll llllll

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Cora Eldridge served as assistant in piano 1890-91. In 1892-93 the work in the Conservatory was organized into three distinct departments: a graduate department leading to the degree of Bache- lor of Music, an organist department designed especially to train students for organistsg and a choral and vocal department affording instruction and drill in solo, quartet, and chorus singing. This year the faculty grew to five members-Professors Gustav Stalpe, VV. Swensson, G. E. Grif- fith, Miss Alma Larson and Mr. G. N. Benson. In 19044 Professor Emil Larson became a member of the faculty, and a year later, the director of the department. Under his splendid leadership, which was from 1905 to 1908, the Conser- vatory strengthened its former standing and received impetus for greater things in the future. Professor J. Victor Bergquist of Minneapolis, took up his duties at Augustana Conservatory in the fall of 1912 and with him came Professor L. B. Canterbury to take charge of the depart- ment of voice. Professor Algert Anker, who had the previous year entered the fZlCl1lty as head of the violin department, remained in that position, Miss Effie Johnson came as teacher of piano, but was succeeded in 1913 by Miss Frances Lidman. - Very much could be said about the musical organizations which have come into being, flour- ished, waned, and died during the years of Augustanafs history, as well as about the ones still active and alive. A few of the organizations are: Utopian Quartet, Mendelssohn Male Choir, Xerxes Mandolin Orchestra, Kratodean Male Choir, Echo Quartet, Philodoi Female Quartet, Aeolus Club, Oriole Choir, Euterpean Society, and many others. The Handel Oratorio Society, founded at Augustana in 1881, was the first society of its kind in this party of the country. It came into existence thru the inHuence of Dr. O. Olsson, and its object is to study and render oratorios and other sacred compositions. For years the society has presented Handel's Messiah during the Christmas season, and it is now working on Mendels- sohn's Elijah,' to be given at the 75th Anniversary Celebration this spring. The organization, now conducted by Mr. Henry Veld, is one of the leading musical organizations in the Tri-Cities and is comprised of approximately 300 members. The lVen-nerberg Male Chorus, now enjoying the 35th year of its existence, is decidedly de- serving of recognition in the Held of music at Augustana. The Oriole Club, now known as the Jenny Lind Girls' Chorus, while not as old as the lVen- nerberg Chorus, is enjoying the 16th successful year as an organization. The two choirs are now directed by Mr. Henry Veld, a leader in every line of musical acti- vity, from the Chicago Musical College. Mr. Veld, very successfully directs the two choirs, now known jointly as the Augustana College A Capella Choir. Many are accustomed to think of the two choirs as being valuable to the institution chiefly be- cause of the service they render in the way of advertising the school on their annual tours, and it isxtrue that this service can hardly be estimated. But the service that they render to the Conser- vatory, and indeed, to the whole institution by their very existence, by their close and persistent ad- herence to high and thorough standards, in their work, and by their readiness to contribute to the musical success of every festive occasion at Augustana, can well be appreciated. The name of the Augustana Conservatory of Music was changed in 1931 to The Augustana School of Music. The faculty is now composed of eight members, Sven Victor Lekberg as Dean of the School of Music, and Head of the Piano and Theory Departments, Henry Veld, Head of the Voice Department and Choral Conductor, Louise Elizabeth Cervin, Instructor in Piano and Head of the Preparatory and Intermediate Departments, Mildred Anderson Hult, Instructor in Voice and Head of the Public School Music DepartmentgBrynolf Lundholm, Instructor in Piano and Organ, Edna Meckel llflason and VVilhelmina Johnson, Instructors in Piano, and Glenn Halik, Instructor in Violin and Viola and Band and Orchestra Conductor. The value of the School of Music can not be measured alone by its service to the College and its students, but also by its assistance in bringing to the Tri-Cities such well known artists as John McCormack, Toti Del Monte, Coe Glade, Paul Althouse, Edith Mason, Galli Curci, Marion Talley, Edward Collins, and Mme. Schuman-Heinck.