Talk:Yale Glee Club

Sudden expansion of article
CharlesIngus has added a great number of words to the article - but I think the preponderance of minutiae (details that would not be of interest to readers of the article, unless they are themselves members of the Yale Glee Club) detracts from its effectiveness. I will make some of the needed cuts now, but would welcome comment from other contributors before undertaking more major surgery. -- SaxTeacher (talk)  07:04, 18 May 2006 (UTC)

Response to Criticism of Expansion
Go ahead Sax Teacher and pare down whatever you feel is irrelevant. I agree at least partially with your assessment of my contribution(s). I thought that the previous article might be improved by a some differences stylistically and organizationally, began editing it and then, when comparing it to some of its fellow Glee Club articles (at other schools) decided it could use some beefing up. I was hoping to bring it up to the level of detail of some of the other Glee club articles but perhaps added too much of an experiential nature as opposed to a more thouroughly researched history. It might also be suggested that some of the other Glee Club articles may be too long and excessively detailed. If you have a suggestion for a radical paredown/edit of the entry please try it out and maybe we can figure out what is most important to say about the group. -- CharlusIngus (talk)  12:11, 19 May 2006

My invitation to pare down stands although I have made a go at it already. I think the article flows a bit better and the minutiae are, I hope, more concise although perhaps not entirely eliminated. It would be nice to add some graphics. A current photo and the Glee Club Logo might be appropriate. (thoughts?) -- CharlusIngus (talk)  1:35, 19 May 2006

1861 vs. 1863
An anonymous user has asserted an earlier date for the beginning of the YGC. This date in 1861 would put the YGC as the fourth Glee Club in the US rather than the fifth but this date is not backed up by a citation and differs from the more widely accepted date of 1863. If the overall consensus on this fact is in error, I invite the poster to include a source for this information. -- CharlusIngus (talk) 13:58, 19 July 2006

First off-campus performance in 1861
I'm pleased to respond to CharlusIngus's request for more information about the earliest Yale Glee Club ensemble. The pamphlet "The First Hundred Years: 1861-1961" gives a good summary of the group's founding. A group of six students of the class of 1863 organized by Howard Kingsbury began singing together on campus in the fall of their sophomore year (1860). Their first performance away from New Haven was in nearby Guilford on 17 February 1861; by that time they had already grown to thirteen members. A reproduction of a 6 March 1861 concert program in Meriden is included in the pamphlet. A centennial celebration concert was presented in Woolsey Hall on 17 February 1961, a 125th anniversary reunion weekend for alumni was held in February 1986 (see Bernard Holland's contemporaneous NYT coverage), and further anniversary reunions planned thereafter during each year ending in 1 or 6. The Yale Glee Club home page correctly cites the founders as members of the class of 1863, the apparent source of the confusion. Will reinstate the previous edit in view of the available supporting documentation. --Tim DeWerff

1861 vs. 1863
Thank you Tim, for the citation and the information. I feel a little dumb now that I didn't simply subtract 145 years from the 2006 145th reunion date to get the correct founding date and/or read the website more carefully. Thanks for the heads up. I guess I gave too much creedence to a lot of other people's mistakes on Wikipedia rather than simply doing my own math. Gee am I embarassed.

More Info
More "side" history of the YGC than anything else. But another related organization that could be recognized in some way here is the University Glee Club of New Haven. The club is approaching it's 90th anniversary and is currently under the direction of YGC Alum Ethan Nash. The group shared rehearsal space with the YGC in Hendrie Hall until the retirement of Fenno Heath and now enjoys weekly rehearsals at the New Haven Lawn Club. The three permanent conductors prior to Nash were Marshall Bartholomew, Fenno Heath, and Mark Dollhopf. This list does not include several interim conductors. A list which would include another familiar name to this group. Tim Snyder. Some information can be found on their website. www.universitygleeclub.org Curiously, the site does not include the extensive written history of the club which is kept by another YGC Alum, Elliot Barske. This is only a suggestion. I wouldn't presume to edit the wiki entry with any of this info on my own for any reason. —Preceding unsigned comment added by UGCTenor (talk • contribs) 23:20, 21 September 2007 (UTC)