A History of the Choral Music Activities at Gustavus Adolphus College from 1862–1933

Abstract

The 2006-2007 school year marked the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Gustavus Choir. For three quarters of a century, The Gustavus Choir has been an indispensable contributor to the educational environment of Gustavus Adolphus College. The choir has developed an international reputation as an ensemble deeply rooted in the traditions established by F. Melius Christiansen and the a cappella choral movement. This study documents the historical events leading to the beginning of the Gustavus Choir. It attempts to provide insight into how a collegiate choral ensemble develops and presents principles that might be used to supplement current beliefs about such an organization. An exploration of related literature indicates that published research in the field of historical documentation of performance ensembles at the collegiate level is somewhat lacking. Nearly all colleges and universities have some sort of performing group. Written histories of these ensembles can provide an historical ideology of the structure and administration of an academic ensemble. Further research in this field can also help current and future music educators and administrators better understand how choral organizations develop, as well as note trends and philosophies that may be valuable to these educators in their own music programs. Gustavus Adolphus College Gustavus Adolphus College is a small private, liberal arts college located in St. Peter, Minnesota and affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. (1) The roots of the college can be traced back to the mid-nineteenth century when the first significant wave of Swedish immigrants settled in Minnesota. In 1858 the Lutheran Minnesota Conference was organized and two years later the conference became the largest part of the Augustana Synod. The congregations that made up these organizations believed that a Christian education was important. In 1860, the Synod formed Augustana College and Theological Seminary in Chicago, Illinois to train teachers and pastors for this area. The people of Minnesota believed this school to be too far away to serve its needs. (2) In 1862, the idea for a school emerged from a meeting of the Minnesota Conference. Later that year, Erik Norelius united eleven older students who traveled to Red Wing, Minnesota with the children of the Red Wing congregation to form a school, which he taught by himself. (3) The following year, the Minnesota Conference adopted the school and voted to permanently locate it in the settlement of East Union in Carver County. At this time it received its first name from the synod, the Minnesota Elementary School. The name was later changed to St. Ansgar's Academy in 1865 to commemorate the 1,000th anniversary of St. Ansgar's death. When the school opened in East Union in 1863 it was housed in a small church. As land and money were acquired several renovations took place to expand the building and the campus. (4) The total enrollment for the school during the East Union days, 1863-1876, numbered approximately 700 students, the largest class being sixty-eight. (5) Throughout the college's early years, debate on educational philosophy raged within the Synod between those who wanted to centralize power and those who wanted to strengthen the conferences. Finally, a compromise was reached which allowed individual conferences to establish colleges, but also kept Augustana College in Illinois as the institution for the entire Synod. Augustana was also meant to stand as the only theological seminary for the Synod. (6) As the population of Minnesota grew and high schools developed throughout the state, Erik Norelius, now a leader in the Conference, recognized the need for a college. He began to search for a location. In 1873, a board of directors was selected and the name Gustavus Adolphus Literary and Theological Institute was chosen to replace St. Ansgar. After failing to raise the funds to move to East Minneapolis and partner with the University of Minnesota, the small town of St. …