Media Review: Commitment to Musical Excellence: The 75 Year History of the Gustavus Choir

Abstract

Holdhusen, David. Commitment to Musical Excellence: The 75 Year History of Gustavus Choir. Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2011. xvi + 246 pp. Hardcover, list of illustrations, appendixes, bibliography, index. ISBN 978-1-4438-2670-9, $59.99. The Lutheran Choral School, long recognized for its contributions to American choral music, is in work of F. Melius Christiansen (1871-1955) and two of his sons, Olaf (1901-84) and Paul (1914-97). F. Melius Christiansen founded St. Olaf College Choir in early twentieth century and led ensemble until 1941, when Olaf became conductor. Paul Christiansen carried his family's passion for unaccompanied sacred choral music to Concordia College (Moorhead, Minnesota), where he conducted Concordia Choir for nearly five decades. The Christiansen family's musical ideas, teaching, and unwavering quest for musical excellence in choral music inspired and informed generations of music educators and music programs at Lutheran private colleges--including music program at Gustavus Adolphus College (St. Peter, Minnesota). In Commitment to Musical Excellence: The 75 Year History of Gustavus Choir, David Holdhusen provides a detailed history of choir and outlines: 1) ensemble's conductors and performance history; 2) relationship between college, its mission, its choir, and external events that impacted choir's development; and 3) Gustavus Choir's strong links to, yet distinct identity within, Lutheran Choral School. Holdhusen presents a detailed examination of choir's five main eras, with each era distinguished by a different conductor. Following a recounting of official choral ensembles that preceded Gustavus Choir, earliest of which date to early 1880s, Holdhusen relates G. Adolph Nelson's founding of Gustavus Choir (then called Gustavus A Cappella Choir) in 1930. Holdhusen writes: It was Nelson's belief that Gustavus Adolphus College was lacking in a chorus of this nature and formation of this ensemble would revitalize interest in choral singing. His hope was to establish an ensemble similar to those at other Lutheran Colleges in area (18). During fall of 1932, Gustavus Adolphus College A Cappella Choir became a permanent offering, and choir's first concert performance occurred on March 15, 1933, at Calvary Lutheran Church (Minneapolis). Touring and radio broadcasts became a part of choir's tradition, even in these early years, and Nelson led choir until 1945. Following a two-year dormancy during WWII, second era of Gustavus Choir began with its rebirth under leadership of Swanson (1945-50) and Eugene Casselman (1950-54). Swanson, a graduate of St. Olaf College and student of F. Melius Christiansen, resumed touring tradition and supervised first of ensemble's numerous full-length recordings. Under Swanson's leadership, works of F. Melius Christiansen began to be programmed with increasing frequency: Wilbur Swanson reorganized a cappella choir, ... brought back choir's annual concert tour, and began annual Christmas concert tradition. Students and faculty recognized his musicianship and artistry, and appreciated expressiveness and warmth he brought to group (40). Some view Swanson's reestablishment of choir as a high-caliber a cappella choir as his most significant contribution to Gustavus. Eugene Casselman, a graduate of Westminster Choir College (Princeton, N.J.), singer, and performer, assumed directorship of choir in fall of 1950. During his four-year tenure, the choir gained wide recognition in music circles, and Casselman left an indelible mark on choir and instilled in students a passion they kept in their memories (44). Holdhusen considers Casselman as unique from previous directors in following ways: 1) he was not as rooted in Lutheran a cappella tradition; 2) he did not program music by F. …