St. Olaf's Choir Tour & a question

[Carol Shultis]

Last evening I had the opportunity to spend two + wonderful hours listening to the St. Olaf's Choir at their concert in Pittsburgh. It was a musical feast for a cold winter evening. I encourage any listers in eastern PA, NY, CT, MA, Cleveland, Muncie, IN, and Iowa City to check out their web site for a concert location near you in the next two weeks.

I do have a question. The choir members held hands throughout the performance. What is the purpose of this posture? It is not something I have seen before nor something I was ever taught about in music school. My husband and I had an interesting conversation of conjecture on the way home, but I am eager to learn from someone more knowledgeable.

Thanks.

Carol Shultis, Director
Forbes Music Therapy
cshu...@aherf.edu

[Jpen...@aol.com]

The New York Times ran an article on the St. Olaf Choir which discussed this
unusual practice on Sunday, January 30 on page 12 in the Connecticut section.
It was a very interesting article, and I commend it to you.
Jane Penfield
jpen...@aol.com

[Allan Hawkins]

I'm not sure but I believe the practice of holding hands during performance is
something that Dr. Armstrong picked up from the Luther Nordic Choir. I'm
assuming Mr. Noble at Luther believes it helps establish more unity among the
choir. They have done it for many years.

Al hawkins

[Keith Haan]

Carol,

I have had HS students go to Luther College and sing in the Nordic Choir
there where they also hold hands. One of my former students told me that the
gals in the first two rows always held hands as an emotional thing that grew
with their involvement in the music and the feeling in the choir. They were
surprised to learn that the guys in the back two rows also held hands. Now,
what began with relative spontaneity has become "the thing to do." I also
would like to know if there is an "official" philosophy behind the practice.

I heard the Nordic Choir on tour last Friday night in Davenport IA. They
walked into the church down the center aisle holding hands as well as when
then left. Seemed like a nice thing to do in this day and age!
--
Keith A. Haan
Director of Choirs
St. Ambrose University
518 West Locust
Davenport, IA 52803
319.333.6146
kh...@sau.edu

Teaching is not a lost art, but the regard for it is a lost tradition.
-- Jaques Barzun

[Jtwa...@aol.com]

I was in the St. Olaf Choir for three years. Holding hands has been a
tradition for many years. I am not sure of the exact starting date, but I
believe that it has been happening for at least 30-40 years for the women,
and 10-15 for the men. Looking at my St. Olaf Choir History by Joseph Shaw
published by St. Olaf College. I think the choir was holding hands starting
with Olaf. One picture from 1948 seems to show that. It helps with unity,
and many other communications. It was helpful to remind each other of spots
to remember, to congradulate each other, or to squeeze when you screwed up.
It is a powerful and relaxing way to sing (unless the guy next to you is
6'4"and you have to reach up to hold his hand).

Jason Thoms
choird...@bigfoot.com

[Richard C. Wall]

Do you mean they hold hands during the entire performance?
Surely not!!

[Teno...@aol.com]

Going along w/ the holding hands question. The University Choir at Millikin
University does this also, the director Dr. Holmes finds that it brings his
choir together and more as a whole. They have done this for 48 years now.

Steve Doll
Millikin University
Teno...@aol.com

[Bradley Ellingboe]

I can tell you we were doing it when I sang in the choir in the late 70's
(I graduated in 1980). Dr. Jennings told how when HE was in the choir
(and he graduated ca. 1950) Olaf Christiansen used to scold THEM for
holding hands, but they continued, nonetheless.

Brad Ellingboe

On Wed, 2 Feb 2000 Jtwa...@aol.com wrote:

> Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2000 01:56:53 EST
> From: Jtwa...@aol.com
> Reply-To: chora...@lists.Colorado.EDU
> To: chora...@lists.Colorado.EDU
> Subject: Re: St. Olaf's Choir Tour & a question

[Jostef1]

>Do you mean they hold hands during the entire performance?
>Surely not!!

I was at the St. Olaf Christmas Concert this year before they left on tour, and
there was no hand-holding at all.

Jolene

[Richard C. Wall]

I think it is ridiculous, sophmoric and inane. And I don't
care how much of a tradition it is. If a conductor can't
hold a group together by himself along with a dedication
to the music, this homo-erotic gimmick won't do it.

Brian G Mueller wrote:
>
> Teno...@aol.com wrote in message <22.179837...@aol.com>...

> This is beginning to seem more and more like a Midwestern "thing". I know
> of many high school and collegiate choirs in the Midwest that practice this,
> and it seems to boggle those from another region. My guess is that since it
> began, ostensibly, with Weston Noble at Luther College and in the St. Olaf
> Choir about the same time, that it has basically been carried on by their
> students and their students' choirs.
>
> I don't know about anyone else, but, I personally don't like the idea. It
> has always seemed too pretentious, because what unites the group tends to
> isolate the group from the audience, IMO. Because of Weston Noble's
> personality and strong personal beliefs, his hand-holding choir is the only
> one in which I have truly "believed" in the effects of holding hands.
>
> Brian M.

[Brian G Mueller]

[jzydek]

While I'm not sure I would agree with the reasons for a choir holding hands,
I can't see how it could be considered a "homo-erotic" gimmick???

June

Richard C. Wall <rcwal...@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:389CE67C...@mindspring.com...

> I think it is ridiculous, sophmoric and inane. And I don't
> care how much of a tradition it is. If a conductor can't
> hold a group together by himself along with a dedication
> to the music, this homo-erotic gimmick won't do it.
>
> Brian G Mueller wrote:
> >

[Carolyn Paulin]

I'm confused - since when is holding hands when singing a "homo-erotic
gimmick?" My choirs don't do it, and it is not something I personally feel
is needed. Of course, one can think it is silly or unnecessary, or calls
too much attention to itself, but if one buys into the tradition (started by
Weston Noble and carried on by others in the Midwest and elsewhere), what is
the harm of helping young singers feel conected to each each other when they
sing? And where is the eroticism, "homo" or otherwise, in a simple human
touch?

Carolyn Paulin

Richard C. Wall wrote in message <389CE67C...@mindspring.com>...

[Richard C. Wall]

I am truly sorry if I offended you or if you think my comment
was frivolous. It may be possible that your "choirs" as you
call them are younger. I think asking two 20-year-olds of the
same sex to hold hands during a two hour concert is "erotic"
in the truest sense of the word, and "homo" because they
are of the same sex. But you miss the real buzz word in
my posting. That word is "gimmick". I think this kind of
thing is gimmicky. But then, I'm a classically trained, traditional
singer and musician, and I feel that this hand-holding is just
like asking instrumentalists to sit in each others' lap while
playing, or something else as contrived.

I sang under the great conductors of the age, Bruno
Walter, Leonard Bernstein, Karl Bohm, Robert Shaw, etc.
and they had no problem conveying to us what was wanted
- and they never failed to get what they wanted. And we
never touched.

I'm going tomorrow to rehearse a male chorus of high school
students. I can just imagine what they would do if I asked
them to hold hands - even if I explained the reason - they
just wouldn't do it. And I wouldn't blame them.

Richard
--------------

http://www.mindspring.com/~rcwall5000/

Carolyn Paulin wrote:
>
> I'm confused - since when is holding hands when singing a "homo-erotic
> gimmick?" My choirs don't do it, and it is not something I personally feel
> is needed. Of course, one can think it is silly or unnecessary, or calls
> too much attention to itself, but if one buys into the tradition (started by
> Weston Noble and carried on by others in the Midwest and elsewhere), what is
> the harm of helping young singers feel conected to each each other when they
> sing? And where is the eroticism, "homo" or otherwise, in a simple human
> touch?
>

> Carolyn Paulinn

[Jostef1]

> And just how are people supposed to hold music? Or are they do
>have the music memorized, which is even more gimmicky?

Do you honestly think memorizing music is a gimmick??

Jolene

[Richard C. Wall]

Yes.

[jzydek]

Passing strange.

June

Richard C. Wall <rcwal...@mindspring.com> wrote in message

news:38A3A8AF...@mindspring.com...

[Jostef1]

>Passing strange.

I've never heard this expression before. What does it mean?

Jolene

[jzydek]

Definition: It is not a matter of high importance to me, but in passing, I
find it somewhat odd.

June

Jostef1 <jos...@cs.com> wrote in message
news:20000212091742...@ng-bj1.news.cs.com...

[Steve Doerr]

Entry Display> Jostef1 <jos...@cs.com> wrote in message

> news:20000212091742...@ng-bj1.news.cs.com...
> > >Passing strange.
> >
> > I've never heard this expression before. What does it mean?

jzydek <JZ...@prodigy.net> wrote in message
news:8844n7$4r1e$1...@newssvr04-int.news.prodigy.com...

>
> Definition: It is not a matter of high importance to me, but in passing, I
> find it somewhat odd.

I think you're probably misusing the expression. The following is from the
Oxford English Dictionary:

*passing*, ppl. a. (adv. and prep.)

B. adv. a. (= passingly). In a passing or surpassing degree;
surpassingly, pre-eminently, in the highest degree; exceedingly, very. (With
adjs. or advbs. only.) Now somewhat arch.
(Quote: 1837 Disraeli, Venetia ii. i, "Strange, passing strange indeed,
and bitter!")

Steve

[jzydek]

Ooops! Well I misused it, but the actual definition works, too. So anyone
that thinks that memorizing vocal music is a "gimmick" -- well, that idea is
indeed "passing strange." Thank you for the clarification.

June

Steve Doerr <sdo...@bornnaked.com> wrote in message
news:38a6b...@newsread3.dircon.co.uk...