Choir Information
Performance Information
No information specific to the Miserere performance is currently available, as miserere.org does not have access to a copy of the recording at present. A review of the concert from which this recording appears to have been made was published in California Tech (Associated Students of the California Institute of Technology) student newspaper, Volume LXVIII, Number 28, Page 3, in a column titled: “The Critical Ear”
Glee Club Delivers Stylish Concert in Beckman Effort
The Cal tech Glee Club presented a fine concert in Beckman Auditorium last Saturday night. In their final concert of the season the Glee Club demonstrated fine musicianship and a well-polished style. The concert opened with the choir in a solemn procession to the stage from the rear of the auditorium singing O Clap Your Hands Together, a Gregorian chant. After performing numerous religious works, with David Erlich accompanying on the piano, the Glee Club retired. David Grimes then performed Al Atardecer en los Jardines de Arlaja, by Carlos Pedrell, a guitar solo. The technical abilities needed to perform this work (e.g., harmonics and running passages of double stops) showed off Grimes as an accomplished performer.
The next section of the program was devoted to the UCLA Women’s Choir under the directorship of Miss Salli Terri. Their performance of a selection of’ completely trival [sic] music (for instance, The Nightingale by Thomas Weelk [sic]) left much to be desired in intonation, ensemble, balance’, and general musicianship. This is greatly surprising, considering the size of UCLA.
Overbearing
The first half of the program closed with a performance of Sibelius’s Onward, Ye Peoples!, combining the talents of both singing groups. The balance between the Caltech singers and the greatly outnumbered UCLA Women’s Choir was poor. Either fewer male voices should have been used, or the Glee Club as a whole should have been toned down to accommodate the weaker soprano and alto parts.
The second half of the program opened with songs by the Caltech Chamber Singers, with Mrs. Priscilla Remeta conducting. They sang four songs including an Appalachian ballad, Black Is the Color of My True Love’s Hair. They displayed fine musicianship throughout as did the Glee Club. Next the Varsity Quartet, led by Mr. Frodsham, sang a selection of three songs. The Caltech Glee Club is certainly comparable with singing groups from small colleges. The only criticism of the concert is the overall selection of music. The program was strangely devoid of Bach, Handel, or Carissimi. Perhaps this is forced on the Glee Club by popular demand from their audiences. [End of Review]
Recording Information
Release Information
Caltech Archive indicates: Custom Fidelity Co., Pasadena, Calif., 1967
Tracklist
This tracklist was retrieved from an online source, which can no longer be identified. The track list matches selections mentioned in a review of the concert, so is likely correct.
Side 1
A1 – The Magnificat (St. Luke 1, 46-56) – Flor Peeters / The Glee Club and the Chorale
A2 – Marching to Pretoria – arr. Abbot / The Glee Club
A3 – Misere Mei, Deus (Psalm 51) – Gregorio Allegri
A4 – The Alto Rhapsodie – Johannes Brahms / The Glee Club
Side 2
B1 – Song of Peace – Vincent Persichetti / The Glee Club
B2 – Al Atardecer en Los Jardines de Arlaja – Carlos Pedrell / David Grimes, Guitarist
B3 – Black Is the Color of My True Love’s Hair – Appalachian Folk Song – The Chamber Singers
B4 – Sigh No More, Ladies – Robert Washburn – The Chamber Singers
B5 – Mississippi Mud – Cavanaugh & Harris / The Varsity Quartet
B6 Three Poems of Ogden Nash – Emma Lou Diemer
Physical Archive Details
Not present in archive – miserere.org would appreciate any help in locating a copy of the recording.
Artwork & Liner Notes
Album artwork not available. Information from Caltech Archive: “Glee Club members listed on album jacket along with biographical sketches of directors.”
Media Samples
No media samples are available.