Choruses, a light and lively side of Yale's music tradition

By Erik Lien

So you sing, huh? That's great--you certainly won't be alone at Yale. For many musical Elis, however, the intense, fraternity-like scene of the Baker's Dozen, Something Extra, and the like is not quite up their alley. Allow me to inform you that there are a few musical gems out there that don't run all over campus screaming their lungs out and dousing each other on Tap Night.

Now 136 years old, the tradition-rich Yale Glee Club (YGC) is the oldest and largest singing organization at Yale. The YGC repertoire has grown significantly over the years, now including spirituals, renaissance, and folk pieces. They also sing blue-tinged Yale songs, such as "Bright College Years," along with the original madrigals.

During football season, the YGC meets up with the glee clubs from Princeton and Harvard in concerts that can often become spirited prankfests. A major orchestral work is always on the menu during the spring semester, and every three years the group takes a trip overseas. Since the YGC is only open to entering sophomores, the Yale Freshman Chorus serves as a training ground for the Glee Club.

The Yale Russian Chorus has been preserving Russian liturgical and folk music since 1953--music that was largely suppressed by the Soviet regime. The Russian Chorus has sung for world leaders such as Mikhail Gorbachev, Boris Yeltsin, and Bill Clinton, LAW '73, and has travelled to the former Soviet Union 16 times.

Knowing a good thing when they saw one, a group of women got together in 1969 to form the Yale Slavic Chorus. Today, it is composed of women who sing music from all Slavic nations, including Poland, Macedonia, Bulgaria, and Croatia, as well as Russia and the Ukraine. Some speak Russian or Czech, and around half are of Slavic origin, but these are hardly prerequisites for joining the group.

Though its name sounds precariously similar to other a cappella groups such as Redhot and Blue and Out of the Blue, Tangled Up in Blue uses not only voices but also flutes, guitars, harmonicas, bongos, and anything else students want to play. They sport a folk-like sound, encompassing music in the style of Bob Dylan and Arlo Guthrie. Their message is music, and their trademark is fun.

Keep these groups in mind as you stroll across Old Campus at the Frosh bazaar. They're definitely worth a look. Back to the Freshman Issue...