A glee club in the United States is a musical group or choir group, historically of male voices but also of female or mixed voices, which traditionally specializes in the singing of short songs by trios or quartets. In the late 19th century it was very popular in most schools and was made a tradition to have in American high schools from then on. Glee clubs were named after a form of English

part song A part song, part-song or partsong is a form of choral music that consists of a song to a secular or non-liturgical sacred text, written or arranged for several vocal parts. Part songs are commonly sung by an SATB choir, but sometimes for an all ...

, called a

glee Glee means delight, a form of happiness. Glee may also refer to: * Glee (music), a type of English choral music * ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy * ''Glee'' (Bran Van 30 ...

, which they typically sang. The first named Glee Club held its initial meeting in the Newcastle Coffee House in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

in 1787. Glee clubs were very popular in Britain from then until the mid-1850s but by then they were gradually being superseded by larger choral societies. But by the mid-20th century, proper ''glee'' clubs were no longer common. Testifying to the importance of glee clubs in 19th Century America, Henry Stone, a Union veteran of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, recalled that "A glee club came down from Chicago, bringing with them the new song, "We'll rally 'round the flag, boys" ( Battle Cry of Freedom), and it ran through the camp like wildfire. The effect was little short of miraculous. It put as much spirit and cheer into the army as a victory." The term remains in contemporary use, for

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...

s established in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering ...

universities A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

, and high schools, although most American glee clubs are choruses in the standard sense, and rarely perform ''glees''.

Oldest United States collegiate glee clubs

The oldest collegiate glee clubs in the United States are, by year of foundation: * 1858:

Harvard Glee Club The Harvard Glee Club is a 60-voice, Tenor-Bass choral ensemble at Harvard University. Founded in 1858 in the tradition of English and American glee clubs, it is the oldest collegiate chorus in the United States. The Glee Club is part of the H ...

* 1859:

University of Michigan Men's Glee Club The University of Michigan Men's Glee Club is an all-male glee club (or choir) at the University of Michigan. With roots tracing back to 1859, it is the second oldest glee club in the United States and is the oldest student organization at the ...

* 1861:

Yale Glee Club The Yale Glee Club is a mixed chorus of men and women, consisting of students of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Founded in 1861, it is the third oldest collegiate chorus in the United States after the Harvard Glee Club, founded in ...

* 1862: Wesleyan University Glee Club * 1862:

The University of Pennsylvania Glee Club Founded in 1862, the University of Pennsylvania Glee Club (Penn Glee Club) is one of the oldest continually running glee clubs in the United States and the oldest performing arts group at the University of Pennsylvania. The Club draws its singing ...

* 1865:

Amherst College Glee Club The Amherst College Glee Club, founded in 1865, is an SATB vocal ensemble, and one of the oldest continuous student organizations at Amherst College. It is part of the Amherst College Choral Society, along with the Concert Choir, and the Madrigal ...

* 1868:

Cornell University Glee Club The Cornell University Glee Club (CUGC) is the oldest student organization at Cornell University, having been organized shortly after the first students arrived on campus in 1868. The CUGC is a thirty-nine member chorus for tenor and bass voices ...

* 1869:

Union College Men's Glee Club In 1869, several undergraduate men at Union College formed the College Musical Association, which represented every known musical endeavor at Union. Enduring many obstacles to its existence during its first quarter century, in 1894 the college adm ...

* 1869: Lehigh University Glee Club * 1871:

Virginia Glee Club The Virginia Glee Club is a men's chorus based at the University of Virginia. It performs both traditional and contemporary vocal works typically in TTBB arrangements. Founded in 1871, the Glee Club is the university's oldest musical organization ...

* 1872:

Rutgers University Glee Club Rutgers University Glee Club (RUGC) is a nationally recognized men's chorus based at Rutgers University, in New Brunswick, New Jersey. It is currently conducted by Dr. Patrick Gardner. Dr. Patrick Gardner has directed the group since 1994. The Rut ...

* 1873:

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

Glee Club * 1874:

Princeton Glee Club The Princeton University Glee Club is the oldest and most prestigious choir at Princeton University, composed of approximately 100 mixed voices. They give multiple performances throughout the year featuring music from Renaissance to Modern, and ...

* 1874: Worcester Polytechnic Institute Men's Glee Club * 1875:

The Ohio State University Men's Glee Club The Ohio State University Men's Glee Club is an all-male choral ensemble at The Ohio State University. Officially founded in 1875, the Men's Glee Club is one of the oldest student organizations on Ohio State's campus and one of the oldest colleg ...

* 1877: The

Mount Holyoke College Mount Holyoke College is a private liberal arts women's college in South Hadley, Massachusetts. It is the oldest member of the historic Seven Sisters colleges, a group of elite historically women's colleges in the Northeastern United States. ...

Glee Club * 1886: The University of Illinois Varsity Men's Glee Club * 1888: Penn State Glee Club * 1890:

Pitt Men's Glee Club The University of Pittsburgh Men's Glee Club (also known as the Pitt Men's Glee Club or PMGC) is a men's choir of students at the University of Pittsburgh and is the oldest nonathletic extracurricular group at the University. Founded in 1890 by ...

* 1890: The University of Kansa
Men's Glee Club
* 1892: The Pomona College Men's Glee Club * 1892: Wabash College Glee Club * 1893: University of Michigan Women’s Glee Club * 1893:

Purdue Varsity Glee Club The Purdue Varsity Glee Club is one of the principal vocal groups of Purdue University. It sings a wide variety of music comprising novelty, patriotic, classical, inspirational, jazz, pop, and barbershop genres. The group currently consists of roug ...

* 1893: Texas A&M Singing Cadets *1897: Case Men's Glee Club (Case Institute of Technology and Western Reserve University) *1901: The University of Oklahoma Men's Glee Club *1902: The Pomona College Women's Glee Club *1903: West Point Glee Club * 1906:

Georgia Tech Glee Club The Georgia Tech Glee Club is an a cappella singing group founded in 1906 at the Georgia Institute of Technology. It is a student-run glee club currently directed by Dr. Jerry Ulrich. The Glee Club sings all original arrangements and composition ...

* 1907: Wheaton College Men's Glee Club, Miami University Glee Club * 1911:

Morehouse College Glee Club The Morehouse College Glee Club, founded in 1911, is the official choral group of Morehouse College. The Glee Club has a long tradition of many notable public appearances, having performed at Martin Luther King Jr.'s funeral, President Jimmy Carter ...

* 1915: University of Notre Dame Glee Club (Oldest Glee Club at a Catholic University) *1916: Tiger Glee Club (

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 nea ...

) *1927: University of Pittsburgh Women's Choral Ensemble The oldest non-collegiate glee club in the United States is the

Mendelssohn Glee Club The Mendelssohn Glee Club of New York City, founded in 1866, is the oldest surviving independent musical group in the United States after the New York Philharmonic. Their concerts, given in very high-society settings, featured the new (to America ...

, founded in 1866.

Oldest United States collegiate glee clubs

See also

References

Further reading