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The Spike or Victoria University College Review Silver Jubilee 1924

The Glee Club

The Glee Club

Glee Club with its practices, its concerts, its excursions, and its social gatherings—calls up many a happy association to those who were of its membership. Of successes it had many in spite of criticism much and varied. Of difficulties, likewise, there were many and these are foreshadowed by such an obituary as that of the first issue of "The Spike"—an obituary which might almost have been written on later occasions but for the spark of life providentially always there and nursed by enthusiasts often to a greater height of flame than that previously reached. At the present moment the Club sleeps, we refuse to believe that it is dead. It is asleep under the influence of the demands made on the attention of students by the Extravaganza. We who cherish past associations look forward to its awakening—to the bursting of the flame of Glee Club enthusiasm once more, when even testing of voices (however mild that testing may have been!) will again be necessary owing to the influx of prospective members.

It was during the first Session of the College in the year 1899, that after a meeting for some other purpose had been held, a Students' Song Book was lying on the piano at the schoolroom of Misses Baber and Richmond, now the Thorndon Fire Brigade station at the corner of Pipitea and Murphy Streets. F. D. Thomson sat down at the piano and played a few choruses through. Some of the students musically inclined gathered round and sang. There were sopranos, altos, tenors, basses and others. The "others" are recollected better than the orthodox, for Freddy de la Mare and Rawdon Beere were ready then as ever to assist in any College movement, to the best of their ability. But de la Mare knew two tunes—one was "God Save the King" and the other wasn't—and always sang one of these whatever other people were singing, so it was decided to meet regularly for practice.

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It was a small beginning—about four sopranos, two contraltos, one tenor and two or three basses! No ambitious programmes were attempted—such classical choruses as "Jingle Bells," "Good Night, Ladies," and Scott Gatty's Plantation Songs were included in the repertoire. Public appearances were limited to the Missions to Seamen evenings, then held in a Harbour Board Shed in Jervois Quay, and to a few items at the Capping Concert.

The small gathering was duly constituted a Club and first officers appointed in 1904, with F. P. Wilson, an original member, as its pioneer conductor and G. S. Prouse as deputy. When the removal of the College from the Girls' High School to the new building on the "Old Clay Patch" took place in .1906, the Club had no piano and so met at Mrs. Friihauf's residence in Abel Smith Street. The membership by that time had increased considerably so the room was crowded. The Glee Club practice was regarded as a social evening and Mrs. Friihauf's hospitality was not limited to the provision of a practice room. Miss Julie Friihalf (now Mrs. Moses of Auckland) was the pianiste of those days.

So much for the earliest years of the Glee Club which was destined under the conductorships successively of F. P. Wilson, J. K. Edie, G. W. Reid, Eric Waters, W. H. Stainton, Miss M. C. Clachan, and again F. P. Wilson (certainly the Club's greatest friend) and W. H. Stainton, to carry out creditable work. In addition to annual concerts, concerts have also been given at the Missions to Seamen and Porirua Mental Hospital. Who, among past members, can forget the excursions to Porirua—first in horse drag and later in motor lorry. Coming, as these did, when degree examinations were over and with a prospect of a long drive and lungs filled, to join heartily in chorus and College song, the care free sense was the prevailing one, and the parties in happiest mood, not the least enjoyed portion of the evening being the dance which might or might not eventuate. In the old days of the existence of Mount View Asylum, too, pleasant memories surround the Club's efforts to entertain.

During the war the Club enthusiastically gave of its share and efforts for still other purposes, as in 1915 when £20 was raised by its concert and handed over to the Hospital Ship "Maheno." Happy and successful concert parties journeyed out to Trentham. Many too will remember the efforts to supply the soldiers of the Soldiers Club in Sydney Street, with tea made with water which had really boiled!

When one thinks of the Club's repertoire and what associations arise round such old favourites as "Who is Sylvia," "When Alan a Dale went a-hunting," "Daybreak," "Full Fathom Five," "Moonlight" and round the old quartette items "Basso Profundo," "Sobbing Quartette," "Mother Hubbard," the names of sopranos, altos, tenors and basses, vocal favourites of the Club, crowd in on one.

No historical sketch of the Glee Club's work would be complete without a special word of praise to the Club's pianists, whose work at any time is most arduous, and not infrequently the most thankless. The pianist had to be present at full chorus practices of purely extravaganza music, at capping practices generally, and practices for principals concerned, with scarcely a break for any rest, but often having to go over and over the same things until the vocal part was known. This went on for weeks at a time, and when it is remembered that this self-sacrificing work was done, page 83 with smiling faces, for the three years 1904-06 by Miss J. Frühauf, for six years, 1909-14, by Miss M. C. Clachan, and for the three years, 1915-17, by Miss Jean McDonald, it is but just that full measure of appreciation should be expressed to those ladies for their tireless work in this connection. Thanks are also due to the pianists of other years not. mentioned above, namely—1908, F. R. Lankshear; 1919, J. C. Beaglehole; 1920, Miss Grosvenor; and 1921, M. McKay.

Enthusiastic secretaries (and Glee Club secretaries could be enthusiastic) have also been among the Club's assets.

Tenors who were not tenors but self-sacrificing baritones and basses and often only one in number, deserve the thanks of the Club. The enthusiastic spark has braved the difficulties of the past. We hope the present and the future will, ignited by that same spank, carry on the good work of the years 1904 to 1921.