The Space Myth of the Rensselyrics
| The Rensselyrics of today are technically the Rensselaer Glee Club, which was established in 1873 and is now one of the oldest organizations of its kind in the United States. The Glee Club was one of four original music organizations at Rensselaer - the other three being the Orchestra, the Band, and the Mandolin Club. The Glee Club was created for both cultural and entertainment purposes by a few devoted men who composed and sang songs about their Alma Mater to foster school spirit. In the first Rensselaer songbook there were 14 songs praising the school and a few cheers (although there were 33 original Rensselaer songs!). Around 1916 there was a loss of interest in the Glee Club. Numbers remained low until about 1930 when the Navy V12 and V5 programs came to Rensselaer. Along with the new students, there was a revived interest in choral singing. In the 1930's, the group ranged from approximately 30 - 45 members and in the late 40's jumped in number to around 80 men. The Glee Club performed for on-campus functions, banquets, churches, the Troy hospital, and even for the local radio stations. Its repertoire ranged from typical Alma Mater-type songs to Christmas carols and classical pieces . In the 50's and 60's the Glee Club had a great reputation. They toured the US, performing alone and with other collegiate groups. In October of 1950, the Glee Club took first place in an acappella competition at Carnegie Hall and was hailed as one of the best collegiate groups in America at the time. With all the publicity, interest soared, and the numbers grew. The fame, however, was short-lived. The requirements for membership were not strict - the ability to read music was not even necessary. Almost anyone who wanted to join the group easily could. Due to this, the group remained very large for a number of years, but then slowly decreasd in size when the better singers noticed a lack of challenge and moved on. A proposal was submitted to the Rensselaer Music Association in 1978 for the revision of the Glee Club. At that time the group size had dwindled to less than 10 members and the group's reputation was poor. Performances were infrequent, poorly attended, and seemed to be detached from student life. The proposal suggested that the group should have two conductors - a student conductor and a paid "outside" conductor. It also suggested that admission to the group should be much more selective and that a strict attendance policy be implemented. The author of the proposal also attributed the lack of interest to the stagnant repertoire. It was suggested that the Glee Club should expand to include more modern pieces. With these new suggestions accepted, the group moved on to a new phase in its a cappella history. For the next ten years, the Glee Club tried to revise and rebuild (at one time calling themselves the "Van Winkles"), but finally disbanded. There was a period of about 5 years when there wasn't a singing group at all at Rensselaer. In 1988 the Chorale was formed. This was the first co-ed singing group on record, but it wasn't a strictly acappella group. It consisted of about 16 men and women, with a repertoire quite different than that of the former Glee Club. In 1991 interest was again expressed for a cappella singing, and with that...The Rensselyrics! |