Still going after all these years.
I’ve written a few times about one of the Virginia Glee Club’s more notable alumni, Edward Addison Craighill, Jr., who is principally credited with the authorship of the “Good Old Song,” the de facto alma mater song of the University of Virginia. But I thought it might be worth looking at his life beyond this song. Craighill … Continue reading “Glee Club history: Edward Addison Craighill Jr.”
My 20th reunion has been a great time to connect with friends, gawk at the architecture (again), and disappear into the library. —Wait, what? I got into Charlottesville on Thursday for reunions weekend, and headed straight to the library. I was on the trail of the mysterious Glee Club concert program. I found the mention … Continue reading “2014 UVa Reunions, part 1: The Library”
So here we are, on the eve of the last Virginia football game of 2011. At the beginning of the season, I had no hopes for a bowl game, in only the second season of the Mike London era. And yet here we are, in the Peach Bowl (now called the Chik-Fil-A Bowl) against Auburn. … Continue reading “Virginia football songs for the Chik-Fil-A Bowl”
A while ago, I picked up an interesting historical keepsake from eBay–the program from the University of Virginia’s 1895 Public Days, aka graduation. I was hoping to find some Glee Club value here, and I got it. The program lists 1895-96 Glee Club president McLane Tilton, Jr. as completing his undergraduate degree, and also has … Continue reading “The commencement of the author of “The Good Old Song””
Today’s odd moment in Virginia Glee Club history comes by way of that “other” official Virginia song, “The Cavalier Song.” While most alums today are familiar only with “The Good Old Song,” that collectively authored song-about-a-song set to the tune of “Auld Lang Syne” by Glee Club alum E.A. Craighill and sung by swaying Hoos … Continue reading “Glee Club history: from “The Cavalier Song” to McCarthy”
There are two composers who pop up more consistently on recordings of the Virginia Glee Club than any other, across the years: E. A. Craighill, who is generally (though not completely correctly) credited with composing the “Good Old Song,” and J.A. Morrow, who composed the University’s official alma mater, “Virginia, Hail, All Hail.” The two … Continue reading “Discovering J.A. Morrow”
I found more evidence tonight about the mysterious 1910 director of the Virginia Glee Club, M. S. Remsburg. Ironically enough, it came from the same source that gave us the information of his existence in the first place. I was thrown off by a description of him as Prof. M.S. Remsburg. That may have been … Continue reading “Virginia Glee Club history, 1910 director… found again”
The text of this public domain article is republished from the January 28, 1894 issue of the Atlanta Constitution. See this post about Harrison Randolph for more context. THE VIRGINIA BOYS. The University of Virginia Glee Club to Visit Atlanta. QUITE A MUSICAL TREAT IS THIS All about the Club and the Boys Who Formed … Continue reading “The Virginia Boys”
Funny what you find when you dig through University archives. I was going through some old Virginia Glee Club photos tonight when I decided it would be a good idea to actually read the lists of names at the bottom. Some familiar names popped out (Ernest Mead, Harry Rogers Pratt), and then one (in an … Continue reading “The Good Old Song of … the Virginia Glee Club”
My copy of Songs of the University of Virginia, the Virginia Glee Club recording made in 1947 that I bought on eBay, arrived earlier this week. Between work and a million other things, I didn’t get a chance to listen to it until Thursday night, when I ripped the record to lossless AAC using my … Continue reading “Songs of the University of Virginia”