The University of Georgia Men's Glee Club: Its history and development as a musical and educational organization

The University of Georgia Men's Glee Club has been a long-standing tradition for over one hundred years. Its development as a musical and educational organization is similar to that of the Harvard and Yale Glee Clubs.;The purpose of this study was to document the history of the University of Georgia Men's Glee Club. Particular attention was paid to its development as a musical and educational organization and the directors who were responsible for this development.;The method of this study was to collect historical data from newspaper accounts, University records, and interviews of directors, close relatives of the directors, and former Glee Club members. Concert programs were used to analyze the concert repertoire of the Glee Club.;This study found that the University of Georgia Glee Club was first organized during the 1890-91 school year by Charles H. Herty and was first directed by John Pendleton Campbell. The Glee Club was reorganized in 1907 with Robert E. Haughey as its director. From 1913 to 1926, the Glee Club was directed by student leaders. The repertoire of the Glee Club consisted mostly of popular songs and comedy routines that were intended to entertain alumni and amuse the members themselves. Hugh Hodgson, an accomplished musician and teacher, began directing the Glee Club in 1926 and gradually transformed it into a significant musical and educational organization by raising the standard of music in the groups repertoire. Byron Warner became the director in 1943 and utilized his performance and teaching skills to direct the Men's Glee Club through highly successful decade of the 1950s. Charles Douglas directed the group for four years beginning in 1962 and kept the group alive despite his lack of experience as a choral musician. Pierce Arant became the director of the Men's Glee Club in 1966 and greatly expanded the group's repertoire by programming new music. He also used the Glee Club as an educational tool.;The study recommends the production of an anthology of Glee Club recordings. It also suggests a study that documents the history of the University of Georgia Women's Glee Club.