Music at Wesleyan: From Glee Club to Gamelan

Author’s Note

Welcome to one world. This book, through its materials and energy, unleashes a remarkable panorama, just as music itself has done throughout Wesleyan’s history. Prior to the unfolding of Indian and Javanese and Japanese and Ghanaian and Afro-American musics at Wesleyan in the 1960s, the university had participated in a general exchange of students with other countries in Europe and Asia. Joe Beech, born in England and Wesleyan class of 1899, was admired for his work in China where he was president of Chengtu College (1905–1914) and chancellor of West China Union University (1914–1941) His work there led to student exchanges—indeed, my own college roommate, Dr. Donald G. Arnault, spent his junior year, 1938–1939, at West China Union University. The presence of Chinese students at Wesleyan is memorialized in the small Foss Hill Cemetery where two Chinese were buried after illness had struck them down—Fu-Sheng Chang in 1918 and Dieu Geing Wong in 1923. The oneworldness of Wesleyan music is perhaps symbolized by the fact that Joseph S. Daltry, founder of Wesleyan’s music department, is laid to rest along with Fu-Sheng Chang and Dieu Geing Wong on Foss Hill. Joe Daltry’s importance to Wesleyan merits special attention. Born and reared in Australia, schooled in London and in Europe, he was Wesleyan’s first fulltime music professor, appointed in 1929. His job description required him to be chapel organist and choir master (at that time of paramount importance); to be director of the Glee Club; to introduce course work in classical music; and to teach classes in music theory—all of which he was exceedingly well-equipped to do. By the time I matriculated in 1936 he had firmly established a small, aggressive teaching/music-making department. His skill and commitment created a rocksolid foundation on which to build—without which Wesleyan’s embrace of World Music could not have evolved. What a pleasure that Mark Slobin had the instinct, energy, and skill to produce so lively a work as Music at Wesleyan: From Glee Club to Gamelan! —Richard K. Winslow ‘40 John Spencer Camp Professor of Music, Emeritus Author’s Note Wesleyan has always been a remarkably musical campus. By the late 1800s, it was called the “Singing College.” The Glee Club toured regularly and extensively, earned positive reviews in the local presses of the hosting cities and towns, and won national awards. But the first faculty appointment in music did vi not arrive until the 1920s, and only two people taught music into the 1940s, rising to four by 1953. The early 1960s saw a radical revolution in music that paralleled Wesleyan’s opening from men’s college to diverse university. A visionary program combining world music and experimental music vaulted Wesleyan to national and international prominence as a major center, unique among liberal arts colleges. Adding faculty to teach music from many cultures and a comprehensive graduate program, the department grew in numbers and in stature. Wesleyan’s Music Department’s undergrad alumni play in New York clubs, enter music graduate programs, compose film scores, teach music in many contexts, serve as state arts council chairs, foundation heads, or simply carry the joy and knowledge of music into their lives as a liberal arts legacy. Wesleyan’s Music Department M.A. and Ph.D. graduates hold faculty positions across the U.S. and abroad, from Indonesia to India, from Africa to Australia, from Canada to Switzerland. This book consists of two parts: pre- and post-1960s music at Wesleyan. I have been privileged to take part in nearly 20% of this grand musical pageant, and have greatly enjoyed assembling this brief account. It draws on images from Wesleyan University’s Special Collections archives, for which I owe a huge round of thanks to its director, Suzy Taraba; to University photographer, John Wareham, for scans; and to music doctoral student, Jorge Arevalo Mateus, for researching Argus files. Bill Burkhart was enormously generous with photos; and Olivia Bartlett made the great suggestion of cleaning the North College plaques, to which John Meerts graciously acceded. I would like to thank Suzanna Tamminen and Leslie Starr of Wesleyan University Press for their instant embrace of celebrating the Wesleyan musical heritage, and foundational figure Richard Winslow for his informative and witty forays into department history. All illustrations originated at Wesleyan, either from Special Collections or Public Information, so there are no specific caption credits. Most historical citations are from the student newspaper...