A glee club is a musical group or choir group, historically of male voices but also of female or mixed voices, which traditionally specializes in the singing of short songs by trios or quartets. In the late 19th century it was very popular in most schools and was made a tradition to have in American high schools from then on. Glee clubs were named after a form of English

part song A part song, part-song or partsong is a form of choral music that consists of a song to a secular or non- liturgical sacred text, written or arranged for several vocal parts. Part songs are commonly sung by an SATB choir, but sometimes for an al ...

, called a

glee Glee may refer to: * Glee (music), a type of English choral music * ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy * ''Glee'' (Bran Van 3000 album) * ''Glee'' (Logan Lynn album) * Gle ...

, which they typically sang. The first named Glee Club held its initial meeting in the Newcastle Coffee House in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

in 1787. Glee clubs were very popular in Britain from then until the mid-1850s but by then they were gradually being superseded by larger choral societies. By the mid-20th century, proper ''glee'' clubs were no longer common. Testifying to the importance of glee clubs in 19th Century America, Henry Stone, a Union veteran of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, recalled that "A glee club came down from Chicago, bringing with them the new song, 'We'll rally 'round the flag, boys' (

Battle Cry of Freedom The "Battle Cry of Freedom", also known as "Rally 'Round the Flag", is a song written in 1862 by American composer George Frederick Root (1820–1895) during the American Civil War. A patriotic song advocating the causes of Union (American Civ ...

), and it ran through the camp like wildfire. The effect was little short of miraculous. It put as much spirit and cheer into the army as a victory." The term remains in contemporary use, for

show choir A show choir (previously known as a "swing choir") is a Ensemble (musical theatre), musical ensemble that combines choral singing with choreographed dance, often integrated into a narrative story or overarching theme. Origin Show choirs have been ...

s established in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further education institution, or a secondary sc ...

universities A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

, and high schools, although most American glee clubs are choruses in the standard sense, and rarely perform ''glees''.

Oldest United States collegiate glee clubs

The oldest collegiate glee clubs in the United States are, by year of foundation: * 1858:

Harvard Glee Club The Harvard Glee Club (Glee Club or HGC) is a 60-voice, Tenor-Bass choral ensemble at Harvard University. Founded in 1858 in the tradition of English and American glee clubs, it is the oldest collegiate chorus in the United States. The Glee Club ...

* 1859:

University of Michigan Men's Glee Club The University of Michigan Men's Glee Club is an all-male glee club (or choir) at the University of Michigan. With roots tracing back to 1859, it is the second oldest glee club in the United States and is the oldest student organization at the ...

* 1861:

Yale Glee Club The Yale Glee Club is a mixed chorus of men and women, consisting of students of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Founded in 1861, it is the third oldest collegiate chorus in the United States after the Harvard Glee Club, founded in 1 ...

* 1862: Wesleyan University Glee Club * 1862:

The University of Pennsylvania Glee Club Founded in 1862, the University of Pennsylvania Glee Club (Penn Glee Club) is one of the oldest continually running glee clubs in the United States and the oldest performing arts group at the University of Pennsylvania. The Club draws its singing ...

* 1865: Amherst College Glee Club * 1868:

Cornell University Glee Club The Cornell University Glee Club (CUGC), founded in 1868, is the oldest student organization at Cornell University. The CUGC is a thirty-nine member Choir, chorus for tenor and bass voices, with repertoire including european classical music, cla ...

* 1869: Dartmouth College Glee Club * 1869:

Union College Men's Glee Club In 1869, several undergraduate men at Union College formed the College Musical Association, which represented every known musical endeavor at Union. Enduring many obstacles to its existence during its first quarter century, in 1894 the college adm ...

* 1869: Lehigh University Glee Club * 1871:

Virginia Glee Club The Virginia Glee Club is a men's chorus based at the University of Virginia. It performs both traditional and contemporary vocal works typically in TTBB arrangements. Founded in 1871, the Glee Club is the university's oldest musical organizatio ...

* 1872:

Rutgers University Glee Club Rutgers University Glee Club (RUGC) is a nationally recognized men's chorus based at Rutgers University, in New Brunswick, New Jersey. It is currently conducted by Dr. Brandon Williams. Dr. Patrick Gardner, the previous conductor, directed the gro ...

* 1873:

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

Glee Club * 1874:

Princeton Glee Club The Princeton University Glee Club is the oldest and most prestigious choir at Princeton University, composed of approximately 100 mixed voices. They give multiple performances throughout the year featuring music from Renaissance to Modern, and ...

* 1874: Worcester Polytechnic Institute Men's Glee Club * 1875:

The Ohio State University Men's Glee Club The Ohio State University Men's Glee Club is an all-male choir, choral ensemble at Ohio State University. Officially founded in 1875, the Men's Glee Club is one of the oldest student organizations on Ohio State's campus and one of the oldest coll ...

* 1877: The

Mount Holyoke College Mount Holyoke College is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in South Hadley, Massachusetts, United States. It is the oldest member of the h ...

Glee Club * 1886: The University of Illinois Varsity Men's Glee Club * 1888: Penn State Glee Club * 1890:

Pitt Men's Glee Club The University of Pittsburgh Men's Glee Club (also known as the Pitt Men's Glee Club or PMGC) is an internationally recognized men's choir of students at the University of Pittsburgh and is the oldest nonathletic extracurricular group at the Uni ...

* 1890: The University of Kansa
Men's Glee Club
* 1892: The

Pomona College Pomona College ( ) is a private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Claremont, California. It was established in 1887 by a group of Congregationalism in the United States, Congregationalists ...

Men's Glee Club * 1892: Wabash College Glee Club * 1893: University of Michigan Women’s Glee Club * 1893:

Purdue Varsity Glee Club The Purdue Varsity Glee Club is one of the principal vocal groups of Purdue University. It sings a wide variety of music comprising novelty, patriotic, classical, inspirational, jazz, pop, and barbershop genres. The group currently consists of roug ...

* 1893: Texas A&M Singing Cadets *1897: Case Men's Glee Club (Case Institute of Technology and Western Reserve University) *1901: The University of Oklahoma Men's Glee Club *1902: The

Women's Glee Club *1903: United States Military Academy (West Point) Cadet Glee Club * 1906:

Georgia Tech Glee Club The Georgia Tech Glee Club is an a cappella singing group founded in 1906 at the Georgia Institute of Technology. It is a student-run glee club currently directed by Dr. Erika Tazawa as of the Spring 2025 semester. The Glee Club sings many origina ...

* 1907:

Wheaton College Men's Glee Club The Wheaton College Men's Glee Club is an all-male glee club (or choir) at Wheaton College (Illinois), Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois, currently conducted by Ms. Annika Stucky. Founded in 1907, the Men's Glee Club has maintained a long tra ...

, Miami University Glee Club * 1911:

Morehouse College Glee Club The Morehouse College Glee Club, founded in 1911, is the official choral group of Morehouse College. The Glee Club has a long tradition of many notable public appearances, having performed at Martin Luther King Jr.'s funeral, President Jimmy Carter' ...

* 1914: University of Pittsburgh Treble Choral Ensemble *1915: University of Notre Dame Glee Club *1916: Tiger Glee Club (

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

) The oldest non-collegiate glee club in the United States is the Mendelssohn Glee Club, founded in 1866.

Oldest United States collegiate glee clubs

See also

References

Further reading