Thanks go to Tim Hughes for continuing the archiving tradition for the MMC.
The Madison Männerchor historical documents from 1871-1978 can be found in the Wisconsin Historical Society records, under call number Mss 496. The compilation consists of 4 boxes of archives. You can reach the “Finding Aid” at this link. Continue reading
Stopped cold in amazement! While casually searching on line for the archives of Männerchöre that were established at about the same time as our own, I came across the Indianapolis Männerchor Archives that are housed by the Indiana University-Purdue University Ruth Lilly Collections and Archives. Continue reading
“Steal Away” (“Steal Away To Jesus”) is an American Negro spiritual. The song is well-known by variations of the chorus:
Steal away, steal away, steal away to Jesus!
Steal away, steal away home, I hain’t got long to stay here.
This is one of our favorite upbeat songs. We performed this at the 2009 Kommers in Kenosha. Here is the text of the song and some information about it. Much of the information has been gleaned from the Wikipedia sources.
If the Madison Männerchor is the second-oldest German Men’s Chorus in the US, which is the oldest?
With the start of Madison Männerchor’s 158th season, MMC’s new web presence is being rolled out! Why not simply say web site? Well, there is more than just a web site. We are using technology to reach out farther than before. Now there is a web site, a blog, more outgoing links to other choir and music sites, and new links to sites that are of interest to ourselves and to our friends.
In Jennifer Ludden’s article, “In Rural Wisconsin, German Reigned for Decades,” she interviews Mel Grulke about speaking German at home. There is also a Walk Through Hustisford in this article.
Jennifer also includes her audio report.
Please check out the interview.
Welcome to the Madison Männerchor blog!
Our Madison Männerchor has been singing since 1852. We’re starting our 158th season in Madison continuing the singing traditions of Germany.
For all immigrants, there exists the often-documented tug-of-war between assimilation and tradition. Many immigrants chose to assimilate into American society, believing that to be best way to share the American opportunity. Others, at the same time, felt strongly about continuing their traditions and culture. These traditions were applied to all aspects of life. Involvement in literature, song, social and political involvement, attire and philosophy of life enabled immigrants was pursued at the same time the best of American culture was adopted. We are still interested in how groups maintain tradition. I am pleased to offer an example from a recent National Public Radio interview of one of our members, Mel Grulke. The interview touches on this topic very well.
The Madison Männerchor continues the German choral singing tradition as well as the conviviality (gemütlichkeit) that Mel talks about. One of my favorite songs is Lebe, Liebe, Lache (Live, Love, Laugh). I think this exemplifies our philosophy, and is one of the major reasons for our achieving 158 years in Madison!