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Boston College student musical ensembles collection

 Collection
Collection BC-1986-015: Boston College student musical ensembles collection

Dates

  • Creation: 1882-2021

Scope and Contents

Records, predominantly programs, photographs, and recordings, of official Boston College student musical ensembles and their predecessors, including both instrumental and vocal ensembles under the purview of the Bands Program and the Music Department.

Creator

Restrictions on Access

Collection is open for research.

Some audiovisual recordings have been digitally copied; all original media were retained, but may not be played due to format. Digital use copies can only be accessed in the Burns Library Reading Room. Remaining audiovisual recordings are not available for playback due to format impermanence and have not been reformatted. Please let Burns Library Public Services know of your specific interest; if possible, reformatting will be scheduled.

Graded student works are closed for 75 years from the date of their creation.

Conditions Governing Use

These materials are made available for use in research, teaching and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source. The original authors may retain copyright to the materials.

Historical note: Boston College Bands

The Boston College Marching Band made its official debut with 30 members on October 20, 1919 for the Boston College-Yale football game. The groundwork for its establishment was laid by Chemistry professor Robert Parsons, SJ, in partnership with student conductor J. Carey Martin (class of 1921), who initially created a military band comprised of Students’ Army Training Corps members in 1918.

With the appointment of Peter Siragus as director in 1957, the Bands Program gained university administrative oversight. Before that, the Marching Band was largely a student-directed effort. Women were admitted into the Band in 1969, predating Boston College’s shift to formal coeducation and the enacting of Title IX by more than a year. By 1970, in addition to numerous women musicians, Bands Program implemented a 19-member majorette squad.

Throughout the Band Program’s history, various ensembles have been created, though not all have survived. Under Sebastian Bonaiuto, BC Bands added the University Wind Ensemble and the Symphonic Band (known as “SymBa”). Bonaiuto and David Healey (class of 1990), Marching Band Director, are credited with establishing BC bOp! Jazz Ensemble: in 1987, Healey—then an undergrad—and other student musicians had organized a jazz band, and asked Bonaiuto, then an MBA student at BC, to be its director.

As of 2023, the Bands Program reported to the Office of Student Involvement, and encompassed six ensembles with nearly 300 members: Marching Band (1919-), Wind Ensemble (2005-), BC bOp! Jazz Ensemble (1987-), Symphonic Band (1969-), Pep Band (1956-), and Dance Team (1990-). While most members of the Boston College Marching Band were students of Boston College, the Marching Band also had a partner-school program, which incorporated a wide variety of students from Boston-based institutions, including Berklee College of Music, Emerson College, Emmanuel College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northeastern University, Simmons College, Suffolk University, and Wentworth Institute of Technology.

Sources:

Smith, Sean, “Banding Together: BC Bands marking 100 years of music, student spirit, and fellowship,” Boston College Chronicle, volume 27, number 6, November 7, 2019.

Historical note: Musical Clubs and University Chorale

The earliest student musical ensemble on campus was the St. Cecilia Society, formed in 1869 by James A. McHugh, SJ to provide liturgical music and dedicated to the patron saint of music. The first Glee Club was founded in 1887 as a secular counterpart to the St. Cecilia Society, and performed a variety of concerts and operettas. The director, Charles E. McLaughlin, formed an orchestra to accompany the 1892 operetta, and the ensemble continued after that performance. The Musical Clubs lapsed somewhat during the period of 1895-1913, with some years having no musical ensembles, others only an orchestra, and others only a choir. The Glee Club was revitalized in 1913 by Joseph Gildea (class of 1913) as a student-run club coached by Thomas J. Hurley (class of 1885), who also composed music for the ensemble. The Musical Clubs underwent a brief hiatus during both World Wars, from 1917-1918 and 1942-1946. Musical Clubs concerts, both on- and off-campus, regularly featured the Glee Club and Orchestra, as well as vocal soloists and instrumental quartets or octets. Though largely student-run, the Musical Clubs were guided by conductors, including Walter Mayo (class of 1923) and Theodore Marier, and by faculty moderators, including Henry Callahan, SJ, Daniel J. Foley, SJ, and Thomas P. O’Malley, SJ. In 1962, the Glee Club welcomed women into its ranks and became the University Chorale, directed by C. Alexander Peloquin. The Orchestra continued as the Boston College Symphony Orchestra, open to any member of the university community.

Sources:

Chorale programs and posters, 1966-1994, Box 2, Boston College student musical ensembles collection, BC.1986.015, John J. Burns Library, Boston College.

Musical Clubs programs, 1947-1964, Box 2, Boston College student musical ensembles collection, BC.1986.015, John J. Burns Library, Boston College.

Extent

32 Linear Feet (33 containers)

23 Gigabytes (46 files, with approximately 36.5 hours of audio)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Records, predominantly programs, photographs, and recordings, of official Boston College student musical ensembles and their predecessors, including both instrumental and vocal ensembles under the purview of the Bands Program and the Music Department.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in three series: I. Boston College Bands; II. Choral ensembles; and III. Boston College Songs. The first two series are further arranged in three subseries: A. Administrative materials; B. Concerts; and C. Photographs. Folders within each series and subseries are arranged chronologically.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Material acquired through individual department and alumni donations over time.

Related Materials

Boston College alumni papers, BC.1988.060, John J. Burns Library, Boston College.

Boston College Athletic Photographs, BC.1986.019, John J. Burns Library, Boston College.

Boston College student activities collection, BC.1996.103, John J. Burns Library, Boston College.

Boston College student theater collection, BC.1991.081, John J. Burns Library, Boston College.

Separated Materials

Published works associated with this collection have been transferred within the Burns Library and can be found in the Boston College Library catalog.

  • Duplicates
Title
Boston College Student Musical Ensembles collection
Subtitle
1882-2021
Status
Completed
Author
Elizabeth Peters
Date
2023
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Revision Statements

  • 2023 April: Revised description for digitized audiovisual content. Removed access CDs and linked to digital files stored on access server.
  • 2023 August: Added item-level description for undigitized audiovisual content.
  • 2024 January: Added accession BC.2013.004

Repository Details

Part of the John J. Burns Library Repository

Contact:
John J. Burns Library
Boston College
140 Commonwealth Avenue
Chestnut Hill MA 02467 United States
617-552-4861