BACH SOCIETY OF MINNESOTA:

The Bach Society of Minnesota originated with a group of music students at the University of Minnesota in the early 1930s who wanted to sing the music of Bach. By 1933, a singing society, which organized and performed annual Bach Festivals, was formed under the direction of Professor Donald Ferguson.

When Ferguson retired in 1950, the Society entered a dormant period. Following several stalled attempts to revive the group, psychology professor Dr. David LaBerge reorganized the group in 1959 and, with underwriting from the University of Minnesota, resurrected the annual festivals. The Society continued in collaboration with the University until 1966, when it became incorporated as an independent nonprofit organization. Dr. LaBerge retired in 1980 and Henry Charles Smith, Resident Conductor of the Minnesota Orchestra, assumed the position of Music Director.

Throughout the years the chorus size and focus fluctuated. In the early 1970s the chorus swelled to 240 members in order to balance with the Minnesota Orchestra, with whom the Society frequently performed at the University's Northrup Auditorium. In 1974 the Society adopted more stringent audition criteria and the size of the chorus was reduced to eighty. While focusing on Bach, the repertoire of the Society often included other major choral composers, such as Verdi, Handel, Mozart, and Brahms.

Return to top

Records of the Bach Society of Minnesota include minutes; budgets, balance sheets, and other financial records; reports; programs; press clippings; and other materials. The bulk of the records are organized in two major sections: administrative records, and programs and publicity concerning Bach Society performances. A smaller section of material concerns the celebration of Bach's 300th birthday in 1985.

Return to top

These records are divided into the following three sections:

Return to top

Availability:

The collection is open for research use.

Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Bach Society of Minnesota. Bach Society of Minnesota Records. Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

Accession Information:

Accession number: 15,204; 17,001

Processing Information:

Processed by: Lara D. Friedman-Shedlov, June 1998; addition by David B. Peterson, July 2015

Catalog ID number: 990017347270104294

Return to top

Return to top

In 1985 the Bach Society celebrated the 300th birthday of Bach with a series of concerts and other projects. Records document these activities as well as a number of related fund raising efforts, particularly the 1985 Bach Birthday Engagement Calendar, published and sold by the Society. Many events were held in conjunction with Twin Cities Music Celebration 1985, an organization formed to recognize the tercentenary of composers Bach, Handel, and Scarlatti.

Return to top

Return to top

The Bach Society of Minnesota Newsletter is separately cataloged in the Minnesota Historical Society serials collection.

Return to top

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Topics:

Arts fund raising -- Minnesota.

Choral societies -- Minnesota -- Twin Cities Metropolitan Area.

Concert programs -- Minnesota.

Persons:

Bach, Johann Sebastian, 1685-1750.

Ferguson, Donald N. (Donald Nivison), 1882-1985.

LaBerge, David.

Smith, Henry Charles.

Organization:

Twin Cities Music Celebration 1985.

Type of Documentation:

Photographs.

Titles:

Newsletter (Bach Society of Minnesota).

Return to top