| |
Music
from the Mountains
New York State Music Camp 1947 - 1996
by Robert F. Swift
3
Change
of Venue
1956 - 1969
There
are two U.S. cities named Oneonta.
Oneonta,
Alabama (zipcode 35121) had a 1990 population of close to 5000
people. Oneonta, New York (zipcode 13820) numbered close to 14,000
people, 1 not
including students enrolled in the two colleges.
Fortunately
the New York State Music Camp relocated to the northern Oneonta
in 1956. Otherwise the name of the camp might have been Alabama
Music Camp, and the name of this book you are reading would not
have been "Music from the Mountains." As it turned out,
the move was made from the southwestern Adirondack Mountains to
the western foothills of the Catskill Mountains.
* * *
Oneonta,
New York, is situated on the Susquehanna River in the southeastern
part of New York State. Binghamton is 55 miles to its southwest;
Albany is 75 miles east northeast; Interstate Route 88 connects
the cities. The population of the city and town of Oneonta is close
to 19,000 people. It stands roughly 1200 feet above sea level.
The mean temperature is 60 degrees, and average rainfall is around
43 inches.
The city
has two parks, Wilber (where evening sports activities for music
camp/music festival students are held each summer) and Neahwa.
Gilbert Lake State Park is but seven miles from West Oneonta. For
many summers after first moving to Oneonta the music camp picnicked
at Gilbert Lake and thereby maintained a vestige of the waterfront
atmosphere of Otter Lake. These trips were discontinued when the
program moved to Delhi in 1968. When the camp returned to Oneonta
in 1970, picnics were then scheduled at Pine Lake.
Future for
Oneonta Foundation, Inc. - also founded by Dr. F. F. Swift in 1982
-- publishes a promotional flyer on Oneonta. It lists numerous
cultural and athletic benefits of the region. Included are:
-
The National
Soccer Hall of Fame
-
The American
Indian Artifacts and Pre-Columbian Museum at Hartwick College
-
The Catskill
Symphony Orchestra and Catskill Choral Society
-
The Orpheus
Theatre
-
Oneonta
Yankees baseball
-
Woodhaven
Golf Course
and many
additional offerings at both Hartwick College and the State University
College at Oneonta. Cooperstown with its Farmers Museum and Baseball
Hall of Fame is 22 miles away. The region was well suited for relocating
the summer program.
After
the arrival of the music camp in the city in 1956, publicity
for the concerts was provided in the local daily newspaper The
Oneonta Star (later The Daily Star as its circulation of 20,000
covers an area far beyond the town limits), and radio station
WDOS-AM 730.
~
From Dr. Bob's Personal Memories ~
My
older sister Nancy came home from school one afternoon
and proudly announced she had learned what the letters
WDOS represented. I told her that I already knew - that
Dad had said it was common information. D, 0, S stood for
Delaware, Otsego, and Schoharie Counties, which were the
three broad areas included in the listening area.
She
shook her head smugly. "The real meaning is much more accurate
than that," she said. "WDOS actually stands for 'Why does
Oneonta stink."
|
The name
Oneonta is derived from an Iroquois word meaning "a place
of open rocks," perhaps referring to the rock cliffs which
are found overlooking both east and west entrances to the city.
Expeditions of music campers have climbed each area many summers. "Table
rocks," which abuts the College campus, on summer afternoons
was explored by younger campers with older counselors as chaperones.
Rumor has it that those same counselors in mixed pairs would themselves
return for further exploration, evenings. The author as a child
on a wintry day lost a ruby ring someplace in the area.
At the east
end of the city is the "old stone quarry," a more remote
and distant trip, but one taken nonetheless by two counselors with
a troop of perhaps ten young campers, several of whom complained
about aching muscles and feet the entire trip back to campus. (In
retrospect, it may have been unreasonable to insist the younger
ones carry us the last mile.)
* * *
Records indicate
that the earliest white inhabitants of Oneonta lived in the region
just before the Revolutionary War. Farmers, lumbermen, traders,
merchants - all found the location well suited to their respective
enterprises. "The
first 'hotel' was erected in the 1780s. It must have been a one-story
log arrangement . ... By 1852 the hills, valleys, and easy grades
caused Oneonta to be called a stage coach center." 2
By 1805 the
community was known as McDonald's Bridge, named after the second
such structure built over the river by a Joseph McDonald, whose
family first moved into the area in 1792. By 1807 the village was
renamed McDonald's Mills. In 1817 the U.S. Postal Service officially
named the station Milfordville. That name continued until 1832
when Oneonta was chosen. Incorporation of the village occurred
in 1848.
In the 1870's
and 1880's Oneonta developed into a major railroad center with
as many as 72 passenger trains arriving and departing daily! Oneonta
was chartered as a city in 1909. Geographically the city is 4.1
square miles. The town is a political subdivision of 33 square
miles and is separate from the city.
Hartwick
College has provided a beautiful setting for the music
camp and music festival every summer since 1956 (except for 1968
and 1969). The College is descended from Hartwick Seminary, the
first Lutheran seminary in America. It was founded in 1797, in
accordance with instructions given in the will of John Christopher
Hartwick.
J. C. Hartwick
(1714-1796) was a native of Germany who, like G. F. Handel before
him, received training at the University of Halle. He came to the
United States as an ordained Lutheran minister in 1746. His rigid
standards for conduct and behavior of his flock apparently placed
him in a similar pastoral school as another Puritan divine, Jonathan
Edwards.
The
seminary was located in the village of Hartwick Seminary, New York,
on a parcel of land close to 24,000 acres acquired from the Mohawk
Indians. The seminary was chartered in 1816, and the average enrollment
for the first two decades was 60-70 men. In 1851 women were admitted,
and enrollments increased significantly - over 100 in the 1880's.
In total the seminary and classical academy which was added to
it trained more than 300 pastors. Education was also provided for
well over 3,000 students. 3
In
1928 the Seminary first offered collegiate classes to be taught
in Oneonta. In December of 1929 the first building was finished
on Oyaron Hill, the location of the campus today. Beginning with
the Rev. Dr. Charles Myers, the College has had ten presidents.
Currently (as of 1996) the office is held by Dr. Richard
Detweiler. Enrollment for Spring 1996 numbers 1500 students with
a faculty of close to 130. The current Catalog lists 31 different
baccalaureate degrees, from Accounting to Theatre Arts. 4
The academic
year is divided into a 4-1-4 plan. Summer programs are many and
varied with the Music Festival and Institute being the largest.
The
translocation of the music camp in 1956 from Otter Lake
to Oneonta drew attention to the metropolitan New York area and
Long Island as prime regions for recruitment. Over the years
many exceptional students and teachers from there participated
in the program. One of them was Jan A. Maas, who first attended
that first summer in Oneonta and who returned for several subsequent
summers as camper, counselor, and alumnus. He now is a reference
librarian at the Brooklyn Public Library.
Following
is an edited transcription of an interview conducted in Manhattan
on April 19, 1995 (which happened to be the date of the Oklahoma
City bombing).
| |
 |
RS:
Why did you want to attend a music camp?
JM:
I was active in music at the Trinity School [private
school in Manhattan]. We were rehearsing and performing
Messiah in the Glee Club. A summer out of the city
was a great idea.
RS:
How did you hear about NYSMC?
JM:
My mother saw an ad in the New York Herald Tribune.
RS:
How did you get to Oneonta? Did your parents drive
you?
JM:
No, we didn't own a car. I flew Catskill Airlines to
the Oneonta "International" Airport. There
I telephoned the office and spoke with Elaine Raudenbush.
Mr. Oliver drove out to meet me. At the end of the
summer and then in following years I traveled by bus.
RS:
Why did you return to camp in 1957?
JM: At
the end of the first season I was selected most valuable
male camper, and a scholarship was provided. After
that I was invited to serve as a counselor.
RS:
What do you remember about the schedule and activities?
JM:
There was always so much to do with classes and rehearsals.
It was very full, but I loved it. Learning so much
new music each week forced everybody to grow musically,
no matter what level we were. The athletic program
was great, too - a break from the music. And the social
activities were essential.
RS:
Can you give an example?
JM:
The camp treasure hunt! The College was up in arms.
Campers were running through the library, screaming
down the halls, chasing each other over the parking
lots. I remember one clue was hidden in the men's room
of the old "cardboard alley," but that didn't
keep the girls from running in to search for it! Your
dad was none too pleased.
RS:
I remember. Treasure hunts were short-lived.
JM:
I also remember the Camp Quiz. It was great fun! "What
kind of notes do you play on a shoe horn?"
RS: "Footnotes!" Jan,
looking back now almost 40 years, what were a couple
of strengths of the program?
JM:
There were so many. Performing such good music under
great conductors! The teachers cared about music but
cared equally about us kids. I was valued for what
I could offer.
RS:
Would you send Katherine [daughter] today to the
Music Festival?
JM:
Most definitely.
JM:
To work with so many other talented people. And to
study and perform the variety of great music.
RS:
If you could send a letter to Dr. Frederic Fay Swift
today with some thoughts about the camp, what would
you write?
JM:
I'd write to thank him for having a program that gave
me confidence as a musician but also as a person. He
and all the rest of the faculty took people where they
were and then lifted them to higher achievements.
|
The
1956 season was obviously one of many changes, and with
changes there came challenges. This was particularly true for
the Camp Director. Always the optimist when anticipating new
ventures, he realized that much depended on "the grace of
the Good Lord." He wrote in a letter to his dad dated May
27, 1956:
| |
|
As
of this moment our camp enrollment is past the 50 mark...
I think 54. This is so much better than any previous
year that I am truly impressed. If we can only sell the
Otter Lake property so that we get out [sic] money out
of that... and we get back the $8,000 we have loaned
the Camp, this will be some summer. 5
|
Another
letter written during the final week of that tenth season states
the following.
| |
|
Tuesday
afternoon
Dear
Papa:
Camp
closes this week... the finest summer we have ever had.
It is definitely a lot better here than at Otter Lake.
If Father
Murray has any information on his group being interested
in the [Otter Lake] Camp, have them get in touch with me.
We are going to decide about selling it or turning it back
to Norton. It actually costs us about $3000 a year to hold
on to it... and we can forget it and still be ahead unless
we have a chance to sell it.
Really
haven't anything to say. We have been busy as usual, and
it is almost over. 6
|
-
The
development of the oral vaccine for polio
-
The reelection
of Dwight Eisenhower as U.S. President with his running mate
Richard Milhous Nixon
-
The inauguration
of the transatlantic telephone cable
-
The Olympic
Games in Melbourne, Australia.
In music it was the year
for Elvis to check into the "Heartbreak Hotel" after
walking his "Hound Dog" in his "Blue Suede Shoes," and
the year of Bernstein's Candide and Lerner & Loewe's My
Fair Lady. Maria Callas debuted at the Met that year, and
von Karajan became the music director of the Vienna State Opera.
For Dr. Swift
1956 included, besides the music camp relocation, the birth of
his first grandchild, Donna Lee Sprague, daughter of his daughter
Nancy. (Actually he lived to see his great-grandchildren, Donna's
twins, born in 1987.) But it also was the year for his first encountering
a physical difficulty which remained with him the rest of his life
and led to a curtailment of any strenuous physical activity. He
noted shortness of breath and near exhaustion on a winter hike
with his two sons from Otter Lake to Lost Lake in deep snow.
* * *
The 1956
Camp featured six performing organizations. They were Junior Band,
Junior Choir, Radio Choir, Symphony Orchestra, Concert Band, and
Concert Choir.
The summer
season was now six weeks, down two from eight weeks the previous
year. Here are names of conductors of the ensembles for the six
weeks.
Week
|
Junior
Band
|
Junior
Choir |
Radio
Choir |
1
|
Fred
J. Clinnick, Unadilla |
Sally
Barr, Belvidere NJ |
Dr.
F. F. Swift, Oneonta |
2
|
Sam
Barr, Hackett stown NJ |
Fred
J. Clinnick, Unadilla |
Robert
K. Oliver, Albany |
3
|
Dr.
Craig McHenry, Ithaca |
Robert
K. Oliver, Albany |
Dr.
F. F. Swift |
4
|
Marlin
Morette, Kingston |
Dr.
F. F. Swift, Oneonta |
Rollin
R. Truitt, Delmar |
5
|
Elvin
L. Freeman, Pulaski |
Fred
J. Clinnick, Unadilla |
6
|
Fred J.
Clinnick |
Sally Barr |
Dr. F. F.
Swift |
Week
|
Symphony
Orchestra
|
Concert
Band |
Concert
Choir |
1
|
Melba
Sandburg, Deposit |
Chester
Dickerson, Middleburgh |
Dr.
Walter Whybrew, Oneonta |
2
|
James
M. Truscello, Poland |
Willis
L. Walley, Oneonta |
3
|
Dr.
Craig McHenry, Ithaca |
Fred
J. Clinnick, Unadilla |
4
|
Dr.
Walt Whybrew, Oneonta |
Marlin
Morette, Kingston |
Rollin
R. Truitt, Delmar |
5
|
Adelbert
Purga, Wellsville |
Elvin
L. Freeman, Pulaski |
6
|
James M.
Truscello |
Dr. F. F.
Swift, Oneonta |
Each succeeding
year in Oneonta was marked by growth in numbers of students and,
Dr. Swift affirmed, in overall quality of musical performance.
The 1959 season included for the first time a modern dance program
headed by Katya Delakova, whose husband Moshe Budmor was conductor
of the orchestra. The dance classes were coeducational, and six
boys formed a class of their own with emphasis on acrobatics.
Dancers
in Costume
* * *
Housing was
in college dormitories, Dewar and Leitzell Halls, and Iroquois
and Oyaron Houses at the bottom of the hill (where Anderson Center
for the Arts now stands). The camp roster in the Hi Note that
year, including faculty, staff, and students, numbered 163 names,
from Evelyn B. Ackerman of Brooklyn to Sharon Zuckerman of New
York City. The Hi Note of 1960 was the first to be dedicated
to an individual. Elaine Raudenbush, the office secretary, was
so honored. The yearbook that year consisted of 21 pages, most
of them typed and duplicated by the secretary.
The 1967 Hi
Note was dedicated to orchestral conductor Anthony J. Messina.
Dorms were now listed as Holmes Hall and Van Ess Hall. Major
ensembles now include Junior Vocal, Concert Choir, Select Choir,
Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra, Concert Band, Stage Band, and Dance
Class. The twirling program was no longer offered.
The popularity
poll, long a staple of the Hi Note and earlier Souvenir
News included these categories with male and female divisions:
friendliest, wittiest, best dressed, best looking, most romantic,
biggest flirt, best dancer, best athlete, best vocalist, best instrumentalist,
best musician, most unusual, best all around, did most for NYSMC,
and did most to NYSMC.
The
Junior Vocal Ensemble
Performing in the old fieldhouse in the mid 1960's.
Margot Werme Swift at the piano.
The rosters
included instrumental and vocal enrollments. Listed are names for
13 violins, 5 violas, 6 cellos, 4 double basses, 16 flutes, 12
clarinets, one each alto and bass clarinet, 6 oboes, 3 bassoons,
9 saxophones, 6 French horns, 1 euphonium, 8 trumpets or comets,
6 trombones, 2 tubas, and 8 percussion. Private lessons were provided
to 21 pianists, 5 organists, and 17 vocalists. Enrollment in dance
classes numbered 27. There was a total of 192 participants in the
program in 1967.
The
move to the campus of the Delhi College of Technology
of the State University of New York in 1968 and 1969 resulted
from major construction on the Hartwick campus. The Hartwick
fieldhouse, site of so many insufferably hot Saturday evening
and Sunday afternoon concerts in the 1960's, was razed to make
room for Shineman Chapel, which stands now in its place.
The origin
of Delhi dates back to 1798. It served as a center for agriculture
and commerce. It was recognized by the postal service in or around
1801, the records having been destroyed by fire. In 1811 the first
church was built in the town (Presbyterian), and by 1812 there
was a common school. The current College of Technology, founded
in 1913, is descended from the Veterinary Science Technology program,
the first of its type in the United States. The
College offers more than 35 two-year degree programs and enrolls
more than 2300 students. 7 The
village today has a population of around 3000 people.
Faculty for
the 1969 camp (the final year at Delhi) were as follows:
| Thomas
Brown, SUNY Albany |
Assistant
Camp Director, Band, Stage Band, Harmony, Composition,Arranging,
Percussion |
| Anthony
Cram, SUC-Oswego |
Piano |
| Edwin
Harbaugh, South Kortright |
Lower
Brass
|
Douglas
Jones, Oneonta
|
Choir
|
| Robert
Knight, Delhi |
Lower
Strings |
| Mary Ann
Ross, Juilliard School |
General
Music, Voice, Ensembles |
| Mrs.
Audrey Skidmore, Delhi |
Sports
and recreation |
| James
Schmitt, Northville |
Theory |
| Donald
Shaver, SU-Delhi |
Choir,
Appreciation, Coordinator |
| Beverly
Shaver, SU-Delhi |
Organ,
Accompanist |
| Dr.
Phyllis Skoldberg, SUC-Oswego |
Violin,
Viola, Orchestra |
| Nancy
Sprague, Onondaga |
Choirs,
Conducting, Junior Theory |
| Jonathan
Strasser, HS Music & Art, NYC, |
Orchestra,
Theory, Counselor |
| Dr. F.
F. Swift, Hartwick College |
Camp Director,
Select Choir, Theory |
| Robert
F. Swift, Graduate Student, Eastman School of Music |
Choir |
| Rollin
Tuttle, Mt. Upton |
Woodwinds |
| Julian
Wilcox, Walton |
Orchestra,
Trumpet |
| Dr. John
C. Worley, SUC-Oneonta |
Orchestra |
Classes
offered that summer were Junior Theory, Theory B, Theory A, Harmony,
Appreciation, General Music I, Conducting, and Composition-Arranging.
The sports program was included in the schedule, 2:00-4:00 each
afternoon. Ensembles were Concert Band, Concert Choir, Orchestra,
Stage Band, Junior Choir, Select Choir,and Chamber Orchestra.
Later
chapters will present specific, personal memories from
music camp and music festival alumni, but before concluding this
second major period of the half century we may note a potpourri
of items selected from campers during this era which will stimulate
memories of those who attended then, and which may be of interest
to others.
Sunday evening
discussions were held on weeks two through five. They
were informal and educational. Often led by Dr. Swift and other
administrators the topics were far-ranging - from the challenges
of a career in music to the purpose of education to philosophical
questions and even a consideration of possible life on other
planets.
Recording sessions which
had begun at Otter Lake for WIBX Utica continued in Oneonta for
WDOS. Occasional television programs were also recorded for WRGB
Schenectady, although the travel time added to the studio recording
needs made these unfeasible for continuation. Other "run-out
performances" included the Morris County Fair and area churches
as well as Kiwanis and Rotary Clubs.
Rehearsals and
concerts from 1956 to the early 1960's were held in
the white wooden structure of what was called "cardboard
alley" and the chapel of the College, which is now where
the Business Office is located. Moving the percussion instruments
from one extreme end of the building to the other required
careful planning and often led to complaints of the College
librarian. The hallway through which the instruments were rolled
and carried was adjacent to the library in an era when quiet
and "Shh" were the rule. Indeed the discontinuation
of annual camp treasure hunts was a direct result of the librarian's
ire which she personally took to the College president.
Stunt Nites were
an annual highlight of each season in the first two decades.
Counselors with their campers would design, practice, and present
skits for the entertainment of each other. Prizes were awarded
to the top three presentations. Frequently the skits were spoofs
of camp - especially faculty, rehearsals, cafeteria, regulations,
and so on. And frequently results were hilarious, particularly
with reference to imitations of conductors. Puns were rampant.
Costumes, simple scenery, and props were devised out of the most
basic of materials.
-
Stunt
Nite came to a screeching halt in 1964 when a large rubber
tire used in a skit rolled off the stage of the old fieldhouse,
bounced a few times and then, while all looked on in horror,
smashed a cello which had been left out of its case. A new
format was designed, but it never seemed the same. (Miraculously,
Dr. Swift found an elderly instrument repairman in New York
City who was able to rebuild the damaged instrument!)
The first music
camp reunion was held in the late 1960's. Dr. Swift
always made a point of seeing and congratulating campers who
had been selected for the New York State School Music Association
All-State organizations. But a separate gathering specifically
to reunite campers was first held on Long Island, perhaps in
1969. Today the reunions are annual, very successful occasions.
"Old Irish
Blessing," a
setting by Denes Agay of traditional words, is itself traditionally
sung at the conclusion of the Counselors Recital during the
final week. (The Counselors Recital is now the descendant of
the earlier Stunt Nite.) The nostalgic effect of hearing "May
the road rise to meet you, May the wind be always at your back" tugs
on the heartstrings of anyone who has attended the summer program
for at least two years. The music was first selected for a
performance by the Concert Choir by Dr. Swift's older daughter
Nancy shortly after the camp returned to Oneonta from Delhi.
The
dances following the Final Concert date back to the
earliest summers. At first the Dance Band itself performed, much
to the chagrin of campers whose dates for the dance played in
the ensemble. In Oneonta for several years a professional band
was hired to provide the music. Today recordings are used. During
the Otter Lake years the traditional final selection was "I'll
See You in My Dreams."
The
author's maternal grandfather for years kept a daily
journal. When he became incapacitated in 1954, I resolved to
continue the practice. Thus it is that beginning with the summer
camp of 1955, I have recorded daily incidents in the period this
book commemorates. In retrospect, some of the entries seem rather
trivial. Yet they have proven to be absolutely invaluable in
collecting and selecting items for the writing. What follows
are very brief excerpts, one for each of the 14 years included
in this chapter.
| |
|
| 1956 |
7/19/56
(Thursday). The Radio Choir had troubles
in the recording session tonight. We did
one number three times. It took an hour and
35 minutes. Dad was mad.
|
| 1957 |
7/22/57
(Monday). Today everybody went on the picnic
to Gilbert Lake except me. I practiced U-turns
in Driver's Training. [That year I learned to drive.] |
| 1958 |
7/03/58
(Thursday). Today was the annual camp
quiz. Topics included music, astronomy, mathematics,
puns on campers' names, etc. There was a 50-cent
prize for the top boy and girl. [also]
7/31/58
(Thursday). Beginning tomorrow 4 cents
will be required to send a letter.
|
| 1959 |
8/07/59
(Friday). The final concert tonight was good.
The Band did Hoist Suite No. 1 in Eb, and the Orchestra
did 3/4 of Bizet's L'Arlésienne Suite No.
2. |
| 1960 |
8/04/60
(Thursday). Tonight was a 4-hour rehearsal
of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Now I must complete
the music. The wedding scene and the overture have
yet to be composed. Act I is fine! Act Il is too
long and boring - with three Virginia reels, and
Act III is incomplete. In five days it will be
performed. |
| 1961 |
7/26/61
(Wednesday). A very humorous incident in tonight's
recital was during the piano duet of Marvin Conan
and Michael Spierman. Marvin missed a change of
key signature in Schumann's Valse Noble. The page
turner had to sit down in an effort to control
his laughter. Then the audience, led by Mr. Barr
and me, burst out laughing. Mr. Oliver ended the
comedy by asking the two to sit down, thanking
them for their efforts. |
| 1962 |
7/21/62
(Saturday). After three weeks absence Margot
[my fiancée] is back. Tonight we parked
in the Holmes Parking lot until John, the night-watchman,
interrupted us with something like, "Hey!
No parking unless you have lights on!" |
| 1963 |
7/03/63
(Wednesday). Tonight was the first recital.
The College chimes were on automatic, so Dad
gave me a high sign across the chapel to go up
to the organ between numbers and turn them off.
I obediently did so while applause was dying
down. When I returned, the next soloist, a pianist,
had already begun, so as unobtrusively as possible
I snuck over the tall metal railing and hastened
to return to my seat.
I
was about halfway down the aisle when there was
a crash behind me, followed by scattered chuckling
through the hail. One of the chairs which had
been set vertically near the organ assumed a
horizontal position. What I can't understand
is what took it so long to fall!
|
| 1964 |
7/19/64
(Sunday). The Elijah went fine. All during
it the rain and thunder were playing their part. |
| 1965 |
7/09/65
(Friday). Tonight was the first dance of the
year. I learned this morning that I was in charge
of it. I learned this afternoon that the Dance
Band wasn't going to play. Tonight was a little
disorganized, but finally everything worked out
quite well. Margot and I danced a few; she was
wearing flats and consequently did well in following.
I also danced with cousin Jane Brown [aged 13],
who was a little inexperienced but did quite well. |
| 1966 |
7/03/66
(Sunday). It was one of the warmest registration
days! We all perspired just waiting for the afternoon
group of 80 campers to register. Tomorrow classes
begin. [and]
7/30/66
(Saturday). Last evening was trouble at
Camp. Some town boys went to the dorms - first
the girls' for some various stunts including
exposing their posteriors, and then to the
boys' to start a fight. The campus police chased
them; a few were caught and taken to the police
station.
|
| 1967 |
8/09/67
(Wednesday). Camp for me has been mostly sadness
this summer. I feel so much older than everyone
- perhaps this is the basic cause. I had looked
forward to it perhaps too optimistically. I miss
the older friends now gone. And the days without
Margot and Jeff [our 5-month old son] have been
so long. This definitely must be the last season
of camp for me. After 20 years with it, I've grown
out of it. [This was my first summer in graduate
school, and I participated for only one week.] |
| 1968 |
8/06/68
(Tuesday). This day had three round-trips
to Delhi and back [to Oneonta]. First I drove over
for Concert Choir. Then I returned with Jane [Brown]
and Ron [Loiacono]. I took them back, rehearsed
Select Choir, and then came home again. Then tonight
I went back for volleyball. The faculty won the
first three games. It was quite disorganized, and
Sandy Strenger considered himself the referee.
He was about as acquainted with volleyball rules
as I am with those of lacrosse! |
| 1969 |
8/03/69
(Sunday). Concert Choir rehearsal tonight
was a joy! They learned "Awake the Harp," including
the runs, in about 40 minutes. All four selections
should go well "For He Shall Give His Angels," "Set
Down, Servant" for which I'll ask Dad and
Nancy to be soloists, and "Precious Lord,
Take My Hand." The kids are responsive, and
the quality of musicianship is very high. I've
waited for this all year! |
|
I
hope the reader senses in the previous snippets something
of the indefinable elements that make the summer camp or festival
unique for everyone who has been a part it. One of the letters
which was received from an alumnus captures the spirit beautifully.
Gary Fishman attended camp in the late 1950's and into the 60's.
He now is an executive with AT&T.
| |
|
-
I
recall an afternoon concert, so it must have been a
Sunday, in the old fieldhouse doing Elijah. As we sang "the
stormy billows are high, their fury is mighty," a
thunderstorm raged with real thunder complementing
our musical thunder.
-
Speaking
of the old fleldhouse, my first memory at the NYSMC
was of being led by Conrad and Jonathan [Strasser]
through an unlocked window to break in to the lower
levels of the fleldhouse.
-
For
sheer vocal beauty of phrasing, harmony, lyrics and
rhythms, no one beats Jerome Kern. How many of his
pieces did we do?
-
More
memories - how about the opening of each Radio Choir
and Select Choir performance with "Greetings from
Oneonta and the New York State Music Camp" with
Margot Sue at the piano.
-
I
recall Conrad (notice that some people only need one
name) and Britt Wheeler putting thumb tacks on the
hammers of an old upright piano to make it into a harpsichord
for a performance of one of the Brandenburgs.
-
One
of the great things about being with other campers
was that music could break out at any time. There was
a time when, it so happened, an S, A, T, and B were
walking on a residential street of Oneonta on their
way downtown when it just seemed like the right time
to do "Elijah Rock," and so we did.
-
Watching
Margot sight-read anything put in front of her.
-
The
principal musical memory has to be the environment
of all-encompassing music. Rehearsals, one after the
other, switching instruments and styles dozens of times
during a few weeks each summer, learning how to respond
to and work with so many different conductors each
summer and having it all so ordinary that it was taken
for granted.
- The
number of friends we made and kept for years before
the currents of life moved us in differing directions
far exceeds the number of friends made and quickly
lost through high school, college, work. It must have
been something to do with the fact that we shared living
together, shared the intimacy of letting our souls
touch in order to make music, left ourselves vulnerable
in front of each other as we stretched for the notes
that weren't there on Monday or Tuesday each week,
but were there by Friday.
- I
remember dancing with Lois Swift the summer before she
died from leukemia. She was very frail, very pale but
filled with the music of life.
- Do
we all remember waiting and watching for Doc to clasp
his hands behind his back so we knew when to take our
Select Choir bow (...2, 3, 4)
- I
can still picture standing in front of the College
on those mornings when fog filled the valley from Oneonta
to Mt. Utseonta. The tops of the hills on either side
were clear in the bright sunshine, the boundaries of
the farmers' fields and tree lines dividing all into
regular shapes; there was a chill and dampness in the
air, and there was always someone there to tell "It'll
be a hot one today."
- I
heard, what must be apocryphal, that one year a bassoonist
was so overcome with the emotions of parting at the end
of the six weeks of camp that he left his bassoon behind.
Hard to believe. [Actually it was a tuba.]
-
"Let
all my life be music. Ah, let the heart of me be
as a harp." 8
|
Music
from the Mountains
New York State Music Camp 1947 - 1996
by Robert F. Swift
|
|
|
