Akademiska Sångföreningen

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"Akademen" redirects here. For other uses, see Akademen (disambiguation).
Akademiska Sångföreningen
Akademiska sangforeningen logo.png
Founding March 1838 (1838-03)
Founder Fredrik Pacius
Genre Academic male voice choir
Music Director Kari Turunen
Headquarters Helsinki, Finland
Affiliation University of Helsinki

The Academic Male Voice Choir of Helsinki or, in Swedish, Akademiska Sångföreningen[lower-alpha 1] (Swedish pronunciation: [akaˈdeːmiska ˈsoŋfœreːniŋen]), abbreviated AS and colloquially referred to as Akademen,[lower-alpha 2] is a Finland-Swedish academic male voice choir based in Helsinki, Finland.[1] The choir was founded in the spring of 1838 (at the latest),[2] presumably in March, by Fredrik Pacius, music teacher at the Imperial Alexander University of Finland (now University of Helsinki) and known as "the father of Finnish music",[3] and is thus the oldest Finnish choir still in existence.[3][4] It is one of two male voice choirs tied to the University of Helsinki, the other being the Finnish-language YL Male Voice Choir (Ylioppilaskunnan Laulajat), the oldest Finnish-language choir.

History

File:Pacius.jpg
Founder Fredrik Pacius (1809-1891)

During the 19th century Akademiska Sångföreningen became an important symbol of national awakening in the emerging Finnish nation, at the time part of the Russian empire as the Grand Duchy of Finland. On 13 May 1848,[5] Pacius' composition Vårt land (Our Land), set to the poem by Johan Ludvig Runeberg, was performed for the first time by Akademiska Sångföreningen during the students' celebration of the Flora Day. The composition was later to become the national anthem of the independent Finnish nation.

In the 1850s and 60s, elite triple quartets (so-called sångartolfvor, literally singer twelves) from within the choir's ranks participated in raising the funds necessary to build what is nowadays called the Old Student House in Helsinki (Gamla studenthuset in Swedish, Vanha ylioppilastalo in Finnish), by travelling the country performing.[6] The Old Student House was finished in 1870,[7] and it is still the place where the choir has its office and where practice takes place once a week.

During the second half of the 20th century, the choir, led by conductor and composer Erik Bergman, came to carve out new paths for the male voice tradition in Finland, in proving that said form of music is able to exhibit superior musical qualities. After Bergman, composer Henrik Otto Donner carried on this tradition, even though circumstances were less than optimal.

In end of the 1970s and the beginning of the 80s the choir was engaged in lighter types of music, though without lowering the quality. The À la Carte concerts in Finlandia Hall were successful and, when necessary, members of the choir would compose pieces of music themselves.

During the 20th century the choir has had several prominent conductors – Bengt Carlson, Nils-Eric Fougstedt, Erik Bergman, Henrik Otto Donner, Markus Westerlund, Eric-Olof Söderström, Tom Eklundh, John Schultz and Henrik Wikström have all conducted the choir.[8][9] Present conductor D.Mus. Kari Turunen has led the choir since the autumn term of 2008.

Artistic directors[8][9]
From To Name
1838 1846 Fredrik Pacius
1846 1850 August Lindelöf
1850 1857 Temporary conductors
1857 1860 Gustaf Magnus Cederhvarf
1860 1864 Henrik Gustaf Borenius
1864 1865 Johannes Edvard Pacius
1865 1866 Uno Kurtén
1866 1868 Lorentz Nikolai Achté
1868 1869 Nils Peter Paldani
1870 1871 Martin Wegelius
1871 1872 Lorentz Nikolai Achté
1872 1873 David Hahl
1873 1876 Martin Wegelius
1876 1879 Gösta Sohlström
1879 Oscar Mechelin
1880 Nils Kiljander
1880 Werner Holmberg
1881 Edvard Rindell
1882 Oscar W. Moberg
1882 1884 Interregnum
1884 Arthur Relander
1885 1892 Carl von Knorring
1893 1894 Emil Leander
1894 Carl von Knorring
1895 Uno Öller
1896 1899 Gösta Sohlström
1899 1902 Carl von Knorring
1902 1903 Lennart Hallman
1903 1904 Kurt Ångelin
1904 1905 Lennart Hallman
1905 Vacant
1906 Gustaf Mattsson
1906 Vacant
1907 1908 Alarik Uggla
1908 1909 Thure Sandelin
1909 1911 Gösta Enckell
1911 1912 Emil Leander
1912 1915 Ragnar Hollmérus
1915 1920 Olof Wallin
1920 1946 Bengt Carlson
1946 1950 Nils-Eric Fougstedt
1950 1969 Erik Bergman
1969 1976 Henrik Otto Donner
1976 1983 Markus Westerlund
1983 1985 Eric-Olof Söderström
1985 1990 Tom Eklundh
1990 1997 John Schultz and
Henrik Wikström
1997 2008 Henrik Wikström
2008 – Kari Turunen

Activity

The Old Student House in Helsinki, where the choir practices

Being the oldest male voice choir in Finland, Akademiska Sångföreningen has always cared particularly for the classical Finnish male voice repertoire. Among the composers whose compositions form part of the choir's standard repertoire are honorary members[10] Jean Sibelius, Selim Palmgren and Erik Bergman, as well as fellow composers Toivo Kuula and Leevi Madetoja.[11] Furthermore, being a Finland-Swedish organization, the choir has always seen it as a natural and important task to champion the Swedish-speaking minority culture in Finland. Hence, the standard repertoire encompasses not only choral works of Finnish and Finland-Swedish origin, but also many works of Swedish origin, for example by honorary member Hugo Alfvén.[10][11]

As implied by its name, the choir is an academic or a student choir, and like its Helsinki sister choir Akademiska Damkören Lyran (The Academic Female Voice Choir Lyran) an independent so-called musikkorporation ("music body corporate"), tied to the University of Helsinki. The choir presently has about 60 active members, many of which are university students. Concerts are given regularly in Finland, and the choir travels abroad frequently. On top of many European countries, the choir has been on tour in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States.[12]

Particularly in recent years, the choir has devoted itself to actively producing records, explicitly to document high quality male voice choir repertoire in Swedish. Apart from Swedish, the choir also sings in the parody language Transpiranto on the record Happi kvam pippi, which was released in 2006. The second most recent record, Hymn to Finland, was produced by Swedish label BIS Records and documents works for male voice choir by founder Fredrik Pacius. The record was released on 19 March 2009, the 200th anniversary of Pacius' birth.

The choir maintains contacts with other similar choirs, in Finland in particular with male voice student choirs Brahe Djäknar in Turku and YL Male Voice Choir (Ylioppilaskunnan Laulajat) in Helsinki, and in Sweden especially with Orphei Drängar in Uppsala, Stockholm Academic Male Chorus (Stockholms Studentsångarförbund) in Stockholm, Linköping University Male Voice Choir (Linköpings Studentsångare) in Linköping and Lund University Male Voice Choir (Lunds Studentsångförening) in Lund.

Ever since 1954,[13] the choir has collaborated actively with its sister choir Akademiska Damkören Lyran. The two choirs give several traditional annual concerts together.

Discography

  • I Dreamt - Beställningsverken 2007-2013 ("I Dreamt - Commissioned works 2007-2013") (2016), CD
  • Solglitter ("The Sun's Glistening") (2013), CD
  • Från tidevarv till tidevarv ("From Epoch unto Epoch") (2013), 3 CD, anniversary selections album
  • Julen vi minns ("The Christmas We Remember") (2011), CD, in collaboration with Akademiska Damkören Lyran
  • Hymn to Finland: Works for Male-Voice Choir (2009), CD
  • Happi kvam pippi (2006), CD
  • För ögonblicket ("At the Moment") (2005), CD
  • Skaparegestalter ("Creator Figures") (2002), CD
  • Julstämning ("Christmas Spirit") (1999), CD, in collaboration with Akademiska Damkören Lyran
  • Första maj ("May Day") (1995), CD
  • Akademen A la Carte (1988), LP
  • Magnificat (1981), LP
  • Etude (1980), LP
  • Studentsången i Kajsaniemi ("The Students' Singing in Kaisaniemi Park") (1975), LP
  • Bellman och serenader ("C.M. Bellman and Serenades") (1967), LP
  • Akademiska Sångföreningen 1838–1963 (1964), LP

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ literally translated as The Academic Song Association
  2. ↑ a construed Swedish definite form of the morpheme akadem-, as in e.g. akademisk, academic, but void of any real meaning

Citations

  1. ↑ Musikstationen, [1].
  2. ↑ Lappalainen 2008, [2].
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Korhonen 2003
  4. ↑ Turunen 2003/2008, [3].
  5. ↑ Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland 1999
  6. ↑ Akademiska Sångföreningen 1988, pp. 35 & 46.
  7. ↑ Eerola 2000, [4].
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Akademiska Sångföreningen 1988, p. 283, up to Eklundh.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Akademiska Sångföreningen 2008, p. 217, from Eklundh to Wikström.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Akademiska Sångföreningen 1988, p. 284.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Akademiska Sångföreningen 1988, pp. 221-246.
  12. ↑ Akademiska Sångföreningen 2008, pp. 64-73 & 119-130.
  13. ↑ Akademiska Sångföreningen 1988, p. 146.

Bibliography

External links


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