SING, BROTHER, SING

A Canticle in Praise of the Dow Male Chorus

Whenever men are gathered to­gether in community assembled with the same likes and dislikes, problems, goals and ideals, -- whether in church or army, col­lege, home or factory, --sooner or later there is bound to be song.

It seems surprising that organized singing was not established at Dow Chemical long ago. Whatever the reason, many a whiskey tenor, many a bath-tub baritone, many a "cradle-of-the-deep-rock­ing" bass, might have gone through life unacclaimed, were it not for Frank Whaley of the Calcium Chloride Sales Division, and an idea. The image of a small group of singers from the plant, perched on a raised platform, emitting "a thousand trills and quivering sounds" had long been hovering around his fringe of consciousness. Suddenly the fan­tasy became an idea; took form as an obsession; and November 1, 1936, Frank lost no time carrying his song to the management.

The management, which also likes to chortle a bit in privacy, soon joined in the chorus to Mr. Whaley's rather beautiful (ever hear it?) first tenor oratorio. An entire afternoon was spent behind barred doors, shuttered windows and stuffed keyholes. We don't know how many songs they sang, nor of what shade or color, but they must have been pretty well calculated to get results, for when Frank ambled out of the room at 5 p. m. with the contract in his pocket and a look of triumph on his face, some of the sharper ears in the corridor heard, even above the staccato music of the time clocks, a suspicion of the last bars of "Auld Lang Syne" coming from the inner sanctum in familiar voices, yet quite unfamiliar tones.

Yes, we all have voices and it does us all good when we get to­gether and blow off in unison.

There is something about group singing which reaches deep down into our insides and comes out splashing brotherhood and good-will all over the landscape. We all like it, whether singers or lis­teners. Even Frank Whaley was surprised when forty-five men in­stead of the hoped-for twenty appeared all gargled and ready for a major operation in answer to his first call for volunteers. Figuring up at the end of the season, it ap­peared that ninety different men attended some rehearsal and the average attendance was fifty-five, the active membership being sixty­five. This year there is room for up to one hundred men and the response to the first call Septem­ber 16 indicates that the chorus will come pretty close to its quota.

As for the listeners, -- who doesn't remember the lusty cheers which greeted the chorus in their first public appearance last win­ter as a part of the tree-lighting ceremonies in front of the Midland County Court House? And judging from the applause follow­ing their joint concert with the Midland Civic Orchestra, their final ululation of the season, and their post season broadcast via loudspeaker to 15,000 listeners, leading up to the fiery climax of that first Dowchemic Field Day last June, "der liederkranz" is here to stay if Midland has any­thing to say about it.

It is interesting to note that the chorus has drawn men from practically every department in the plant, numbering among its members, heads of departments as well as hourly employees. As in the past, membership this year is open to every employee of Dow Chemical. While some musical training is desired, the only requirements are a love for music, a passable singing voice and, of course, the ability to carry a tune. The majority of present members cannot read a note of music, so don't let any inability in that line bother you. It won't cost you a cent to join either, since all ex­penses are borne by the manage­ment.

The first concert will be some time in December, according to President Whaley, who is also handy man, greeter and bouncer.  Any one interested in joining the group should plan to attend an early rehearsal for a try-out (Thursday nights in the Dow Auditorium). It is a funny thing, but Dow employees seem to like to sing solo before the small group of examiners. Several veteran members took the test all over again just for the fun of it. How times do change. A man who used to sing a silvery second tenor now sings a bull-frog second bass! Secondary vocal characteristics due to something about hormones, we should judge.

Harry Runkle, a member of the Sodium Salicylate Department, who has had four years experience singing with Midland church choirs as a first tenor, and who studied music at Graceland Junior College, Lamoni, IA., and Eastman School of Music, Rochester, N. Y., is the able successor to J. Harold Powers, head of the Music Department of State Teach­ers College, Mt. Pleasant, MI., as this year's concertmeister. Winfield Sunderland of the Technical Research Department and Lee DePree of the Ethyl Cellulose De­partment are taking turns as accompanist again this year.

Haven't you ever had a sneak­ing suspicion that with the proper training, mind you, you might even yet be a second Caruso, Tibbett or Robeson, in voice at least? Don't you have a man-sized dislike for Bing Crosby and Rudy Vallee, but croon a bit your­self in the right company? Do you like "Home on the Range"? Would you like to try it in com­pany with the successors to the original Heidelberg Chorus? Then bring it out! Louder! Louder! From way down here! (Pat, pat.) Mmmmm! Me-me-me-me-me-me! Remember, -- next Thursday.