Leyland Saturn graduated from Augsburg College in 1935. He returned to his alma mater to teach music in 1946 and four years later. He assumed the directorship of the choir and during the past 30 years. Saturn says the group has developed in many ways, but I think the choir has changed in the United States from what it used to be or what it was in 1950 relatively musically conservative type of organization toCoral organization which now finds itself doing all kinds of music the sky is the limit so to speak it. I think he has gotten away from what was essentially am. I supposed to say a liturgical frame of reference both and sound and in Repertory. to something that would be equally at home in music that is outside that framework and in sounds that are quite different from that framework to We see a difference is 2 in in the talent that comes in the young people. It would come into the choir back in the 50s early 50s, especially I certainly we're not as far as Vance musically as they are now music that at that time would take us a couple weeks to get under our belts. They can almost sight-read now. I'm not not quite but almost and this course is made the director's work easier, but it's also provided him with a bigger Challenge and just to stay ahead of these young people who are with you. Hoping to be educated want to know what's going on and are willing to work. Are the attitude of the choir hasn't changed down through the years. The attitude has always been wonderful. I think we get a marvelous group of young people. Saturn has kept the choir at about 60 to 65 voices a larger than normal number but this director says it's necessary to get enough volume in some of their performance spaces Saturn also feels a special advantage in conducting young Lestrange voices what we hear is pewter then what you might hear when you're working with mature voices. I read somewhere that it takes only one good voice to ruin a choir. What's your what do you mean? Best I would want to think a little bit before I go. For example, you get your app to run into a Marco Bravo, then you would want for bottle that you can't control in Summit your voices. You probably in some cases to would end up with. With the more decibels in a singer than you would like to have even when you asked him to become part of the section rather than 2 to sound like he's the leader of the section. There could be more of what I would guess. I would just call garbage in a.m. in a certain time selected And our kids at this point haven't had a chance to develop very much of that. they come with a just the the natural untouched boys so to speak and I can think of no better word to use in pure sound up by things that they might easily develop later ahead of that kind of a musical group was opposed to the head of group where some people may have already adopted steadfast Styles. You can be much more. I suppose a shaper and I'm older and in the student group and not necessarily more, but it's easier. You're not quite so many battles to rage and R2 wage. I should say. The people of the students there are willing the they accept my word. And will try their best to do what I like to have them do whereas. It's conceivable. I really haven't had too much trouble this either but working with immature group you and have you might have to start a little bit more to get the kind of thing you want to do schools in Minnesota is the beneficiary of a strong choral tradition in the state. Saturn says Minnesota is considered to be the breadbasket of American choral music and just a little bit earlier. the immigrants particularly and Scandinavian immigrants and focusing even just one of them the Norwegians came to this part of the country and and wanted to make music but they were poor that they were in agrarian group of immigrants for the most part. They didn't have money to buy instruments. They wanted to make music. and it turned out that they were There were several. I would say a half dozen men among whom was at Millie's Chris Johnson. Who banded together? and encouraged the music making music through singing because all you had to have then was your voice some music which they could copy out and did. And a director and there were several it came out of the church. I suppose originally. the crown tradition I've congregational scene and I'm saying in parts and it started here because there were more people who were interested in cultivating this kind of thing. I suppose it in any of this section of the country. Then the other one spot in the country. I could name about the five five or six. men, who were intensely active in getting these are so-called Carl unions in church choir festivals going and they would get you know, Anywhere from $500 a thousand members of these Church choirs then come together. And then you had a man like Chris Johnson who also composed he would write music for these choirs and he had a fine here and you what a choir at the sound like is did these other men who have sort of been lost in the in the history of and development of the choral movement. Because most of them did not compose they were performers and they were interested one or two cases that were ministers who is primary work was in the pulpit and in the congregation in the Perrys rather than directing choirs, but who are intensely interested and supported what was being done then encouraged it? And the result was at them out of this tradition, they're groovies. College choirs, especially for example of that Augsburg concordia-moorhead and it's Saint Olaf and I think the tradition brushed off to on to him. Some of the other church-related, is in fact, I'm sure it did we still have the college choirs, but what about the community choral Union? I have sometimes said that it appears to to be a cow that has been milked dry. open till around 2:50 is it was possible to get a fairly good Mass Choir of a thousand voices, but I noticed that when efforts were made after that time that the the number who would come and take part dwindle and you rarely find is happening now symptomatic of a lot of artistic Productions in in this country that require large amounts of people sophistication among the people who Who choose now not to be in a mass choir free lamp life. I've heard some say that that's it's really no fun to get buried in a tenor section of 300 voices. Are you really don't hear the rest? You don't get the thrill of the masked sound. You're just one in the group. And this has been said to me by by some pretty good musicians. That represents eyes a kind of sophistication. This was not always so for some For some people was a great day and I'll be able to sing in a group like this and I don't really think they cared quite so much whether they could hear the Macon. They just knew they were contributing to it. Is there a the ability to hear is your say the mess sound when you're in a choir? Certainly not as well as when you're out. For example, when a singer hear Falls victim to laryngitis, he will sit out in the hall and we'll say afterwards. I'm just shocked. I didn't realize it. This is what it sounded like. And I'm not having been a singer at all. I mean I have no sense of what it's what it's like. I mean I could make an analogy. It must be like being in an ensemble play. Where's your dependent upon everyone else, but somehow I always got the feeling that if you let's say dropped a line or decided not to put out in your section. The choir could go on. Whereas the play could go down the drain. On the other hand the members of the Augsburg choir now and I'm sure my brother somewhere quiet around here. That each is vital. Otherwise, you wouldn't be in the organization and the to the extent he is not delivering to the best of his ability in every way. He's a weakling influence in the choir suffers. We sometimes it will find a singer, you know, who will let's I get laryngitis and sits up and he may say well I really don't make so much difference. But the fact is he does otherwise he would have been chosen. Sing the group. and I certainly am aware of it. And I think the choir members themselves. Are they when we when we're short a couple people know section. It disturbs the balance of Tours in recordings at one time of European stint in a yearly recording session where marks of prestige nowadays the tours can easily be arranged for almost any group and the recordings. Well, Saturn says there are rampant, but he claims the Augsburg recordings will stand well against those are professional choral groups and the three major Torres. He's taking the choir on have been rewarding. So what happens now to the choral director who will finish cleaning out his desk in May Saturn says that the idea of retirement hasn't hit him yet as a composer his musical project will continue No longer the director of the Augsburg choir that I'm through with music. I intend to compose I intend to do more General writing. I hope to be as active and Clinics workshops festivals. As I have been in the past will be plenty to do. I suppose there a certain things that I won't do is easily once I leave the choir for example. In writing a composition. I think that when I'm riding traditionally I know exactly how it's going to sound. I don't have to bring it to the choir and have him try it out to prove to me that it's going to sound by some. So but if I'm using some contemporary devices sometimes none Coral or new car all devices I cannot. I cannot hear a head but that's going to sound like for example a I kept the men for a few minutes after rehearsal. Couple days ago because I had a little section of a piece that I had written that I was not satisfied with an a did involve ever an astronaut on the male voices. and When I did it in performance out in Washington DC in November. I was not satisfied with that section of the work and the reason I wasn't satisfied as I had been unable to hear how that was going to come out. In general is right, but in detail it it didn't have exactly what I heard in my head. So I wrote at 5 different versions of it and then I have the fellas channel to form of the other day. And now I know how I wanted to go. It's possible that if I work through that long enough that I would be able to anticipate. But on the other hand, I'm not sure I have had choir alumni has been quite a bit of talk about it happening now again, and press any more. Perhaps I'm just not a sort of one shot deal. But something is continuous. I really haven't decided this yet Kathy Fusion.