Akademiska Sångföreningen

"Akademen" redirects here. For other uses, see Akademen (disambiguation).
Akademiska Sångföreningen
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

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]
FromToName
18381846Fredrik Pacius
18461850August Lindelöf
18501857Temporary conductors
18571860Gustaf Magnus Cederhvarf
18601864Henrik Gustaf Borenius
18641865Johannes Edvard Pacius
18651866Uno Kurtén
18661868Lorentz Nikolai Achté
18681869Nils Peter Paldani
18701871Martin Wegelius
18711872Lorentz Nikolai Achté
18721873David Hahl
18731876Martin Wegelius
18761879Gösta Sohlström
1879 Oscar Mechelin
1880 Nils Kiljander
1880 Werner Holmberg
1881 Edvard Rindell
1882 Oscar W. Moberg
18821884Interregnum
1884 Arthur Relander
18851892Carl von Knorring
18931894Emil Leander
1894 Carl von Knorring
1895 Uno Öller
18961899Gösta Sohlström
18991902Carl von Knorring
19021903Lennart Hallman
19031904Kurt Ångelin
19041905Lennart Hallman
1905 Vacant
1906 Gustaf Mattsson
1906 Vacant
19071908Alarik Uggla
19081909Thure Sandelin
19091911Gösta Enckell
19111912Emil Leander
19121915Ragnar Hollmérus
19151920Olof Wallin
19201946Bengt Carlson
19461950Nils-Eric Fougstedt
19501969Erik Bergman
19691976Henrik Otto Donner
19761983Markus Westerlund
19831985Eric-Olof Söderström
19851990Tom Eklundh
19901997John Schultz and
Henrik Wikström
19972008Henrik 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

See also

Portal iconFinland portal

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, .
  2. ↑ Lappalainen 2008, .
  3. 1 2 Korhonen 2003
  4. ↑ Turunen 2003/2008, .
  5. ↑ Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland 1999
  6. ↑ Akademiska Sångföreningen 1988, pp. 35 & 46.
  7. ↑ Eerola 2000, .
  8. 1 2 Akademiska Sångföreningen 1988, p. 283, up to Eklundh.
  9. 1 2 Akademiska Sångföreningen 2008, p. 217, from Eklundh to Wikström.
  10. 1 2 Akademiska Sångföreningen 1988, p. 284.
  11. 1 2 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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