Some eleven years ago, I wrote that I was “Seeking the UVA Madrigal Group,” looking for more information about a group of women who formed the University of Virginia’s first known vocal performing group. They are first known to exist in 1943, when they joined the Virginia Glee Club in the annual Christmas Concert. We know about the group thanks to concert programs—Christmas in 1943 and 1944, Spring in 1945 and again in 1957—but otherwise have had no information about the group save their existence and their names.
Until last week, when the photo above turned up on eBay. Under the title “University of Virginia Glee Club,” the photo shows what is supposed to be an image of the UVA Madrigal Group, circa 1944. If true, it would be an incredibly valuable piece of history, filling in a blank not only in the history of the UVA choral experience, but also in the historic experience of women at the University.
I say “if true” because I’m still working to trace the provenance of the photo and date it. There are a few challenges that I’m trying to reconcile:
- Count of members: There are 16 women in the photo. The 1943 group had 13, and the 1944 group had 30.
- Location: Rehearsal and performance spaces with stages were rare at UVa in the 1940s, and would likely either have had a painting (The School of Athens in Old Cabell Hall) or a blackboard (any of the Music Department’s practice rooms or any lecture halls) behind the group. Where was this taken?
- Accompanist: The accompanist in 1943-1944 was none other than Randall Thompson. Edwin Guernsey was the assistant accompanist in 1945, but the blurry photo I have of him from Corks and Curls does not exactly resemble the man in the photo above.
Nevertheless, the photo is a tantalizing piece of history, even if it does raise more questions than it answers.
Note: I wrote about the Madrigal Group in Chapter 16 of Ten Thousand Voices, my history of the Virginia Glee Club. You can find it at your bookstore of choice through the link in the right hand side of this page.