This research project was a study of the non-auditioned, mixed collegiate choral ensemble. The investigation focused on successful ensembles of this type at five universities in the midwestern United States. The purpose of the study was to investigate the ensemble's need for existence and its function within the university's choral program, to research teaching strategies that work with such a unique ensemble, and to discover tactics which help this type of group reach its full potential. Information for the study was garnered through observations of the five choirs, through surveys of the group participants, and through interviews with the conductors.A total of 372 participants completed surveys. The surveys contained a variety of questions regarding group demographics, reasons for participating, rehearsal techniques, repertoire, and benefits of participating. Responses were compiled and then analyzed for similarities and differences. Three types of statistical tests were utilized to discover if significant differences existed. For those responses which were of a nominal nature, a chisquare test was used to determine if there was any significant interaction between the responses and the various ensembles. For those responses which were of a numerical nature, an Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) test was performed to determine if there were any significant differences among the choirs. If significant differences were detected (p<.05), a Tukey HSD post hoc test was utilized to determine where the differences occurred. For those questions which were of a qualitative nature, responses were simply compiled and compared for similarities and differences.The five conductors were interviewed and questioned regarding the purpose of their ensemble, the type of teaching strategies they incorporate, the structure of their rehearsals, any methods of motivation and reinforcement they use, and what techniques they use to help the ensemble reach its full potential.Some similarities were discovered among the five choirs, with the most striking one being the high level of satisfaction among the participants. Significant differences were also discovered between the choirs in a variety of areas, including reasons for participating, group perception, evaluation of the conductor's rehearsal techniques, and productivity of the rehearsal. / School of Music

This dissertation complements those analytical studies which discuss choral works and techniques of contemporary choral composition, by examining what twentieth-century literature was actually performed within one of the choral traditions of the United States.The a cappella choral tradition has spread widely throughout the United States. Previous studies have examined the history of the pioneering a cappella choirs and the biographies of the movement's leaders. This study also complements them in examining another aspect of the a cappella tradition.Three representative choirs were chosen: the Concordia Choir from Moorhead, Minnesota, Paul J. Christiansen, conductor; the Nordic Choir of Luther College from Decorah, Iowa, Weston Noble, conductor; and the St. Olaf Choir from Northfield, Minnesota, Kenneth Jennings, conductor. These choirs were selected because each had a long tradition of touring -- consequently exposing a broader public to the literature they performed, because each choir has been widely acknowledged for performance excellence, and because each has had remarkable continuity in leadership -having only one or two conductors during the thirty-six year span included in this study.The program archives of each choir were examined to determine the twentieth-century literature which had been performed. Three conductors, Paul J. Christiansen, Kenneth Jennings, and Weston Noble, were interviewed with regard to their ideas concerning selection and preparation of twentieth-century choral music.Though each choir was found to have some distinct patterns, there were also several elements in common among the choirs:1. Each took. seriously the relationship between music and text, and the fact that the choirs were representatives of Lutheran colleges.2. Each emphasized the highest possible level of performance in order that the expressive and aesthetic qualities of the music sung would be comprehended by both singers and audience.3. Each has given a prominent place to twentieth-century music by American composers.4. Each has given a comparatively minor role to music by Scandinavian composers.5. Each has repeated certain works several times during the thirty-six years, helping to establish them in the choral repertory.6. Each has performed an approximately constant quantity of twentieth-century music during the thirty-six years, but each has tended to program progressively more challenging works as time goes on. Appendices present listings of the choral literature included in the study, of the repertory for each choir, and of currently available recordings by the three choirs of twentieth-century choral music. / School of Music