Records of the Harvard University Choir, 1822-2006 and undated

The Harvard University Choir, often called the University Choir or UChoir, is Harvard’s oldest choir, having provided choral music for the Memorial Church and its predecessor church for over 170 years. While the first mention of choral performance at Harvard comes from the eighteenth century, a formal constitution for the University Choir was not drafted until 1834. However, as the constitution makes clear, the choir had existed prior to this date; the earliest record dates from 1822. Originally simply a group of students seated in the Gallery during the compulsory Morning Prayers service, the appointment of John Knowles Paine as the first University Organist and Choirmaster in 1862 professionalized the choir.

In the early years of the 20th century, the Choir was composed of members of the Harvard Glee Club. The annual Christmas carol service, which remains a beloved tradition, was established in 1910 by Archibald T. Davison, choirmaster from 1910-1940. Davison was succeeded by G. Wallace Woodworth, choirmaster until 1958. Woodworth invited women from Radcliffe College to supplement the choir during World War II; at the end of the 1945-1946 academic year, the choir reverted to being men only. Women were first invited to officially join the University Choir during the tenure of John R. Ferris, who served as choirmaster from 1958-1990.

Currently, the University Choir is Harvard’s only professional choir. Approximately fifty singers, each paid a small stipend, form the Sunday Choir, which performs a wide range of choral literature during the Sunday services of the Memorial Church. A select group of 16 singers from the Sunday Choir form the Choral Fellows and perform during the daily Morning Prayers in Appleton Chapel, one of Harvard’s oldest traditions; the Choral Fellows also represent the Choir on tour.