A History of the Handel Choir of Baltimore (1935-2013): Music, Spread Thy Voice Aroundchronicles the history of one of America’s
longstanding volunteer choral organizations, one that has followed in the footsteps of venerable ensembles such as the Handel and Haydn Society (Boston), the Bethlehem Bach Choir, and the
Handel Society of Dartmouth College. It begins by considering music in the city of Baltimore, and establishing the reasons surrounding the
choir’s formation. Substantial coverage is given to the influence of Katharine M. Lucke, one of Baltimore’s grandes dames—as a composer,
mover, and shaker—and a vital force in Baltimore’s National Music Week from her position on the faculty of the Peabody Conservatory of
Music. Subsequently the book focuses on the contributions of each of the ten conductor/music directors, the vicissitudes of funding a volunteer choir, the choir’s contributions to music
education in the greater Baltimore metropolitan area, and the choir’s repertoire. The book contains extensive appendices describing the choir’s repertoire, its presidents, and its unbroken
string ofMessiah performances.
Throughout more than seventy-five years, the Handel Choir of Baltimore has remained true to its original charter as an amateur choral organization that aspires to the highest standards of
artistic excellence.A History of the Handel Choir of Baltimore is an invaluable resource to those interested in choral music studies, the
running of an amateur, volunteer choir, and other disciplines of music studies.
