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Quartet Beat - by Tom Koch
Last issue I reported that we had started the Barberpole Cat program within our chapter. Some of our members (wish it were all) have been participating and have qualified for the first six of the polecat songs. Our program coordinator, Joe DeFilippo, has done a good job Tuesday evenings keeping the program moving along.
So just for your information, here is some Society history on Mr. Barberpole Cat himself, Floyd Connen. During the Society's first two decades our members had no common repertoire - different choruses and quartets sang different songs in different arrangements. Many men could sing common arrangements of "Coney Island Baby" or "Shine on Me" or "After Dark," but that was about it. Connetts first collection of songs intended for every barbershopper, Just Plain Barbershop, provided a common repertoire for the first time, in the late 1950's. But more was to come. In 1971, Connen, with two other Society leaders, the legendary Mac Huff and then-president Ralph Ribble, formulated the first Barberpole Cat program, originally six songs. Currently there are 12 songs in the Barberpole Cat collection. Five of them are Floyd Conneft arrangements, all in the key of B-flat "My Wild Irish Rose," "Down Our Way," "Honey/Little 'Lize Medley," "Sweet, Sweet Roses Of Mom," and "Shine On Me." The legacy of one of our Society's greatest figures, Floyd Connen, lives on every time barbershoppers harmonize these songs and feel the close fellowship they bring.
[source Tom Pearce, Richmond, Virginia, Chapter adopted from Heritage of Harmony Songbook, Bud Szabo, Editor Big D Bulletin, October 1998, Grant Carson, Editor]
Getting back to our chapter scene, the newly organized Melodaires Quartet is on a roll. As reported in the last issue, the Melodaires performed at the Plum Senior Center's annual show at the Plum High School on October 13, 2004. As the result of an audience survey that evening, the Melodaires were selected as the most entertaining performance to return for their next years show.
The quartet recently performed for the Ladies Guild of
St John de la Salle Catholic Church in Delmont on
Sunday, December 5, and for the Edgewood AARP
Group at the Edgewood Country Club on Friday, December 10. Additional performances
are scheduled for the Lower Burrell Garden Club at the Hillcrest
Country Club on Tuesday, December 14, and at St.
Anne Assisted Living Center in Greensburg on
Thursday, January 6, 2005.
The Melodaires currently consist of Frank Pagliarulo - lead, Ralph Rock - bass, Gary Corpora- tenor and Bob Parker- baritone. The quartet thanks Joe DeFilippo for filling in for Bob Parkerduring his absence.
I'm glad to announce that the Melodaires have also registered as a Society quartet. Way to go guys!
The Random Choice quartet (Bill Amos - tenor, Bill
Hamilton - bass, Tom Koch - baritone and Jim
McCarthy - lead) have also been out and about as
usual. On October 27th, they joined the Pals Of The
Woodshed singing for some patrons at Ryan's Pub,
Swissvale Ave., at a MS benefit night.
On October 28th, Random Choice sang for residents of
Lloyd McBride Court in Millvale. On that evening the
quartet donated their performance fee to the Millvale
Flood Relief Fund. December 5th, the quartet performed for the annual memorial service at the
Oakmont Elks Lodge #1668. December 9th , the
quartet entertained for a meeting of the Allegheny County Association of School Retirees at the Churchhill Valley Country Club. Then on Dec l0th, the quartet rounded out their year 2004 performances singing at the annual Christmas party of MSL Inc. in Murraysville.
Barbershop History General Knowledge Quiz
Author: Mark Axelrod editor; "Blue Chip Chatter," Teaneck NJ
Questions:
1 - During WWII, how SPEBSQSA help the war effort?
2 - What did individual chapters do to help the war effort?
3 - In 1944, the year in which barbershoppers raised the one-year-record-amount during the war, how much was raised?
4 - What was done with the money raised in 1944? For extra credit, answer this - the "things" that the money was used for were given names. What were those names?
S - Name the most famous barbershop quartet in the European Theater of Operations and its personnel.
Answers: see page twelve.
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