Art and Religious Music
Tracing its local beginnings to 1843 with the creation of the Beethoven Gesellshaft music society, Art Music in Milwaukee was defined by organizations and clubs dedicated to music of various forms.
Milwaukee's rich religious traditions led to the creation of religious music organizations similar to the secular ones, such as the St. Cecilia Society, founded by Johann Singenberger in 1873. Such organizations were built upon the religious music of various faiths, and one style, Gospel, gained particular interest throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Band MusicAmong the variety of musical groups in the city, bands deserve special mention. The Milwaukee Police Band was the first police band in the United States when it formed in 1898. Mandolins rose in popularity in cities throughout the U.S. in the last decades of the 19th century, and Milwaukee is no exception. The city's first mandolin orchestra group performed in 1890, leading to the creation of a number of new acts within the genre.
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Did you know?
An early innovator of electronic music, Otto Luening, was born to German immigrants to Milwaukee in 1900. He composed more than 300 works of music during his lifetime, working well into the 1990s! |
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To the Left: Shown performing "He'll Welcome You," the Milwaukee gospel group Queens of Harmony has become an institution in the community. Jessie McCullum has been singing in this group since its founding, more than fifty years ago!
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To the Right: The Milwaukee Liederkranz performs the German song, "Zwölf Räuber." German immigrants to Milwaukee founded the Liederkranz in 1877. The chorus continues to be active today, and is celebrating its 140th anniversary in 2017.
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The videos below provide a look into the different musical societies in Milwaukee and prominent artists in each respective genre!
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