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Program [stapled wrappers] measures 11½" x 8¾"; album sleeves are 10" x 10". Pp. [24] + three LPs in cardboard sleeves. Program good due to detached wrappers; otherwise very good with light wear; album sleeves are good due to heavy wear, records are scratched and not tested. This is a rare souvenir program and three long playing records documenting de Paur's Infantry Chorus. Leonard de Paur first began his music studies at New Jersey's Bordentown School (known as the "Tuskegee of the North") and sang with, composed and conducted for Hall Johnson's noted Negro Choir. In 1936, while a student at Columbia, he became the musical director of the Negro Unit of the Federal Theater Project in New York City. He also studied at the Institute of Musical Arts, now the Juilliard School. In 1942 de Paur enlisted in the United States army as a private and rose to the rank of Captain. He was the music director for the 1943 play Winged Victory, produced by the Army Air Forces as a morale booster and fundraiser for the Army Emergency Relief Fund, and one year later was assigned to lead the 372nd Infantry Regiment of the Negro National Guard. This sensational program tells the story of de Paur's Infantry Chorus (IC). The "exciting" group was "born in off-duty hours" by a group of soldiers from the 372nd who "liked to sing": "During working hours these men were expert riflemen, canoneers, cooks, drivers, chaplain's assistants, medical aides and office clerks. At night they met in mess halls, chapels or wherever else they could to rehearse the songs they have since made famous." The 372nd Infantry Glee Club, as they were first known, had been gaining fame for their talents, and de Paur had been recognized for his musical background; he joined the unit in 1944 not just as Captain, but also as choral director. The army arranged a "cross-country tour" with concerts "in every large city" and multiple radio broadcasts. The group also performed at Franklin Roosevelt's Fourth Inaugural Celebration. When the 372nd was dispatched to the Pacific, "its fame had preceded it to Hawaii." A concert to the Pacific High Command was deemed a "terrific success" and IC was detached from the regiment and made an independent unit under de Paur's command: "The result was military entertainment history made daily at Army, Navy and Marine installations throughout the Pacific and eventually in Europe." IC could average six shows a day (totaling over 2,000 concerts) and performed everywhere from hospital wards and supply bases to on the decks of battleships. "Unlike most Negro choruses," IC did not "feature spirituals particularly, making up much of its repertoire from the music of the many lands" they visited as soldiers. In 1947 the 35-man chorus was discharged in New York City and immediately signed an unheard-of two-year contract for every member with Columbia Records. For ten years IC set records for Columbia in both concert appearances and receipts. They also recorded ten albums. In 1957 de Paur left to found the de Paur Opera Gala, featuring some of IC's stars, and later formed a chorus that toured 18 African nations under the United States Information Agency. He served as associate director of the Lincoln Center International Choral Festival, and then director of community relations for Lincoln Center, retiring in 1988. The book further holds two complete musical programs, lyrics, version notes and more. It also lists the entire roster of the chorus, with each member's role and hometown. Many photographic images include artistic views of IC and of their fearless leader, individual portraits of soloists, and a great shot of de Paur with Lieutenant General Robert Richardson, "one of the top sponsors" of the group who "frequently turned up at its performances." There are images of IC amid the backdrop of war, visiting Iwo Jima and arriving in Guam for a "briefing on local conditions" with a host of military vehicles in the background. The program is accompanied by thre.
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