Lund Quartet

Lunds Studentsångförening (Lund University Male Voice Choir) (LSS) is a Swedish amateur choir, which counts its history from 1831. Today one of Sweden's top male choirs, the choir has assumed many different shapes during its history. Traditionally, most members have been students of Lund University although there is no requirement of studying at the university to be able to join the choir.

In its home town, the choir is known for its two or three larger annual concerts (usually in May and December) and occasional smaller concerts, while regionally, the choir cooperates with the symphony orchestra of nearby Malmö. Nationally, finally, the choir is most known for its annual May 1 appearance at the stairs of the main building of the Lund University which is broadcast on national TV.

As the starting date of LSS is most often used November 20, 1831. This was the first time a male quartet appeared at a concert in Lund, although there had been more or less loosely organized exercises for a couple of years. In 1833, the name LSS is referred for the first time, although at this point in time it is an abbreviation of Lilla Sångsällskapet (The Small Song Society). Five years later, the constitution of Lunds Studentsångförening appeared.

From the beginning, Sven Lovén was the conductor of the choir with Otto Lindblad as his right hand, and it seems as if Lindblad gained the role as the choir's leader from 1835. The early repertoire consisted mainly of German songs mixed with a few contributions of Lindblad. Over the years, he would provide more and more compositions.

During this time, the choir consisted of about 60 singers, with many of them also teaming up in various quartets. One of these was Lundakvartetten (the Lund Quartet) which consisted of Lindblad and three other singers. In 1846, this quartet embarked on the first tour made by a choir or quartet in Sweden, the purpose being to raise money to the building of a new home for Akademiska Föreningen (the Academic Society) in Lund. The journey was made on foot and reached as far as and Gothenburg and lasted from just after midsummer to early October. The money that had been raised was handed over to Akademiska Föreningen but since the amount was considered too small, Lindblad and his friends were accused of having had unnecessary expenses and were never thanked.

Angered by the accusations (the quartet had made the tour on their own initiative and without any funding), Lindblad left Lund for Mellby in 1847. During the autumn of 1846 (due to Lindblad being on tour with the quartet), the leadership of the choir had been assumed by Wilhelm Borg. Although not an exceptional talent like Lindblad, Borg is regarded as instrumental in the history of the choir simply for keeping it alive in the coming years. Borg was followed by a few short appearances of various conductors before C. G. von Sydow made his first appearance in 1856. He would come to lead LSS until 1875 with the exception of one year, and an attempt was made to put together an elite choir as a subset of the whole choir, to go to the 1867 World Fair in Paris, but the plans fell through.

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Wikipedia