Fenno Follansbee Heath, Jr.: Enthusiastic Singer

A MEMORIAL SERVICE WAS HELD ON SAT. MARCH 28TH, 2009 AT BATTELL CHAPEL, Yale University, at 3:00pm. All were cordially invited. Over 800 in attendance! DVD available through the Yale Glee Club office.

Service details: Tom Murray, University Organist, started the prelude 20 minutes before the 3 p.m. service began. There were performances by The Yale Glee Club, The Yale Alumni Chorus, The Whiffenpoofs of 2009, The SLOT's, and The University Glee Club of New Haven. A magnificent, and humbling, tribute.

Contributions in memory of Fenno may be sent to the
North Congregational Church P.O. Box 307 New Hartford CT 06057.

Condolences may be sent directly to the family (Carol, Sarah, Lucy, Peggy, Terry) at pogilvy@comcast.net

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Enthusiastic Singer

Fenno --

I came to Yale because I heard the Glee Club sing at an event in Buffalo, NY (it must have been a dreary Winter tour that year!). "Fern Hill" was on the program and it remains one of my favorite things we sang in the Glee Club.

I may have entered Yale an enthusiastic singer, but I left Yale a committed choral singer and have sung in choruses ever since and I thank you and your enthusiasm for us undergraduate singers for this ever life-enriching transformation.

Yours,
Steven Ralston, '85

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Fenno-ism's (Please send more Fenno-ism's)

"Do you think you could possibly sing SOME of the notes that I wrote, and count???"
" Who wrote this, anyway? What were they thinking? " (About his own compositions)
“ Give them better than they deserve! ”
" Try not to sound like the Loomis Glee Club ! "
“ I have the most wonderful upbeat in the world. ”
“ You sound like the East Cupcake Jr. High Marching Band ! ”
" Strangest music I’ve ever heard. ”
“ That crescendo was almost loud. ”
“ I didn’t come here to insult you. ”
“ You’re all naked there. Let’s add the altos, just for fun. ”
“ Legato, luscious…I never said that before in my life. ”
“ Don’t be a bass, be a singer ! ”
" Choke, sneeze and have general disarray. "
" Make it crunch. ”
“ G-ddamn sewing circle and bridge club ! ”
" Don't go flat! "
"Make them wonder, 'how do they do it?'"
" This is what the composer really meant to do "
" Break your face "
" God meant it to be a mixed chorus. "
"Don't sing like tenors....Sing like MEN!"
" Well that's an interesting interpretation. "
" Someone's singing the wrong note -- you should stop doing that. "
" No, no, no, sing it right, that's not too much to ask is it?"
"You're about as nimble as hippopotamuses in the mud."
"I love you. Shut up."
" That was rancid ! "
"Basses, pretend you're more important than you ought to be."
"There's too much talking in this world and not enough singing.", Marshall Bartholomew always said."
"Basses sometimes have to sing notes like that. And die in the process. But who cares?" (addressing a high passage for the basses)
"Look at me. Don't look down in your lap. There's nothing there worth looking at." (to the tenors)
"You sound like jelly on waxed paper."
"We sound like oxen pulling weights. HEAVY weights."
"Soloists, sing your heads off."

Fenno Follansbee Heath, Jr.

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F F Heath Jr. 12-30-1926 to 12-05-2008

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Enthusiastic Singer

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Fenno's Compositions

Studio Shot

Other note worthy music

Fenno Follansbee Heath, Jr.

Family Guy

Family Man

Carol and Fenno at "Fern Hill', their summer place

Fenno, Jr. and Fenno III, Terry, in Rome, Italy on a Yale Glee Club Tour- 1983

Georgia and Fenno

Restaurant in NH. Fenno strikes a pose for daughter, Peggy.

Barty and Fenno

Fenno's Office / Audition Room

The Terror of Auditioning

Final Cut

Dad in action

Dad still in Action

Dapper Dan

Winter Tour '83

Constructive Criticism

Fenno-ism's (Please send more Fenno-ism's)

After Constructive Scathing

Fenno's Links

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