Tucked away in the archives of Holderness School history are moments that feel almost frozen in time. Archivist Dr. Jennifer Martinez recently came across an audio file titled “Caught in the Oct” dated to 1959.

After doing a bit more research, it seems that it may have been donated sometime in the last reunion of that class in 2024.

The music you will hear below is the first ever recording by the Holderness School Octet - it was created in 1959 and titled “Caught in the Oct”.

The Holderness School Octet, 1959

The only description of it comes from materials donated at the time of the reunion, so it is a wonderful testament to the impact and history of the arts at Holderness School.

“With great pride, the Octet of the Holderness School for Boys presents their first recorded performance, CAUGHT IN THE OCT, a sampling of their repertoire of 1959-1960 for numerous concerts in and around Plymouth, New Hampshire, where the school is located. The Octet traditionally presents songs of as great a variety as possible, from the velvet textures of their arrangement of "Dream" to the starkly simple “Steal Away”, a spiritual. No entertainment at the school, concert by the Glee Club, or Parents' Day is deemed complete unless a part of the program is lightened by the Octet's songs. 

The personnel of the Octet at the time of this recording was as follows: 1st Tenors-Phil LaFrance, Rolf Hiebler; 2nd Tenors-Peter Coughlan, Dick Floyd; Baritones -- Justin Orr, Jay Gerard; Basses -- Chris Hoyt, Terry Theriault. William Rice is faculty advisor and arranger for the Octet” (AR.19.5).

Dr. Martinez is partial to track #13, which has a wonderful voice and lyrics about New York.

Track 1

Two wayward New Yorkers find their way into a saloon in Tumbleweed. With an upbeat piano, the singers detail their travels.

Track 2

Jimmy shows off his newfound singing talent on a Victrola record and in his shiny new suit, no less. Needless to say, his singing is found to be less than stellar by the audience. 

Track 9

A haunting start transitions to an upbeat, beachy acoustic rhythm.

Track 12

Ethereal and nostalgic. The scenes shift between intimate human moments, biblical imagery, surreal fantasy, and poignant social commentary, all unified by a haunting, gospel-tinged musical current.

Track 13

A song about New York City–where buildings touch the sky, pedestrian observations, home in Herald Square, the Bowery after dark, Central Park, Chinatown, and a deep love of New York.

About the Author

Dr. Jennifer Martinez
Archivist and Special Projects Associate, History and Capstone Faculty

Dr. Jennifer Martinez received her PhD and MA from the University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom. With a focus on classics and ancient history, Jennifer’s expertise is in gender and sexuality, art and archaeology, and museum collections. Her doctoral research investigated the wartime experiences of ordinary women in Classical Greece. Her MA dissertation focused on whether it is possible to identify soldiers as individuals as represented through the archaeological record of Classical Athens. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of Puerto Rico earning her Bachelor’s in Anthropology.

Jennifer reveals that she has a passion for travel literature, especially by women travelers from the 18th to early 20th centuries. She admits that she may be biased, but loves Greece, its culture, language and history (both ancient and modern.)