Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1882-05-03
College SonQs.
From the Detroit Post. I

College music can hardly be called or
iginal SO far as composition is concerned,
for it is almost universally an adaptation
of some old air to new words. One OF
the earliest student songs that became
popular in this country was Benny
Ravens, 0, SO named In honor OF Mr..
Benjamin Ravens, who kept q small
mercantile establishment in the vicinity
of West Point, wherein he supplied
| forums of punch and other commodities
to the truant cadets at unseemly hours
of the night. The air was the one to
which in later years, the Irish "Wearing
of the Green has been sung. Almost
every eastern college had a local song of
it's own, which went to the tune of
Benny Ravens" For the introduction
of the college song proper In this coun-
try we are, more than to any other one
man, indebted to Mr.. r. Storrs Willis,
who is now resident of this city. After
graduating in the Yale class of Al he
spent six years in Germany, and on his
return took up his abode for a while in
New Haven, and taught the students
there the Latin song of Gaud eamus, %
which he had learned among the Ger
man universities. "Gaudeamus soon
came to be regarded by the Yale boys
with about the same feeling as English
men have for 50 God Save the King" or
the French Republicans have for the
Marseillaise. 1t is sung on all occa-
sions of festivity and of sorrow, and it
has served more than once as veritab]e
war song when battles have been i'm
pending with the "tow1lies."
Harvard was not slow to catch the
singing spirit, and in the course of a few
years the students of all the large east
ern colleges had extensive repertoires of
songs which they gave in society halls,
in all accidental gatherings on the col
lege ground. and, most of all, perhaps,
while indulging in the classical pastime
of sitting on the fence. One of the most
| beautiful of all was another imported
Latin song, g Lauriger Horatius, which
made it's appearance at Yale about the
year 1850. A dozen years later some
southern students gave the air to the
words "My Maryland" which became
one of the most popular of the songs OF
the rebellion. The original " Lauriger, :"
as well as Gaudeamus," "Integer
Vitae and several others of the best col
lege songs, was arranged and published
in sheet form by Mr.. Willis, and of late
| years they have been frequently repub-
lished in collections of college songs,
sometimes with and sometimes without
permission and acknowledgment. "Fair
Harvard is given the place of honor at
Cambridge, and "The Lone Fish Ball, %
"It's Way We Have at Old Harvard, -
"Upidee and Ba-be-b bob APP
peared among the less solemn songs,
and George F. Roots "There's Music
in the Air among the sentimental ones.
Of the early nonsense songs" that
came into vogue, "School," "Co-cha-
che-lunk" and" The Sheepskin - (to the
tune of GA Little More Cider ~. OPP
cratic airs ate made to do service, as in
the case Of the Trumpet Song" from
81 Pur1tani, which is frequently joined
to the words Of secret society songs, and
sometimes to the Latin words of s' Lau-
riger," and such odd conjunctions as
"Mary Had Little Lamb, Shouting
the Battle Cry of Freedom" are not un-
common. The wearisome old "Groen-
vile" is divorced from Far from Nor
tai Care. Retreating," and made almost
tolerable with the words "Saw My Leg
| Off Short, the two final notes of each
strain of the tune being omitted. The
.'Menagerie has done good service with
| the well-known chorus:
The elephant now goes round, the band begins tc
play.
The boys around the monkeys cage had better keep
away.