New-York tribune., 1922-10-22
The Old Order and q New
In the Songs Of College Clubs
Nonsense Jingles Give Way TO Bach and Palestrina;
The Revolution at Harvard; A New Song
Book for the Glee Club

8 :
| spelled with little "a"
Gradually different notion made
headway in The clee clubs, and besides
their characteristic and individual
songs they began to sing artistic part
songa. Less than year ago eleven of
them met in competition in Carnegie
Hall. and composers and conductors Of
wide repute acted as adjudicators.
Harvard was proclaimed victor. Why7
Perhaps because, under the tuselage of
Or. Archibald, the Harvard club, with
cut disregarding the songs loved Of
old Cambridgians, was singing not only
tbs old songs and the sterling songs
which are found in the new Harvard
Song Book, but wss singing classical
and modern d capella music Of the
kind mentioned in connection with the
concert Of last spring. And then the
glee club went to France to show old
Europe what college boys could door
might be made TO do.
It was q revolution which had 1t been
undertaken twenty-five years ago
might have resulted in realization OF
the American jurors dream OF balalas
kas and guz,as in place OF banjos and
nkeleles. The movement was not popu-
ar when DR.. Dawson inaugurated it,
snd 1t isn't popular with old alumni
yet. We believe the glee club got
good deal Of cold shoulder instead of
warm rouse at the Harvard Club when
1t came to New York last spring. But
in the university there is different
attitude. The glee club Is become
popular there and membership in it is
as eagerly sought for as membership
in choicest societies and organiza-
tions. Perhaps 1t Is strange that the
members are not recruited from, the
classes of the musical department.
Professor Spaulding is not feeder to
DR.. Dawson. IL we arc correctly In
formed, and the singers Of Bach and
Palestrina last year were not music
students. They had good voices. bat
many of them learned t'by ear" Just
as their predecessors had learned to
sing "Br-r-room, poon, poomp- -yi-di,
yi-di. poomp, Australia" and Fair
Harvard"
The committee that complied tho new
book has shown no disposition TO cut
away from all traditions and sail ex-
clusively on high-class classical seas.
We read in the preface that "a number
Of songs which were favorites score
of years ago, but which have been
omitted from recent song books, have
been brought back; few folk songs
not generally appearing in college
books have been added, while the negro
melodies that occur In every collec-
tion have been omitted and others sub.
stituted In their place" President
Lowell, who is deeply interested in
the glee club, contributes an intro
ductory note which discloses liberal
attitude Ga little too liberal toward
English grammar, we fear). He says:
"Dr. Dawson has taught the Harvard
Glee Club to sing, to enjoy and to
prefer the best choral music; but he
and they believe that all college men
should delight in singing good music,
| and, therefore, they have compiled and
published this book of good, popular
songs. Some Of them belong to Har-
ward, others are known throughout the
world, and most of them are familiar
| to every American college man. No
! force of art is so easily acquired by a
! large number of men, or can be enjoyed
! by them. than choruan
| Perhaps President Lowcll's English
i is no concern Of ours, even when 1t
appears In Glee Clubs Song Book; but
1t seems to us that it ought to concern
everybody when literature, like nearly
everything else connected with our
cultured life, seems drifting toward the
"demnition bow-wows." Az we write
we imagine ouz old colleague, William
Winter. tossing back his white locks
and bursting out with something about
damned Harvard English Winters
Cambridge education WAS acquired in
part in the Harvard Law School, where,
no doubt, he read Blackstone's Com
n1entary. However, despite President
Lowell'a English the Song Book is q
capital collection, and should be emf
nently satisfactory to the boys who
want to whoop it up when Crimson
meets Blue on the field Of football
and gratifying to the lovers Of good
music becouse of its many songs Of
| fine artistic merit.