A fight song is a rousing short song associated with a sports team. The term is most common in the United States and Canada. In Australia, Mexico, and New Zealand, these songs are called the team anthem, team song, or games song. First associated with collegiate sports, fight songs are also used by secondary schools and in professional sports.
The Cavalier Marching Band (CMB) is the marching band at the University of Virginia. The band's original director, William "Bill" Pease, was the first full-time marching band director in the history of the University of Virginia. The Cavalier Marching Band made its debut on September 11, 2004, after a considerable donation was made by University of Virginia benefactors Carl and Hunter Smith to found the band in 2003. The CMB uses a mixture of both DCI-style glide step and Big Ten-style high step in its performances. Of its 200 members, all seven undergraduate schools at the University of Virginia are represented.
"Far Above Cayuga's Waters" is Cornell University's alma mater. The lyrics were written circa 1870 by roommates Archibald Croswell Weeks, and Wilmot Moses Smith, and set to the tune of "Annie Lisle", a popular 1857 ballad by H. S. Thompson about a heroine dying of tuberculosis.
"Illinois Loyalty", also known as "We're Loyal to You, Illinois" or just "Loyalty", is a song associated with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. It is the school's alma mater. It is also used as the school's fight song.
"Hail Purdue!" is the official fight song of Purdue University. The lyrics were written in about 1912 by James R. Morrison, and set to music by Edward S. Wotawa. The completed song was published in 1913, initially titled "Purdue War Song". It was dedicated to the Purdue Varsity Glee Club, of which Wotawa was a student member and director. Until the adoption of the Purdue Hymn as the university anthem in 1993, it frequently served as both fight song and alma mater, being played on ceremonial occasions such as commencements.
The Virginia Glee Club is a men's chorus based at the University of Virginia. It performs both traditional and contemporary vocal works typically in TTBB arrangements. Founded in 1871, the Glee Club is the university's oldest musical organization and one of the oldest all-male collegiate vocal ensembles in the United States. It is currently conducted by Frank Albinder.
"The Nittany Lion" is a traditional fight song played by the Penn State Blue Band at football games and other sporting events. During the pre-game show of home football games at Beaver Stadium, it is part of the traditional Lion Fanfare and Downfield. While it is not the official fight song of Penn State, it is one of the songs most widely associated with the university, and is also incorrectly referred to as "Hail to the Lion". On Fridays and Saturdays, the clock tower in Penn State's Old Main plays a line of the chorus music at the fifteen-minute mark of each hour, and adds a line every 15 minutes until the whole chorus is played on the completion of the hour.
The "Penn State Alma Mater" is the official alma mater of The Pennsylvania State University. The song was accepted by the university in 1901.
"The Red and Blue" is a popular song of the University of Pennsylvania, a private Ivy League university in Philadelphia.
"The Good Old Song" is the de facto school song of the University of Virginia. It is often said to be the university's fight song, although the actual fight song is "The Cavalier Song". It is set to the music of "Auld Lang Syne", a song frequently sung on New Year's Eve.
"Hail Varsity" is the fight song of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (NU), written in 1936 by Joyce Ayres and composed the same year by Wilbur Chenoweth. The song is often played at Memorial Stadium during Nebraska's football games by the University of Nebraska Cornhusker Marching Band and at other athletic events by the school's pep band.
"Hail to Pitt" is the most traditional fight song of the University of Pittsburgh, which is commonly referred to as Pitt. The saying "Hail to Pitt!" is also the most traditional and commonly used slogan of the University of Pittsburgh and its athletics teams. The slogan is frequently used in promotional material, printed on merchandise and souvenirs. It was also the title of a 1982 history of Pitt athletics by author Jim O'Brien. The slogan is often used among alumni as a statement of affiliation, including as a closing signature in conversation or correspondence between alumni, and is sometime abbreviated as "HTP" or "H2P", the latter of which is a registered trademark of the university and is frequently used on official university signage and merchandise.
The "Pitt Victory Song", one of the most popular and widely used fight songs of the University of Pittsburgh, is often played in conjunction with "Hail to Pitt" and the "Panther Song". It was originally written by former to students of the university in order to solve the issue of the university not owning the copyright to "Hail to Pitt" which prevented the school from granting permission for its use during football radio broadcasts. Lyrics were written by G. Norman Reis and Louis M. Fushan. Music was written by Benjamin Levant. The song debuted in the Cap and Gown Club's 1938 musical production entitled Pickets, Please! Although commonly performed at university events, few people today know the rarely heard first portion of the song that occurs before the chorus. However, the most common cheer that is used during Pitt-related events and athletic contests is "Let's go Pitt!", which while perhaps derived from the song's lyrics, is often cheered even in absence of the song or music.
"Hark the Sound" is the alma mater (song) of the University of North Carolina. It was written by William Starr Myers, a member of the UNC Glee Club at the time. It is sung at the end of athletic events and other university gatherings, and is one of many alma maters set to the music of "Annie Lisle".
The alma mater of the University of Pittsburgh was adopted soon after the University changed its name in 1908 from the Western University of Pennsylvania to its current moniker. Lyrics were written by George M. P. Baird, class of 1909 and were set to the tune of what was then the Austrian National Anthem. A new tune for the "Alma Mater" hymn was composed by Charles W. Scovel, class of 1883, but it was not widely adopted and was either lost or became obscure.
The Syracuse University Alma Mater is the school song for Syracuse University. It was written by Junius W. Stevens in 1893, and is based on the then-popular Irish melody Annie Lisle. It was first sung under the title "Song of Syracuse" by the University Glee and Banjo Club on March 15, 1893 at the Wieting Opera House.
The Ohio State University Men's Glee Club is an all-male choral ensemble at Ohio State University. Officially founded in 1875, the Men's Glee Club is one of the oldest student organizations on Ohio State's campus and one of the oldest collegiate glee clubs in the United States. The group has garnered many accolades, most notably winning Choir of the World 1990 from the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.
The University of Pittsburgh Men's Glee Club is an internationally recognized men's choir of students at the University of Pittsburgh and is the oldest nonathletic extracurricular group at the University. Founded in 1890 by John L. High, the Glee Club performs at the First Baptist Church of Pittsburgh and normally goes on a concert tour each year, with an international tour every 3rd year. Recently, the Glee Club has performed in areas such as Texas, Philadelphia, New York City, Belgium, France, and a recent 125th anniversary tour of Italy in the spring of 2015.
"Varsity" is a fight song of the University of Michigan.
