The Red and Blue

Last updated

"The Red and Blue" is a popular song of the University of Pennsylvania, a private Ivy League university in Philadelphia.

Contents

"The Red and Blue", while not the official alma mater of the University of Pennsylvania, is so popular that it is often played in place of it at official university functions. (The alma mater of the university is Hail, Pennsylvania!.) The song dates from the end of the 19th century. Traditionally men would remove their hats for this song and wave them in time to the refrain. One still sees remnants of this custom when students wave their arms while singing the song's chorus.

The words were written by Harry E. Westervelt (Class of 1898), and the music was composed by William John Goeckel (B.A. 1895, LL.B. 1896). Goeckel was known among his classmates as a musician and composer and was both a member and leader of the Penn Glee Club during his time at Penn. [1] The song's copyright was originally held by W. H. Boner & Company.

Lyrics [2]

Verse

Come all ye loyal classmen now,

in hall and campus through,

Lift up your hearts and voices for the royal Red and Blue.

Fair Harvard has her crimson,

Old Yale her colors too

But for dear Pennsylvan-I-ah,

We wear the Red and Blue.


Chorus

Hurrah! Hurrah! Pennsylvani-I-ah!

Hurrah for the Red and Blue!

Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!

Hurrah for the Red and Blue!

Notes

  1. "William John Goeckel (1871-1922)". The University of Pennsylvania Archives. Archived from the original on July 3, 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-08.
  2. https://pennathletics.com/sports/2016/6/24/_131485207643959939.aspx

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fred Waring</span> American musician (1900–1984)

Fredrick Malcolm Waring Sr. was an American musician, bandleader, and radio and television personality, sometimes referred to as "America's Singing Master" and "The Man Who Taught America How to Sing". He was also a promoter, financial backer and eponym of the Waring Blendor, the first modern electric blender on the market.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You're a Grand Old Flag</span> Song composed by George M. Cohan

"You're a Grand Old Flag" is an American patriotic march. The song, a spirited march written by George M. Cohan, is a tribute to the U.S. flag. In addition to obvious references to the flag, it incorporates snippets of other popular songs, including one of his own. Cohan wrote it in 1906 for his stage musical George Washington, Jr.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Bonnie Blue Flag</span> 1861 American marching song

"The Bonnie Blue Flag", also known as "We Are a Band of Brothers", is an 1861 marching song associated with the Confederate States of America. The words were written by the entertainer Harry McCarthy, with the melody taken from the song "The Irish Jaunting Car". The song's title refers to the unofficial first flag of the Confederacy, the Bonnie Blue Flag. The left flag on the sheet-music is the Bonnie Blue Flag.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marching Through Georgia</span> 1865 song

"Marching Through Georgia" is a marching song written by Henry Clay Work at the end of the American Civil War in 1865. The title and lyrics of the song refer to U.S. Army major general William T. Sherman's "March to the Sea" to capture the Confederate city of Savannah, Georgia in late 1864.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Far Above Cayuga's Waters</span> Cornell University alma mater

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Annie Lisle</span> Song

"Annie Lisle" is an 1857 ballad by Boston, Massachusetts songwriter H. S. Thompson, first published by Moulton & Clark of Newburyport, Massachusetts, and later by Oliver Ditson & Co. It is about the death of a young maiden, by what some have speculated to be tuberculosis. However, the lyric does not explicitly mention tuberculosis, or "consumption" as it was called then. The song might have slipped into obscurity had the tune not been adopted by countless colleges, universities, and high schools worldwide as their respective alma mater songs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The University of Pennsylvania Band</span>

The University of Pennsylvania Band is among the most active collegiate band programs in the U.S. The organization is a part of the Department of Athletics at the University of Pennsylvania, a private Ivy League university in Philadelphia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catherine Cate Coblentz</span> American childrens writer

Catherine Cate Coblentz was an American writer, best known for her children's books in the 1930s and 1940s. She was a Lewis Carroll Shelf Award and Newbery Honor laureate.

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penn State Alma Mater</span> Song

The "Penn State Alma Mater" is the official alma mater of The Pennsylvania State University. The song was accepted by the university in 1901.

"Fight On, State" is the official fight song of The Pennsylvania State University. It is most widely known for being played by the Penn State Blue Band after scores at football games, and during the band's pregame show. It is written specifically to be played after a touchdown, as it slows down quickly toward the end of the song, then stops. It then resumes after the team kicks an extra point and is played again at regular speed.

"Victory" is an old fight song of the Pennsylvania State University. It is most often sung by the Penn State Glee Club and performed by the Penn State Blue Band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hail to Pitt</span>

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pitt Victory Song</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Pittsburgh Alma Mater</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Syracuse University Alma Mater</span> Alma Mater for Syracuse University

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billy Goeckel</span> American baseball player (1871–1922)

William John Goeckel was a professional baseball player who played first base for the 1899 Philadelphia Phillies.

"Old Nassau" has been Princeton University's alma mater since 1859. Harlan Page Peck was the lyricist and Carl A. Langlotz was the composer. The lyrics were changed in 1987 to address sexism at the newly co-educational institution. For a brief time the song was sung to the melody of "Auld Lang Syne" before Langlotz wrote the music on demand. The lyrics were the result of a songwriting contest by the Nassau Literary Review.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fred Lewis Pattee</span> American academic (1863–1950)

Fred Lewis Pattee was an American author and scholar of American literature. As a professor of American literature at the Pennsylvania State University, Pattee wrote the lyrics of the Penn State Alma Mater. Pattee is sometimes labeled the "first Professor of American Literature", a position he held at Penn State from 1895 until 1928.

References