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  • 21 Aug, 2019

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Syracuse University Alma Mater
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.

Early attempts

"Oh, Syracuse" and "O’er the Vale" from the Syracuse University Song Book (1920).

In the early years of Syracuse University, many compositions were created to provide the university with an alma mater, with four songs in particular standing out prominently. The very first of these came in 1871; a poem by Reverend George Lansing Taylor simply titled "Syracuse University Hymn". It was first sung at the laying of cornerstone for the Hall of Languages on August 31, 1871, and for next two decades at formal university functions.

Many compositions were proposed including by students and faculty alike; "Majestic Swells" by George W. Elliot ('73), "Waiting" by Melville J. Wells ('75), "All Hail" by George E. Smith ('76), "Alma Mater" by Alice E. Clark ('82), "Singing in the Hall" by Frank W. Noxon ('92), "O’er the Vale" by William C. Stickles ('07), "Alma Mater, Syracuse" by Professor John H. Clark, "Syracuse University Song" by librarian H. O. Sibley, but none stuck and students deplored the dearth of Syracuse Airs. "Oh, Syracuse", composed by Harry S. Lee ('99) in 1898 became popular among students and alumni and was first sung at the Athletic Benefit at the Wieting Opera House on 19 February 1898. Another addition to this collection was "Rally all ye Sons of Syracuse," composed by Professor Ernst Held in 1904. It was sung for the first time at the first annual banquet of the Central New York Alumni Association held at the Yates Hotel in Syracuse on 21 January 1904. In early 1904, the Albany Alumni Association released a pamphlet titled "Songs of Syracuse."

Stevens' version

Portrait of Junius Stevens (c.1920).

Junius Woods Stevens' composition "The Vale of Onondaga," created in 1893, gained widespread popularity and became a general favorite. It first premiered in a March 15, 1893, performance by the University Glee and Banjo Club at the Wieting Opera House. The program for the event lists it under the original title of "Song of Syracuse", but it was also occasionally called "Flag We Love". While the original handwritten copy of the song includes three stanzas and a chorus, SU's athletics website only lists the verse and the chorus.

When initially performed, the song did not overly impress local papers and student interest seemed muted. It was revived next year by the Women's Glee Club to welcome incoming chancellor James Roscoe Day and at a benefit concerts. The tune is set to the tune of "Annie Lisle", a popular 1857 ballad by H. S. Thompson. The 1927 Intercollegiate Song Book lists the tune as Amici referring to an 1864 Yale University song that used Annie Lisle.

In a letter written to a Syracuse University staff member in 1939, author Junius W. Stevens recalled "while I was walking home across the city ...  an idea for the song came to me. I had often noticed how the setting sun lighted up the walls of Crouse College long after dusk had fallen over the city and the valley. As I walked through the empty streets the words of a song took shape in my mind. By the time I reached home, the song was finished."

Multiple university Greek-life reports from early 1910s describe a practice of singing the alma mater after chapel, athletic events, and football games. A 1922 article in Printers' Ink magazine mentions the use of the alma mater in university's fundraising advertisements. The music arrangement was updated in the mid-1990s by the Syracuse University Marching Band. In 2009, the Syracuse Orange football team head coach Doug Marrone began a similar tradition and it was continued under Scott Shafer.

In the spring of 1986, Syracuse University amendeded the lyrics to the alma mater to promote inclusivity and to honor the institution's coeducational roots. The newer version replaced the line "May thy sons be leal [sic?] and loyal" with "Loyal be thy sons and daughters." The original handwritten copy was donated to the University archives in 1987 by Stevens' family, with additional material donations in 2014.

Lyrics

Where the vale of Onondaga
Meets the eastern sky
Proudly stands our Alma Mater
On her hilltop high.

Flag we love! Orange! Float for aye-
Old Syracuse, o'er thee,
Loyal be thy sons and daughters
To thy memory.

Fight song

The university also has a fight song entitled "Down the Field," commonly played after SU scores in athletic matches.

Notes

  1. ^ Additional stanzas:
    When the evening twilight deepens
    and the shadows fall,
    Lingers long the golden sunbeam
    on thy western wall.

    When the shades of life shall gather,
    dark the heart may be,
    Still the rays of youth and love
    shall linger long o'er thee'.

References

  1. ^ Smalley, Frank (1 January 1904). "Syracuse University Songs". Alumni Record and General Catalogue of Syracuse University 1899-1904 Vol. II (PDF). Syracuse, New York: Alumni Association of Syracuse University. p. 283. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  2. ^ Galpin 1952, p. 175.
  3. ^ Galpin 1952, p. 176–177.
  4. ^ Galpin 1952, p. 177–178.
  5. ^ "Songs of Syracuse: 150 Years of Tradition at Syracuse University". Syracuse University libraries. Archived from the original on 25 March 2023. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  6. ^ "130 years ago this week". Archived from the original on 15 April 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2023 – via Twitter. @SyracuseU 's Alma Mater, written by Junius Stevens, Class of 1895, was sung in public for the first time! 🍊 The University Glee and Banjo Clubs performed it in a March 15, 1893 concert at the Wieting Opera House in Syracuse!
  7. ^ Galpin, William Freeman (1 December 1960). Syracuse University: Volume II: The Growing Years. Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse University Press. p. 6, 328. ISBN 978-0-8156-2011-2. OCLC 1109803877. Archived from the original on 29 January 2023. Retrieved 25 September 2023.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  8. ^ Smalley, Frank (1920). The Golden Jubilee of Syracuse University, 1870-1920. Geneva, New York: W.F. Humphrey, printer. p. 87. ISBN 9780484409445. OCLC 3645834. Archived from the original on 2023-03-28. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  9. ^ "Fight Song & Alma Mater- Student Points". Syracuse University Athletics. Archived from the original on 27 March 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  10. ^ The Most Popular College Songs: Selected from Songs of All the Colleges, Songs of the Eastern Colleges and Songs of the Western Colleges. Hinds, Noble & Eldredge. 1906. p. 106. Archived from the original on 2023-04-10. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
  11. ^ Galpin 1952, p. 178.
  12. ^ "Editorial: On the Alma Mater". Syracuse Daily Orange. April 21, 1906. p. 2. Archived from the original on 29 September 2022. Retrieved 26 March 2023 – via Syracuse University Archives and Records Management.
  13. ^ Spaeth, Sigmund (1936). "The Tune Detective Goes Collegiate". The American Scholar. Vol. 5, no. 1. p. 23. ISSN 0003-0937. JSTOR 41206409. OCLC 5543365200.
  14. ^ Kane, Martin (October 11, 1954). "The Band Plays On". Sports Illustrated. Vol. 1, no. 9. p. 39. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  15. ^ Allen, Thornton Whitney (1927). Intercollegiate Song Book: Alma Mater and Football Songs of the American Colleges (1 ed.). New York City. p. 187. Archived from the original on 28 March 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2023.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  16. ^ Hendrickson, G. L. (23 September 2018). "Amici usque ad Aras". The Classical Journal. 45 (8): 395–397. JSTOR 3293026.
  17. ^ "Junius Woods Stevens Papers An inventory of his papers at the Syracuse University Archives". library.syracuse.edu. Archived from the original on 25 March 2023. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  18. ^ Haley, Kathleen (1 January 2005). "Timeless Tunes". Syracuse University Magazine. 22 (4). Syracuse University: 48–49. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  19. ^ "Orange Pride". Student Activities. Archived from the original on 25 March 2023. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  20. ^ Robertson, Clement T. (1904). "Growth of Syracuse University". The Scroll of Phi Delta Theta. Vol. 28, no. 1. p. 130. Archived from the original on 28 March 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  21. ^ "College Customs at Syracuse". The Alpha Phi Quarterly. Vol. 23. Alpha Phi. November 1910. p. 10. Archived from the original on 28 March 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  22. ^ Hart, William J. (1 July 1920). "An Eventide Song Service". The Christian Advocate. Vol. 95, no. 27. Hunt & Eaton. p. 898. Archived from the original on 28 March 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  23. ^ "Advertising Aids Syracuse University to Reduce Debt". Printers' Ink. Vol. 118, no. 1. New York, New York. 5 January 1922. p. 50. Archived from the original on 28 March 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  24. ^ Pitoniak, Scott (1 October 2014). 100 Things Syracuse Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die. Triumph Books. p. 164. ISBN 978-1-60078-988-5. Archived from the original on 28 March 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  25. ^ Tussing, Aubrey Dale (1 August 1986). "Changing Our Tune". Syracuse University Magazine. Vol. 2, no. 3. p. 5. Archived from the original on 7 December 2022. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  26. ^ "Junius Woods Stevens Papers Donated to Archives by Family". ACCESS: Newsletters from University Archives. Vol. 13, no. 2. Syracuse University: Archives and Records Management. Fall 2014. pp. 1–2. Archived from the original on 26 December 2022. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  27. ^ "Syracuse University History: Syracuse University Songs". archives.syr.edu. Archived from the original on 20 May 2017. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
  28. ^ Randazzo, Ryan (March 14, 2018). "New York Series: Syracuse Fight Song 'Down The Field'". NYSMusic. Archived from the original on September 3, 2022. Retrieved August 23, 2022.

Bibliography

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