Brown University
Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...
traditions hold that two songs, "Alma Mater" and "Ever True to Brown", are sung at public events and gatherings related to the university.
The traditional
alma mater song, "Old Brown," was created in 1860 and "Ever True to Brown", the second school
fight song
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 ...
, was written by Donald Jackson (Class of 1909). The song is played by the Brown Band at major varsity athletic events and at formal events such as Convocation and Commencement. An unofficial version offers humorous alternative lyrics.
"Alma Mater"
Brown University's traditional alma mater was written by James Andrews DeWolf (Class of 1861) in 1860. He titled it "Old Brown" and set it to the tune of
Araby's Daughter. The melody was popular among the student body and adapted to fit ''The Old Oaken Bucket'', a poem by
Samuel Woodworth
Samuel Woodworth (January 13, 1784 – December 9, 1842) was an American author, literary journalist, playwright, librettist, and poet.
Life
Woodworth was born in Scituate, Massachusetts, to Revolutionary War veteran Benjamin Woodworth and hi ...
.
Speaking of his choice of tune, DeWolf wrote, "I felt that it would be useless to hope for popularity and currency for anything that I might writ unless I adapted it to some well-known air."
DeWolf's song ultimately departed from Araby's Daughter's in its key, time, and lyrics.
As transcribed in 1908, the song is written in time in the key of G.
According to the ''
Encyclopedia Brunoniana
''Encyclopedia Brunoniana'' is an American reference work by Martha Mitchell covering Brown University. Published in 1993 by the Brown University Library, the encyclopedia has 629 pages. A digital version can be read free of charge on the Internet ...
'', the song was first published in the November 1860 edition of "Brown Paper." This date is question in a 2006 paper which notes that the Brown University Library's 1860 materials do not include any record of the song.
At the time of its original publication, the song was met with a tepid reception among the student body.
The song enjoyed a rediscovery in 1869 when the president of Brown's newly-established glee club discovered a copy of the lyrics and performed the tune at a June 14th concert.
The concert program rechristened the song as "Alma Mater," after the
incipit
The incipit () of a text is the first few words of the text, employed as an identifying label. In a musical composition, an incipit is an initial sequence of notes, having the same purpose. The word ''incipit'' comes from Latin and means "it beg ...
.
[Mitchell, Martha. (1993).]
Alma Mater
" ''Encyclopedia Brunoniana'' Commencement programs began including performances of "Alma Mater" in 1874, and continued to do so regularly until 1964.
Like ''Macbeth'''','' members of the
Brown Band do not refer to the song by name before and during performances. Instead, they use the euphemism "that song."
"Alma Mater 250"
In 2015, the chair of Brown's music department, Butch Rovan composed "Alma Mater 250," a rearrangement of the original song that integrated rap lyrics by Sebastián Otero and R&B elements. The song was performed at Brown's 247th Commencement on May 24, 2015, by graduates of Brown's MFA in Acting and Directing program.
"Ever True to Brown"
"Ever True to Brown," the university's fight song, was written by Donald Jackson in 1905. In the 1950s, a group of upperclassmen termed the "Vigilance Committee" would require freshmen to sing the fight song prior to entering the Sharpe Refectory. In the late 1960s, after the Brown Band became co-ed, the lyric "You can’t outshine Brown men" was amended to include "and women." The melody of "Ever True to Brown" is also used by "For Washburn and Her Team," the fight song of
Washburn University
Washburn University (WU) is a public university in Topeka, Kansas, United States. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as professional programs in law and business. Washburn has 550 faculty members, who teach more than 6,100 u ...
in Kansas.
The song is the namesake of education software start-up EverTrue and investment network Evertrue Ventures.
References
External links
Brown Band Songs
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Alma Mater
American college songs
Alma mater songs
1860 songs