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.

Syracuse University Alma Mater
Alma Mater
Original handwritten copy c. 1893
Other nameSong of Syracuse[1]
Flag We Love[2]
YearMarch 15, 1893 (1893-03-15)
RelatedDown the Field (Fight song)
Textby Junius W. Stevens
MelodyAnnie Lisle
Premiere
Date15 March 1893 (1893-03-15)
LocationWieting Opera House
PerformersSyracuse University Glee and Banjo Club
Portrait of Junius Stevens (c.1920).

Early attempts

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 Rev. George Lansing Taylor simply titled "Syracuse Hymn". It was first sung at the laying of cornerstone for the Hall of Languages and at formal occasions for next two decades.[2]: 175 

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.[2]: 177  "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.[3] The Albany Alumni Association published a pamphlet of "Songs of Syracuse" in early 1904.[3]

Stevens' version

"The Vale of Onondaga", composed by Junius Woods Stevens in 1893, proved to be a general favorite. It first premiered in a March 15, 1893, performance by the University Glee and Banjo Club at the Wieting Opera House.[2][3][4] The program for the event lists it under the original title of "Song of Syracuse",[1] but it was also ocassionally called "Flag We Love".[2]: 178  While the original handwritten copy of the song includes three stanzas and a chorus,[5] SU's athletics website only lists the verse and the chorus.[6][7]

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.[2] The tune is set to the tune of "Annie Lisle", a popular 1857 ballad by H. S. Thompson.[8][9][10] The 1927 Intercollegiate Song Book lists the tune as Amici refering to an 1864 Yale University song that used Annie Lisle.[11][12]

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."[13][14]

Multiple university greek-life reports from early 1910s describe a practice of singing the alma mater after chapel, athletic events, and football games.[15][16][17] In 2009, the Syracuse Orange football team head coach Doug Marrone revived the tradition and it was continued under Scott Shafer.[18] A 1922 article in Printers' Ink magazine mentions the use of the alma mater in university's fundraising advertisements.[19]

In the spring of 1986, the University Senate made an amendment to the lyrics, changing the line "May thy sons be leal and loyal" to "Loyal be thy sons and daughters" in order to be more inclusive and recognize the institution's coeducational beginnings.[20][21] The original handwritten copy was donated to the University archives in 1987 by Stevens' family, with additional material donations in 2014.[22]

Program at the Wieting Opera House Wednesday March 15th, 1893.

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.[23][24]

See also

References
  1. "130 years ago this week". 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!
  2. Galpin, W. Freeman (March 1952). Syracuse University: Volume I: The Pioneer Days. Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse University Press. pp. 177–178. ISBN 978-0-8156-2010-5. OCLC 3123028. Archived from the original on 11 October 2022.
  3. 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. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  4. "Songs of Syracuse: 150 Years of Tradition at Syracuse University". Syracuse University libraries. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  5. 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 2007-02-20. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  6. "Fight Song & Alma Mater- Student Points". Syracuse University Athletics. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  7. Additional stanzas (see handwritten page in infobox)
    When the evening twilight deepens and the shadows fall,
    Linger long the golden sunbeams on the western wall.
    When the shades of life shall gather, dark the heart may be,
    Still the ray of youth and love shall linger long o'er thee'.
  8. "Editorial: On the Alma Mater". Syracuse Daily Orange. April 21, 1906. p. 2. Retrieved 26 March 2023 – via Syracuse University Archives and Records Management.
  9. Spaeth, Sigmund (1936). "The Tune Detective Goes Collegiate". The American Scholar. Vol. 5, no. 1. p. 23. ISSN 0003-0937. JSTOR 41206409. OCLC 5543365200.
  10. Kane, Martin (October 11, 1954). "The Band Plays On". Sports Illustrated. Vol. 1, no. 9. p. 39. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  11. Allen, Thornton Whitney (1927). Intercollegiate Song Book: Alma Mater and Football Songs of the American Colleges (1 ed.). New York City. p. 187. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  12. Hendrickson, G. L. (23 September 2018). "Amici usque ad Aras". The Classical Journal. 45 (8): 395–397. JSTOR 3293026.
  13. "Junius Woods Stevens Papers An inventory of his papers at the Syracuse University Archives". library.syracuse.edu. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  14. "Orange Pride". Student Activities. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  15. Robertson, Clement T. (1904). "Growth of Syracuse University". The Scroll of Phi Delta Theta. Vol. 28, no. 1. p. 130. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  16. "College Customs at Syracuse". The Alpha Phi Quarterly. Vol. 23. Alpha Phi. November 1910. p. 10. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  17. Hart, William J. (1 July 1920). "An Eventide Song Service". The Christian Advocate. Vol. 95, no. 27. Hunt & Eaton. p. 898. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  18. 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. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  19. "Advertising Aids Syracuse University to Reduce Debt". Printers' Ink. Vol. 118, no. 1. New York, New York. 5 January 1922. p. 50. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  20. Galvin, Edward L.; Mason, Margaret A.; O'Brien, Mary M. (26 August 2013). Syracuse University. Campus History. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. p. 24. ISBN 978-1-4396-4385-3. OCLC 839390412. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  21. Tussing, Dale (1 August 1986). "Changing Our Tune". Syracuse University Magazine. Vol. 2, no. 3. p. 5. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  22. "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. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  23. "Syracuse University History: Syracuse University Songs". archives.syr.edu. Archived from the original on 20 May 2017. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
  24. Randazzo, Ryan (March 14, 2018). "New York Series: Syracuse Fight Song 'Down The Field'". NYSMusic. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
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