Harvard University Band

At The Game 1994
School Harvard University
Location Cambridge, MA
Conference Ivy League
Founded 1919
Director Mark E. Olson
Members 80+
Fight song "10,000 Men of Harvard, Yo Ho!, Fight Fiercely, Harvard!, Harvardiana, Up The Street"
Uniform Crimson blazers, white, button-collar shirts, "Bass Drum" logo tie, black pants, black shoes
Website Harvard University Band

The Harvard University Band (HUB) is the official student band of Harvard University. The Harvard Wind Ensemble, the Harvard Summer Pops Band, and the Harvard Jazz Bands also fall under the umbrella organization of HUB. Currently, the band plays for all football games (both home and away) as well as home men's and women's ice hockey games. Occasionally it plays at men's and women's basketball games. The uniform for both football games and formal "gigs" consists of a crimson wool HUB blazer worn over a white shirt with a black HUB logo tie, black pants (since 1961), and black shoes. In the early days of the Band, white sailor hats and khaki pants were worn. For hockey games, the band wears (over casual clothes) a custom Harvard Band hockey jersey, modeled after the home jerseys for men's hockey, which features images of Bertha (the huge bass drum) on the sleeves. Band alumni, known as crusties, maintain strong ties to the HUB, sometimes continuing to act as regular members well after graduating from the University. Illegitimum non carborundum (INC) is the HUB motto. Written correspondence from HUB or HUB members is frequently signed with INC.

History

The band was formed in 1919. By 1930 the band had become a scramble band, a method that was also adopted by most other Ivy League marching bands (as well as the Stanford Band and the Rice Marching Owl Band), with the exception of the Cornell University band. While the inventor of the scramble band technique remains in debate, the HUB maintains a strong claim to the title. A scramble band simply runs (in lieu of marching) from one formation to the next on a cue, typically a starter's pistol.[1]

The HUB office was formerly at 9 Prescott St., and moved to 74 Mt. Auburn St, in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1995. The Harvard University Band's new headquarters was named the "Anderson Band Center" in 1995 in honor of Leroy Anderson.[2]

Band leadership

The Band is led by a Senior Staff consisting of five officers:

Manager: Oversees finances and activity bookings. The current Manager is Andy Li '17.
Drill Master: Writes and directs the field shows for football games; coordinates the cheers during hockey games. The current Drill Master is Greg Scalise '18.
Student Conductor: Conducts and writes arrangements. The current StudCon is Elena Sokoloski '18.
Drum Major: Serves as the leader for field and parade performances; assists in conducting with a mace; acts as the liaison with other Ivy Bands and coordinator of all away trips. The current Drum Major is Maryrose Robson '17.
Schneider: Coordinates the social activities of the Band and maintains and bolsters esprit de corps. The current Schneider is Jonathon Nessralla '17.

The senior staff uniforms vary from the standard uniform. The Drum Major wears a tuxedo and carries a mace, the Drill Master wears a black trench coat, the student conductor wears a HUB bow tie, the Manager wears a black hat, and the Schneider wears a green tie.

Junior Staffers, who often later become Senior Staffers, work to build up band loyalty and spirit, and themselves provide the core active membership. Junior staff is composed largely of committees under each of the Senior Staff members:

Manager's Committee: Treasurer, Mailing & Merchandise Coordinator, Webmaster, Alumni & Public Relations coordinator, Historian
Drill Master's Committee: Assistant Drill Manager (ADM), Prop Crew Manager, Assistant Prop Crew Manager, Recruiting & Postering Coordinator, Blogtographer, Cinematographer
Student Conductor's Committee: Music Manager, Librarian, Music Archivist, Arrangements and Licensing Coordinator, Instruments Manager
Drum Major's Committee: Internal, Trips Manager, Section Leaders - Saxophones, Clarinets, Trumpets, Flutes, Percussion, Low Brass
Schneider's Committee: Weisse (4), Schwartz
Miscellaneous: Wind Ensemble Manager, Jazz Band Manager

Other miscellaneous personnel include the Assistant Director, HUB accountant, Prop Crew (who maintains, guards, and transports show props and equipment), MOM, Crusties (band alumni), and foosball league commissioner. Local artist Alice Tondel served as MOM and began her association with the HUB in 1949 until her death in 1993.

The Senior Staff is selected by the previous Senior Staff. The official transition takes place annually in the HUB section of the stands after the completion of the halftime show at The Game.

Directors

• 1919-1921 Frederic L. Reynolds '20
• 1922-1923 Addison Simmons '24
• 1924-1926 Ambrose F. Keeley '27
• 1927-1928 Harold Holland '28
• 1929 Leroy Anderson '29
• 1930-1931 Guy V. Slade '32
• 1932-1935 Leroy Anderson '29
• 1936-1937 Robert W. Snyder '38
• 1938-1939 James C. Gahan '36
• 1940-1941 James W. Holt DMD '42
• 1942 Malcolm Holmes '28
• 1943-1944 (Naval unit band) Ed Chastagner (drum major & drill master)
• 1945 (transitional) -
• 1946-1952 Malcolm Holmes '28
• 1953-1959 G. Wright Briggs '31
• 1960-1969 James Walker AMT '63
• 1970 Frank Battisti
• 1971–2013 Thomas G. Everett (longest serving director in HUB history and of all the Ivy Bands)
• 2014–Present Mark E. Olson

Assistant directors

• 2001-2003 Nathaniel H. Dickey
• 2003–2014 Mark E. Olson

Big stuff

Bertha

Prop Crew

The Band "Prop Crew" is unique to the Harvard Band and is an integral part of the band's spirit and performance. Prop crew members do not play instruments but generally assist with putting on the halftime show (often acting as extras in the performances) and playing "Bertha." Prop Crew also protects Bertha at games when it is not being given away by errant Band freshman. The attire for Prop Crew members is a white jump suits with "HARVARD BAND" emblazoned in red stitching on the back.

News and stunts

The HUB's then-largest baton

Notable alumni

Repertoire

Songs

The repertoire consists of traditional Harvard fight songs and their own arrangements of popular songs played for field shows.

Fight songs

Fight Fiercely

Unofficial

Cheers

Staff cheers
These cheers are intended for the band itself, rather than the audience

Trumpet cheers
The Harvard Band delights in mocking the conventions of High School bands. With that in mind, where a typical High School band, or for that matter most major college bands, will have their trumpet section play traditional fanfares such as an organist might play at a baseball game, followed by shouting "fight," the Harvard Band trumpet section is famous for playing orchestral excerpts followed by shouting the same "fight." Their repertoire currently includes both network's Olympic fanfares; Eine Kleine Nachtmusik; the triumphal March from Aida; the Overture to the Marriage of Figaro; the entry of the Doge from Otello; Rule Brittania; Dies Irae from Verdi's Requiem; the trumpet solo from Petrushka; the slow movement of Beethoven's 7th (when losing); the finale of Stravinsky's Firebird and several others. The tradition is believed to have originated at Harvard under John Posner '71 and Ken Zunder '73, and has been added to by each section leader ever since.

The Latin verse

There is an old saying that, "You can always tell a Harvard Man (now Grad)....but you can't tell 'em very much." In keeping with that tradition, the main Harvard fight song, Ten Thousand Men of Harvard features a first verse in Latin. The verse is intended as an extended Latin pun and makes little sense when translated:

Illigitimum non Carborundum, Domine Salvum Fac,
Illigitimum non Carborundum, Domine Salvum Fac.
Gaudeamus Igitur,
Veritas, non Sequitur,
Illigitimum non Carborundum, Ipso Facto

Reunions

Tom McGrath '76 and his father Joe McGrath '44 at the Harvard Band's 75th reunion

Uniquely among college bands, the Harvard Band holds its own reunion every five years. It is also the oldest college band reunion in the world, with the first held at the Harvard University Band's 30th Anniversary in 1949. The Band's 90th Reunion in 2009 had almost 200 alumni return to perform in Soldier's Field. These reunions allow a member to reconnect with friends from several graduating classes. By contrast, a typical class reunion is only for people who all graduated in the same year.

References

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, March 19, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.