Alma Mater
Written by two roommates around 1870, the Cornell Alma Mater is considered to be the most widely copied alma mater in existence. The original melody is taken from a typical song of the time, Annie Lisle, a melancholy ballad of a heroine with tuberculosis written by Boston musician H. S. Thompson in the late 1850s. Although Cornell is believed to be the first school to have used the melody for its alma mater, it has since been copied by high schools and universities around the world, including Indiana University, University of Missouri, University of Georgia, University of North Carolina, and even the American University in Beirut, many of which contain lyrics similar to the Cornell lyrics.
Cornell's lyricists were Wilmot M. Smith 1874 and Archibald C. Weeks 1872, who lived at 60 North Tioga Street in Ithaca while attending Cornell. Interested in creating a popular school song, the two quickly sketched out six verses by alternating each line between the two. The currently accepted lyrics differ slightly, likely the result of an arranger named Colin K. Urquhart who revised them for publication in the late 1800s.
Although only the first two verses are typically sung, all six can be heard in Lynah Rink at the last home hockey game of the regular season.
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(Verse I) |
(Verse IV) |
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(Verse II) |
(Verse V) |
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(Verse III) |
(Verse VI) |