The University of Pennsylvania Band
Encyclopedia
The University of Pennsylvania Band (commonly known as the Penn Band, or its vaudeville-esque performance name The Huge, the Enormous, the Well-Endowed, Undefeated, Ivy-League Champion, University of Pennsylvania Oxymoronic Fighting Quaker Marching Band) is among the most active collegiate band programs in the U.S. The organization is a part of the Department of Athletics at the University of Pennsylvania. Like most of the other 50 performing arts groups on the Penn Campus, it has no affiliation with any academic department and is sponsored by the Vice Provost’s Office for Undergraduate Life. Typically ranging between 80 and 100 members every year, it is among the largest and most active student-run organizations on campus, performing upwards of 60 times during the academic year. Like most of the Ivy League
Bands, the Penn Band is a scramble band
.
Founded in 1897, the Penn Band stands among the oldest college bands in the country, and one of the nation's first traveling bands (1901). According to popular legend, the band began after a single cornet player named A. Felix DuPont played to the jeers of residents in the student quadrangle (“Shut up, frosh!”). A more understanding upperclassman, John Ammon, helped DuPont gather 27 volunteers who formed the school's first band.
Its history is marked with a sustained record of performance and achievement. In its first year, the Band performed twice for President William McKinley
, as well as at the opening of Houston Hall
, the country’s first student union. The organization later became an integral part of Penn sporting events--one of the first college bands to play regularly at sporting events. It has been a staple at historic Franklin Field
and the Palestra
, and campus traditions such as ‘Hey Day,’ ‘Rowbottoms,’, and Commencement ceremonies.
Appearances during the 20th century include countless NCAA tournament games (including The NCAA
Final Four in 1979), the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
(one of the first collegiate marching bands to ever march in the parade), the 1964 New York World's Fair
, and the Miss America
Pageant Parade (on more than one occasion).
During its history, the organization has performed with notable musicians, including John Phillip Sousa, Edwin Franko Goldman
, members of the Philadelphia Orchestra
, the U.S. Marine Band (“The President's Own”), Doc Severinsen
of the Johnny Carson Show, and the prominent composer Václav Nelhýbel
. The band’s performances also include national broadcasts and numerous recordings, beginning in the late 1920’s and 1930s with the Victor Talking Machine Company
(RCA-Victor Company) and nationally-broadcasted performances on WABC. In popular culture, Chuck Barris
of Gong Show fame performed with the Band in 1977, and the Band opened for the Maury Povich
Show in 1980.
The group has performed at the pleasure of many dignitaries and celebrities over its history in the context of celebrations on-campus and within the city of Philadelphia. This list includes Governor Ed Rendell
, Vice President Al Gore
, Grace Kelly
, President Ronald Reagan
, Bill Cosby
, Lech Walesa, President Theodore Roosevelt
, President Lyndon B. Johnson
, Peter Lynch
, Dolly Parton
, Chris Matthews
, and Rudy Giuliani
.
By the 1970s, along with most of the other Ivy League bands, the Penn Band became a scramble band. However, it had begun moving away from the traditional corps style in the 1940s. Its current uniform, however, is an inadvertent nod to the past--it is a near-exact copy of the uniform worn by the freshman band in the early 1930s.
The first one hundred years of the organization's history was recently described in a book from Arcadia Publishing: Images of America:The University of Pennsylvania Band (2006).
in Orlando, Florida, as well as San Diego, California. The group’s appearances include eight NCAA tournament games on national television in the past ten years, ESPN
Game Day Live, MSNBC
Hardball, and the Fox and Friends Morning Show. Earlier in 2007, the band had the opportunity to perform with rock drummer Simon Kirke
on the Penn campus. In December 2008, the Band appeared on a nationally televised sports special on CBS Sports
, and in April 2008, the Band performed for Bill Clinton
and Hillary Rodham Clinton
at an election rally on the Penn campus. Today, the Penn Band stands as one of the only, if not only, college bands in the country that attends all conference men's basketball games, both home and away.
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
Bands, the Penn Band is a scramble band
Scramble band
A scramble band - also known as a scatter band - is a particular type of field-performing marching band with distinct characteristics that set it apart from other common forms of marching bands; most notably, scramble bands do not normally march...
.
History
Its history is marked with a sustained record of performance and achievement. In its first year, the Band performed twice for President William McKinley
William McKinley
William McKinley, Jr. was the 25th President of the United States . He is best known for winning fiercely fought elections, while supporting the gold standard and high tariffs; he succeeded in forging a Republican coalition that for the most part dominated national politics until the 1930s...
, as well as at the opening of Houston Hall
Houston Hall (University of Pennsylvania)
Houston Hall is the student union at the University of Pennsylvania, established in 1896. The idea of a student union was first established at Oxford University in 1823...
, the country’s first student union. The organization later became an integral part of Penn sporting events--one of the first college bands to play regularly at sporting events. It has been a staple at historic Franklin Field
Franklin Field
Franklin Field is the University of Pennsylvania's stadium for football, field hockey, lacrosse, sprint football, and track and field . It is also used by Penn students for recreation, and for intramural and club sports, including touch football and cricket, and is the site of Penn's graduation...
and the Palestra
Palestra
The Palestra, also known as the Cathedral of College Basketball, is a historic arena and the home gym of the University of Pennsylvania Quakers men's and women's basketball teams, volleyball teams, wrestling team, and Philadelphia Big 5 basketball. Located at 215 South 33rd St...
, and campus traditions such as ‘Hey Day,’ ‘Rowbottoms,’, and Commencement ceremonies.
Appearances during the 20th century include countless NCAA tournament games (including The NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
Final Four in 1979), the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, often shortened to Macy's Day Parade, is an annual parade presented by Macy's. The tradition started in 1924, tying it for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States along with America's Thanksgiving Parade in Detroit, and four years younger than...
(one of the first collegiate marching bands to ever march in the parade), the 1964 New York World's Fair
1964 New York World's Fair
The 1964/1965 New York World's Fair was the third major world's fair to be held in New York City. Hailing itself as a "universal and international" exposition, the fair's theme was "Peace Through Understanding," dedicated to "Man's Achievement on a Shrinking Globe in an Expanding Universe";...
, and the Miss America
Miss America
The Miss America pageant is a long-standing competition which awards scholarships to young women from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
Pageant Parade (on more than one occasion).
During its history, the organization has performed with notable musicians, including John Phillip Sousa, Edwin Franko Goldman
Edwin Franko Goldman
Edwin Franko Goldman is one of America's prominent band composers of the early 20th century. He composed over 150 works, more notably his marches. He is known for founding the renowned Goldman Band of New York City and the American Bandmasters Association...
, members of the Philadelphia Orchestra
Philadelphia Orchestra
The Philadelphia Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. One of the "Big Five" American orchestras, it was founded in 1900...
, the U.S. Marine Band (“The President's Own”), Doc Severinsen
Doc Severinsen
Carl Hilding "Doc" Severinsen is an American pop and jazz trumpeter. He is best known for leading the NBC Orchestra on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.-Early life:...
of the Johnny Carson Show, and the prominent composer Václav Nelhýbel
Václav Nelhýbel
Václav Nelhýbel was a Czech-American composer, mainly of works for student performers. He is considered one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century....
. The band’s performances also include national broadcasts and numerous recordings, beginning in the late 1920’s and 1930s with the Victor Talking Machine Company
Victor Talking Machine Company
The Victor Talking Machine Company was an American corporation, the leading American producer of phonographs and phonograph records and one of the leading phonograph companies in the world at the time. It was headquartered in Camden, New Jersey....
(RCA-Victor Company) and nationally-broadcasted performances on WABC. In popular culture, Chuck Barris
Chuck Barris
Charles Hirsch "Chuck" Barris is an American game show producer, film director and presenter best known for hosting The Gong Show and creating The Dating Game. Barris, a survivor of lung cancer, is also an author and claims to have worked for the CIA.-Early career:Barris was born in Oakland, New...
of Gong Show fame performed with the Band in 1977, and the Band opened for the Maury Povich
Maury Povich
Maurice Richard "Maury" Povich is an American TV talk show host who currently hosts his self-titled talk show Maury.-Personal background:...
Show in 1980.
The group has performed at the pleasure of many dignitaries and celebrities over its history in the context of celebrations on-campus and within the city of Philadelphia. This list includes Governor Ed Rendell
Ed Rendell
Edward Gene "Ed" Rendell is an American politician who served as the 45th Governor of Pennsylvania. Rendell, a member of the Democratic Party, was elected Governor of Pennsylvania in 2002, and his term of office began January 21, 2003...
, Vice President Al Gore
Al Gore
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
, Grace Kelly
Grace Kelly
Grace Patricia Kelly was an American actress who, in April 1956, married Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, to become Princess consort of Monaco, styled as Her Serene Highness The Princess of Monaco, and commonly referred to as Princess Grace.After embarking on an acting career in 1950, at the age of...
, President Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
, Bill Cosby
Bill Cosby
William Henry "Bill" Cosby, Jr. is an American comedian, actor, author, television producer, educator, musician and activist. A veteran stand-up performer, he got his start at various clubs, then landed a starring role in the 1960s action show, I Spy. He later starred in his own series, the...
, Lech Walesa, President Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
, President Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
, Peter Lynch
Peter Lynch
Peter Lynch is a Wall Street stock investor. He is currently a research consultant at Fidelity Investments. Lynch graduated from Boston College in 1965 and earned a Master of Business Administration from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1968.-Fidelity:Lynch was hired as an...
, Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...
, Chris Matthews
Chris Matthews
Christopher John "Chris" Matthews is an American news anchor and political commentator, known for his nightly hour-long talk show, Hardball with Chris Matthews, which is televised on the American cable television channel MSNBC...
, and Rudy Giuliani
Rudy Giuliani
Rudolph William Louis "Rudy" Giuliani KBE is an American lawyer, businessman, and politician from New York. He served as Mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001....
.
By the 1970s, along with most of the other Ivy League bands, the Penn Band became a scramble band. However, it had begun moving away from the traditional corps style in the 1940s. Its current uniform, however, is an inadvertent nod to the past--it is a near-exact copy of the uniform worn by the freshman band in the early 1930s.
The first one hundred years of the organization's history was recently described in a book from Arcadia Publishing: Images of America:The University of Pennsylvania Band (2006).
The Penn Band today
Today, the Penn Band is a bastion of music and mirth on the Penn Campus, performing at campus events and traditions, all Football games, and most Men’s and Women’s Basketball games. The group also tours along the East Coast; in the past decade, the group has toured Walt Disney World and Universal StudiosUniversal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
in Orlando, Florida, as well as San Diego, California. The group’s appearances include eight NCAA tournament games on national television in the past ten years, ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
Game Day Live, MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
Hardball, and the Fox and Friends Morning Show. Earlier in 2007, the band had the opportunity to perform with rock drummer Simon Kirke
Simon Kirke
Simon Kirke is an English rock drummer best known as a member of Free and Bad Company.-Biography:...
on the Penn campus. In December 2008, the Band appeared on a nationally televised sports special on CBS Sports
CBS Sports
CBS Sports is a division of CBS Broadcasting which airs sporting events on the American television network. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on West 52nd Street in midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on West 57th Street.CBS...
, and in April 2008, the Band performed for Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
and Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is the 67th United States Secretary of State, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She was a United States Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009. As the wife of the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, she was the First Lady of the...
at an election rally on the Penn campus. Today, the Penn Band stands as one of the only, if not only, college bands in the country that attends all conference men's basketball games, both home and away.
Famous alumni
- Roland F. SeitzRoland F. SeitzRoland Forrest Seitz was an American composer, bandmaster, and music publisher. For his many march compositions he earned the sobriquet “The Parade Music Prince”....
, famous Bandmaster and composer of "The University of Pennsylvania Band March" - Adolph Vogel, former director of the Penn Band (1908-1941) and former member of the Philadelphia OrchestraPhiladelphia OrchestraThe Philadelphia Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. One of the "Big Five" American orchestras, it was founded in 1900...
- Lucien CaillietLucien CaillietLucien Cailliet was an American composer, conductor, arranger and clarinetist.-Biography:Born at Dijon, in France, Cailliet studied at the Conservatory in his native city before migrating to the United States in 1918....
, former member of the Philadelphia OrchestraPhiladelphia OrchestraThe Philadelphia Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. One of the "Big Five" American orchestras, it was founded in 1900...
and arranger of the Penn fight songs for marching band - James DePriest, Class of 1957
- Ted WeemsTed WeemsWilfred Theodore Weems was an American bandleader and musician. Weems' work in music was recognized with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.- Biography :...
, Class of 1944 - Elliot LawrenceElliot LawrenceElliot Lawrence is an American jazz pianist and bandleader.Son of the broadcaster Stan Lee Broza, Lawrence led his first dance band at age 20, but he played swing at the time its heyday was coming to a close. He recorded copiously as a bandleader for Columbia, Decca, King, Fantasy, Vik, and Sesac...
, Class of 1944 - Bruce MontgomeryBruce Montgomery (entertainer)Bruce Eglinton Montgomery was an American composer, author, musical theater performer and painter; and a conductor and director, particularly of the Gilbert and Sullivan comic operas....
, longtime Penn Glee Club Director and former Director of the Band (1957-1958) - Greer Cheeseman,- started toast tradition
Traditions
- Script Penn - At Homecoming, the Band and Band Alumni form a script PENN on the field during the halftime show
- Toast-throwing - At every home Penn football game, during the singing of "Drink a Highball" after the third quarter, fans throw a piece of toast onto the field while the band plays the lyrics 'here's a toast to dear old Penn.' This was started after alcholic drinks were banned at Franklin Field.
- Hang Jeff Davis - The Band sings Hang Jeff Davis every time the football team scores
- Alumni Day and Commencement - The Band leads the parade of alumni and graduates during these springtime festivities.*
- "Hey—Rowbottom!" or "Yea Rowbottom!" was a common cry on the West Philadelphia campus from about 1910 until the 1970s. Once a "Rowbottom" got underway, automobiles might be overturned, windows smashed, and trolley tracks doused with gasoline and set ablaze. In the 1940s "panty raids" of the women's dormitories became a prominent feature. Rowbottoms were most frequent in the fall, particularly after football games.
Songs
- Hail, Pennsylvania!Hail, Pennsylvania!"Hail, Pennsylvania!" written by Edgar M. Dilley , as a submission to an University of Pennsylvania alumni committee-sponsored contest to write a song to the tune of "God Save the Tsar!", the national anthem of Imperial Russia, by Alexei Fyodorovich Lvov. Edgar Dilley was awarded $25.Edgar M....
(The Alma Mater) - The Red and Blue
- The Field Cry of Penn ("Hang Jeff Davis")
- Cheer Pennsylvania!
- Drink a Highball
- Fight on, Pennsylvania!Fight on, Pennsylvania!"Fight on, Pennsylvania!" is the University of Pennsylvania's primary fight song. The song's lyrics were written by Ben S. McGiveran during his sophomore year . The music was composed by David Zoob . The copyright was held by the Houston Club...
- Men of Pennsylvania
- The University of Pennsylvania Band March
- In 1901, the renowned bandmaster Roland F. SeitzRoland F. SeitzRoland Forrest Seitz was an American composer, bandmaster, and music publisher. For his many march compositions he earned the sobriquet “The Parade Music Prince”....
(1867-1946) of Glen Rock, Pennsylvania wrote the famous University of Pennsylvania Band March. The march is generally regarded as one of the finest compositions ever written for a student band, and ultimately was adapted by many other organizations throughout the country.
- In 1901, the renowned bandmaster Roland F. Seitz
- Franklin Field March
- Edwin Franko GoldmanEdwin Franko GoldmanEdwin Franko Goldman is one of America's prominent band composers of the early 20th century. He composed over 150 works, more notably his marches. He is known for founding the renowned Goldman Band of New York City and the American Bandmasters Association...
, who was generally regarded only second to John Phillip Sousa in the early 20th century, composed the Franklin Field March for the University of Pennsylvania Band. On November 5, 1932, Goldman’s Franklin Field March was performed for the first time at the annual University of Pittsburgh-University of Pennsylvania football game.
- Edwin Franko Goldman
Discography (known)
-
- The University of Pennsylvania Band (RCA Victor) (1926)
- The Songs of the University of Pennsylvania (1954)
- The Songs of the University of Pennsylvania (1958?)
- The University of Pennsylvania Symphonic Band (1963)
- Cheer Pennsylvania! (1983)
- Penn Band: World Tour (1986)
- Live at Smoke's (1989)
- A Toast to Dear Old Penn (1993)
- Five Score and Several Years to Go (1997)
- The Band That Rocks the Cradle (2001)
- The Band Before Time (2007)
External links
Other Scramble Bands
- Brown University BandBrown University BandThe Brown University Band is the official band of Brown University. Like all Ivy League bands except Cornell's, it is a scatter band. The Brown Band is famous for being the world's best and only ice skating band. It is the source of much of Brown's school spirit, and often appears as a public...
- Columbia University Marching BandColumbia University Marching BandThe Columbia University Marching Band has performed for Columbia University since 1904. In the early 1960s, the CUMB became the first college or university marching band in the United States to convert to a scramble band format. Most of the United States' best universities now feature scramble...
- Dartmouth College Marching BandDartmouth College Marching BandThe Dartmouth College Marching Band is an officially recognized student organization of Dartmouth College, and is the oldest marching band in the Ivy League .-About the DCMB:...
- Harvard University BandHarvard University BandThe Harvard University Band is the official student marching 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....
- Michigan Technological UniversityMichigan Technological UniversityMichigan Technological University is a public research university located in Houghton, Michigan, United States. Its main campus sits on on a bluff overlooking Portage Lake...
Huskies Pep BandHuskies Pep BandThe Huskies Pep Band is a scramble band from Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Michigan. They bill themselves as "The Cream of the Keweenaw, The Pride of Pastyland, The Second Best Feeling in the World." They are known for their often irreverent cheers and taunts as well as their... - Princeton University BandPrinceton University BandThe Princeton University Band serves as the marching band and pep band of Princeton University. Like most other Ivy League bands, it is a scramble band. To members and fans, it is often known as the PUB or simply The Band...
- Rice UniversityRice UniversityWilliam Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States...
's Marching Owl BandMarching Owl BandThe Marching Owl Band is the Rice University "marching band" in the sense that it is the official ensemble that performs during football games, some basketball games, parades, and other public events... - Stanford University Marching BandStanford BandThe Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band is the student marching band of Stanford University. Billing itself as "The World's Largest Rock and Roll Band", the Stanford Band performs at sporting events, student activities, and other functions...
- Virginia Pep BandVirginia Pep BandThe Virginia Pep Band is a student-run band at the University of Virginia , officially known as The Award-Winning Virginia Fighting Cavalier Indoor/Outdoor Precision Marching Pep Band, & Chowder Society Review, Unlimited!!!...
- Yale Precision Marching BandYale Precision Marching BandThe Yale Precision Marching Band is the official marching band of Yale University. It is a scatter band , as distinct from university marching bands that emphasize precise movements and geometric field formations...
- The University of Chicago Band
- The Humboldt State University Marching Lumberjacks
- The UC Davis Cal Aggie Marching Band-uh!
- The Villanova University Band
- William and Mary Pep BandWilliam and Mary Pep BandThe William & Mary Pep Band is the scramble band of the College of William and Mary. It is a student-run ensemble that performs at home football games in the fall sports season and basketball games in the winter sports season. Membership is open to anyone currently enrolled at the college.-Before...
- The Williams College Mucho Macho Marching Moo Cow Band
- The Lady Godiva Memorial BnadLady Godiva Memorial BnadThe , or LGMB, is a student-run band consisting chiefly of University of Toronto engineering students. The LGMB is dedicated to the preservation and advancement of Skule spirit along with Ye Olde Mighty Skule Cannon and the Brute Force Committee...