Tuning in: The Story Behind the School Song, Claremont McKenna

"We're the sons and the daughters of Claremont McKenna
And proud of our famed alma mater.
With friends of our youth, seeking wisdom, seeking truth,
We will lead on from Claremont McKenna.
We have
Crescit Cum Commercio Civitas As our motto at Claremont McKenna
We always will be part of dear old CMC
Ever loyal to Claremont McKenna."

Since the spring of 1994, CMC's official school "song" has been played (and sung) during each fall convocation and spring commencementusually to a brass ensemble accompaniment. And it was no different this year when Registrar and Director of Institutional Research Elizabeth Morgan led graduates and guests in the familiar words printed in the 2009 Commencement programs.
Although perhaps not on par with such classic college ditties as Yale's "Bull Dog" fight song scribed by underclassman Cole Porter, circa 1912, CMC's song is a rousing ballad straight from the heartmake that hearts.
The song is the result of collaboration between Bonnie Snortum, director of the Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum at CMC, and Charlotte Cordes, a former staff member in the College's development office, and was "commissioned" by then-President Jack Stark in 1989.
"President Stark decided that the College needed a school song, so he asked Charlotte to create one," Snortum recalls. "Charlotte is also a fabulous organist who performed at all CMC special events, such as convocation and commencement. She contacted me and we began to work on it."
Prior to the Snortum/Cordes song, CMC didn't have anything approaching an "official song."
According to Cordes, CMC founding President George Benson's wife, Mabel, had written lyrics for several CMC songs. "Unfortunately, most referred to the men of CMC, which no longer accurately described the student body," Cordes says.
Lyrically, Snortum and Cordes tried to develop a rhythm compatible with "McKenna."
"A particular characteristic of traditional Scottish music is a sixteenth note followed by a dotted eighth (short-long) known as the Scottish snap,' Snortum says. "Since it is a tradition at CMC that ceremonial occasions include bagpipes, it didn't seem like such a stretch to add new words to the Jacobite Air, Loch Lomond, which was itself based on an older Scottish folk tune first noted in 1742.
Good songs are usually simple tunes with a limited melodic range," Snortum adds. "Also, on closer analysis, lyrics of traditional school songs, though intended to inspire, are generally rather corny. Although there are some who may disagree, we tried to avoid that."
Corny, nobut fun? Yes. While students and audiences manage the first lines of Claremont McKenna with relative ease, the Latin quote in the 5th line is a bit of a challenge. However, Snortum says, with enthusiastic leadership provided by Elizabeth Morgan, the Class of 2009 rose to the occasion in May and performed nobly.

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