"Stand, Columbia" is the official

alma mater Alma mater (; : almae matres) is an allegorical Latin phrase meaning "nourishing mother". It personifies a school that a person has attended or graduated from. The term is related to ''alumnus'', literally meaning 'nursling', which describes a sc ...

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. It was written in Gilbert Oakley Ward for the university's 1902 Class Day ceremonies, and is sung to the tune of Joseph Haydn's "

Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser "" (; ), also called the "Kaiserhymne" (; ), is an anthem composed in 1797 by Joseph Haydn. In its original version it was paired with lyrics by Lorenz Leopold Haschka and served as a patriotic song, expressing devotion to Francis II, Emperor ...

", which served as the melody for the Austrian national anthem until 1938, and was adopted as the

German national anthem The "", officially titled "", is a German poem written by August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben . A popular song which was made for the cause of creating a unified German state, it was adopted in its entirety in 1922 by the Weimar Republi ...

in 1922. The hymn is traditionally played at the university's

baccalaureate services A baccalaureate service (or baccalaureate Mass) is a celebration that honors a graduating class from a college, high school, or middle school. The event is typically a Christianity-based interdenominational (ecumenical) service, though it may ...

and commencements. Another song, "Sans Souci", serves as the alma mater of Columbia College. Composed by alumnus Percy Fridenburg around 1888 while studying medicine in Germany, the tune is based on a German drinking song—the first two stanzas are translations from the original German song, while the third is Fridenburg's own addition. During the first half of the 20th century, it was more popular among students than "Alma Mater", and served as the unofficial alma mater of the entire university. It was officially adopted by Columbia College in 1949. The use of the Austrian Hymn as the tune for "Stand, Columbia", has often been a point of curiosity. Czech historian Leo M. Mladen once facetiously suggested that the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

should set up a system to copyright national anthems, so that Austria could prevent both Germany and Columbia University for using its traditional anthem. Following

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the fact that "Stand, Columbia" should share the same tune as the German anthem has been described as "disturbing". The song was also criticized by ''The Bookman'' for its tune, due to its more popular association with both the

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a Multinational state, multinational European Great Powers, great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the Habsburg monarchy, realms of the Habsburgs. Duri ...

and the English hymn, " Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken"; however, the journal did concede that "Columbia was fortunate enough to get some very spirited words" in its alma mater. "Sans Souci", on the other hand, was described as the "one song which really belongs to olumbia" its tune being previously relatively unknown. A 1918 march titled "Columbia" by

Edwin Franko Goldman Edwin Franko Goldman (January 1, 1878 – February 21, 1956) was an American composer and conductor. One of the most significant American band composers of the early 20th century, Goldman composed over 150 works, but is best known for his March ...

was based on "Stand, Columbia".

Lyrics

The original lyrics to "Stand, Columbia" are as follows: Today usually only the first and third verses are sung.

References

{{Ivy League alma mater navbox Culture of Columbia University American college songs Alma mater songs 1902 songs Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser