APPEAL FOR NEW SONGS.

Although a few football songs have already been submitted to the committee, the number does not indicate that any large proportion of the men capable of composing suitable songs have responded to the appeal. Each year a few new pieces come out, but it is not often that a really enduring composition is evolved. This is surely not due to lack of capable musicians, for Harvard certainly has its share of accomplished performers and composers. It is rather due, we believe, to the fact that the best class of musical talent in the University feels a distaste for writing a popular air. This is indeed a false prejudice, for while their scope is limited to music which will "sing" well, there should be a great opportunity to improve the quality of such music and incidentally to produce a masterpiece which will not pass from memory with one football season or with one College generation.

The need of new songs is of course immediate, since they should be rehearsed at mass meetings at a very early date. Although the time required to prepare a song for the competition may mean considerable sacrifice for a few days, we urge upon musicians of the University a response to the duty as well as the opportunity offered by the appeal of the Song Committee.