Brooks School - Bishop Yearbook (North Andover, MA)

Page 31 text:

Baker from growing, Scudder from it all,- Buckey from Chamberlain, O. Root from birds, Parkman from loafing, Shepley from words, Where Harvards cease from troubling and Elis are at rest, And Wigglesworth's fire engines may receive a proper test. Num dimiltis, Domine, from dormitory life, Who leaves a bachelor estate, but hasn't got a wife. Long live the Tower, swift rise the walls! When strikes the hour and duty calls, We'll all be there in one big bunch For breakfast, supper and for lunch, We'll spend the night and spend the day And when we come again we'll say: John Tower Thompson, master, may you live Forever, long enough that you may give The friendship that is planted in your heart A chance to bloom and bear its fruit! -Now start! 27 F. D. A

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POEM GIVEN BY MR. ASHBURN AT THE BREAKING OF GROUND FOR MR. THOMPSON'S IVORY TOWER, APRIL 28, 1939 Dear Mr. Thompson, Ladies, Gents: We meet for one of the events That move the world, at least move Earth, At the parthenogenetic birth Of this, the artist's Ivory Tower, The old Grads' meal check, Zimmy's bower, A place where all the French or Math dubs May find meals and better bathtubs. How sweet the brave who sink to rest Billowed in Mr. Thompson's best! How brave the sweet who plans upon Becoming permanent Mrs. John! Yet it requireth courage stout To know what building's all about. My heart aches, and a numbness pains When I consider all the drains, The pomp of passion and the lines of power, The ice chests, lest the milk and cream go sour, The paint jobs, plaster and the furnishings, The creature comforts and the burnishings. We gather here, we gather as of right In highbrow grace and military might To celebrate, ere digging's begun, The name and fame of Sag's illustrious son. Proud Williams beams and Gardner House is proud While every Kappa Alpha cries aloud. Astoria has a civic holiday, And Harvard Square drops its indifferent way, For John T. Thompson's building himself a nook'- CHe had, fortunately, just what it tookb. 'Twill be the seat of learning and repose, With room for Buicks and our T.T.'s clothes, Where each New Yorker still with Hamlet meets And Tyner still can hear Grand Canyon Suites, Where Stabler wearied after running College Sits at the feet of Primal Knowledge, Where the world-weary sons of Brooks will come, The bright, the dull, the sober, and the Plumb, A caravanserai, as years go on, For every son of Brooks, the 'Club Chez John,' Where Ox may rest from rowing, Fess from ball, 26

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MUSIC 1938-1939 HIS school year has been another most successful one from the musical point of view, and once again this success may be particularly attributed to Mr. Flint, who, not only by his indefatigable and well-rewarded efforts with the choir, but also by his excellent organ-playing in the Chapel throughout the year, has contributed immeasurably to the noble cause of en- couraging the appreciation of good music in the school. Aside from Mr. Flint, the greatest asset to music in the school this year was the anonymous donation ofa really fine pipe organ. The particulars of this instrument may be found in the fall issue of the Archbishop. Suiiice it to say now, that it has already proved to be of tremendous value both by permitting for the first time the rendition of organ music as it really should sound, and as an aid to the singing of the choir. The fact that the choir, although larger this year than ever before, was still mainly composed of veterans of at least one or two years standing, meant that it had a fairly large repertoire of anthems which could be prepared rela- tively easily. Consequently there was more time in which to rehearse the new material needed for the two concerts with Concord and the Cantata recital with Mlle. Boulanger, all of which took place in the Spring term. Two concerts with Concord Academy were given: the first, here, on April 29, the other at Concord, on May 6. The program consisted offive groups, the first ofwhich was performed by the joint choirs, and contained three anthems: Haydn's The Heavens fire Telling, Bach's ffesa foy QfMHH,5 Desiring, and Holst's Turn Back O Man. Concord then presented separately seven songs, the most memorable of which were Ave Verum Corpus by Mozart, and Purcell's Passing By, in which Edith Cowles sang one verse as a solo. Next came three secular pieces by our own choir, the most popular of which was St. Patrick, an amusing lrish folk song. This group was concluded by Bach's difficult My Spirit Be Joyful from Cantata 146. The next group, which had required the most preparation, was presented by the joint Madrigal chorus, consisting of select members from both Choirs. They rendered four songs, by Festa, La-Ieune, Gibbons, and Pur- cell. The concert was concluded with two Gilbert and Sullivan choruses: name- ly, Take It as It Comes from The Gondoliers, and Behold the Lord High Ex- ecutioner from the Mikado. Both concerts were greatly enjoyed, both by the participants and by the audiences. Not the least popular feature of the Concord Glee Club's visit to us was the informal dance which was held afterwards to the strains of Chase's phonograph. It is certainly to be hoped that it will be possible to continue this extremely successful and popular arrangement with Concord for many years to come. Bach's Canlata 150, which the choir performed in the chapel under the direction of Mlle. Boulanger, was probably the most diflicult music which the choir has ever undertaken. The task of learning the notes and singing the Ger- 28