Varsity (toast)
Encyclopedia
"Varsity" is the alma mater of the University of Wisconsin–Madison
. The final lines of the song are accompanied by the singers waving their right arms.
. Over the years "Varsity Toast" has been shortened to "Varsity".
students waving their caps as they sang their alma mater after losing to the University of Illinois football team
. The image stuck with Raymond Dvorak, then assistant band director for the University of Illinois. In 1934 Dvorak became the band director for the University of Wisconsin. That same year, following a speech by the University’s president, Glenn Frank, Dvorak instructed the students to watch for his cue to wave their hands as they sang the final lines to "Varsity". The wave caught on and is now a tradition at the University of Wisconsin.
U-rah-rah! Wisconsin!
Praise to thee we sing! (We sing!)
Praise to thee, our Alma Mater,
U-rah-rah! Wisconsin!
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
. The final lines of the song are accompanied by the singers waving their right arms.
History
The "Varsity Toast" was composed in 1898 by Henry Dyke Sleeper, an instructor for the University’s School of Music. The work was adapted from the Latin hymn Domine Salvam Fac written by Charles GounodCharles Gounod
Charles-François Gounod was a French composer, known for his Ave Maria as well as his operas Faust and Roméo et Juliette.-Biography:...
. Over the years "Varsity Toast" has been shortened to "Varsity".
History of the arm wave
The arm wave was inspired by the striking image of the University of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
students waving their caps as they sang their alma mater after losing to the University of Illinois football team
Illinois Fighting Illini
The Fighting Illini are the intercollegiate athletic teams of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The University offers 10 men's and 11 women's varsity sports....
. The image stuck with Raymond Dvorak, then assistant band director for the University of Illinois. In 1934 Dvorak became the band director for the University of Wisconsin. That same year, following a speech by the University’s president, Glenn Frank, Dvorak instructed the students to watch for his cue to wave their hands as they sang the final lines to "Varsity". The wave caught on and is now a tradition at the University of Wisconsin.
Lyrics
Varsity! Varsity!U-rah-rah! Wisconsin!
Praise to thee we sing! (We sing!)
Praise to thee, our Alma Mater,
U-rah-rah! Wisconsin!