Composed for orchestra, Harvard Sketches was completed in April of 1939. It was first performed on May 15, 1939 with the composer conducting the Boston Pops. Harvard Sketches was revised and published as "Alma Mater" in 1954 (see ìAlma Materî listing).
Harvard Sketches has four movements:
1. Lowell House Bells
2. Freshman in Harvard Square
3. Widener Reading Room
4. Class Day Confetti Battle
Composer quotes:"The idea of writing humorous music started with the "Harvard Sketches". Two of the sketches, "Freshman in Harvard Square" and "Widener Reading Room", were of a fanciful nature and had unusually enthusiastic reception from the audience, composed largely of Harvard graduates, undergraduates, and their friends. The "Freshman" theme was represented by a happy-go-lucky theme played slightly out of tune by the clarinet, and the setting for the "Reading Room" was a lullaby, interrupted by conversation and the librarian rapping on his desk for silence."