Loyalty Songs
Glenbrook South Alma Mater & Glenbrook South High School Fight Song "Blue and Gold"
Glenbrook South Alma Mater
The Glenbrook South Alma Mater music and lyrics were written by R. Owens. It was arranged by Dr. Walter Lamble, who was one of the choir teachers at Glenbrook South at that time. He worked with the choirs and was the department head for several years before his retirement. Dr. Lamble's arrangement is still in use. It is performed annually at the variety show and occasionally at sporting events. It was originally in the key of F but modified every year for the annual variety show.
Blue and Gold (Glenbrook South Fight Song)
"Blue and Gold", the fight song of Glenbrook South, was written by Clay Harvey, who was a band and music teacher at GBS. Clay's father was a high school music teacher in Chicago during the 1930s. He himself was an excellent trombonist and won a national award for it when he was in high school. Many people have claimed to have overheard him composing the song on one of the limed oak upright practice pianos in the music wing. Other music teachers, Walter Lamble and William Schnell, reportedly contributed to the writing, but this was never confirmed. It is unlikely that they did. Clay Harney initially intended for the song to be an up-tempo march with a high-energy Sousa-type feel, and it's great to see that the tune has remained popular over the years. It remains in the key of Bb as it correlates with the Alma Mater. As a 52-year career musician, many still appreciate Clay's composition both from a melodic and harmonic standpoint. "Glenbrook South - hat's off to you!" If you're a student at GBS, you've probably heard this spirited tune played at countless games and assemblies as a way to promote school spirit.
Glenbrook South, your spirit will inspire us to the end
And we will fight to never lose our hold!
If we win or lose, we've given all we had
To proudly see our flag unfold!
And in victory your name will ring throughout the land
And we'll be proud to shout your praises true.
So let's hear it for the blue and gold of brave Titan heroes,
Glenbrook South, hats off to you!
V-I-C-T-O-R-Y! Victory, Victory Glenbrook High!
There are several arrangements of Blue and Gold. Ranging from piano-vocal, choral, concert band, or marching band settings. I have gathered as much information as I can about the fight song and posted it here. Please email if you would like to request a high quality pdf or audio file.
Original Arrangement for Voice/Piano/Guitar
This audio file has minor changes to correlate with the current arrangement at GBS.
This copy is the first known version of the fight song; it has been the base skeleton for all other arrangements moving forward.
Blue and Gold arranged by Clay Harvey for Marching Band
Given the information provided on the score and its correlation to the piano/vocal score, I believe this is the original arrangment of Blue and Gold. This score was digitally remastered and has several audio recordings, but none fully correlate to the score.
Blue _ Gold - Full Score.pdfBlue and Gold arranged by Christopher Canzoneri for Concert Band
Chris Canzoneri is a former student teacher at Glenbrook South High School. He is a talented musician and arranger who loves to add his own unique touch to musical pieces. Chris is known for his arrangments, including the school's fight song, which he arranged to give it a more symphonic feel. He filled in harmonies and accompaniments with the high woodwinds and added an interlude in the middle of the piece. According to interviews, Chris is dedicated to his work and writes every single part out on sheets of staff paper by hand. He believes that the work put into the song is worth it and is proud to have contributed to the spirit of GBS.
The only score that has been saved of this arrangement was when Canzoneri revised the arrangement and saved it in Finale music notation software. The original version and parts were unlabeled and were most likely tossed during a purge of the music library.
Blue and Gold arranged by Clay Harvey for SATB Choir
This arrangement was made for the Glenbrook South Choir. Used with Dr. Walter Lamble and Dr. William Schnell, it was typically used in all major events before the 2000s. This arrangement is no longer in use, and today's choirs usually sing it in unison. If you would like a copy of that arrangement, please email David.
Blue and Gold arranged by Kevin Kastens for Marching Band
Kevin Kastens student taught with Pete Pappas in the fall of 1976. Pete Pappas asked Kastens if I could make some improvements to the previous arrangement. The only remaining parts of his arrangement are a trumpet and clarinet part, either good or bad quality. If you would like a copy of the remaining parts, please email David.
Blue and Gold arranged by David Lukaszczyk for Marching Band
This new arrangement of the fight song is currently being used by Glenbrook South High School. The previous interpretation was not in the best shape, and David decided to put in the effort to rearrange it. The previous version was taught by ear, and it didn't make much sense from a musical standpoint. David worked tirelessly on this new arrangement for four months throughout the academic year to encourage school spirit and involvement. He gave this arrangement as a gift to the band and the director of bands, with the intention of adapting the tune to the current size of the band, especially since it was right after the pandemic. This new arrangement is specifically tailored for a marching band.