The Songs FDR Knew

In May, 2009 the FDR Suite Foundation had an amazing opportunity to record some of the favorite melodies from FDR's time at Harvard, thanks to the good offices of our friends at parlorsongs.com, who sifted through their immense collection of sheet music to find period tunes. Kudos, too, to our pianist/arranger, former Adams House music tutor David Trippett, and tenor John Kapusta '09 of Currier House, who generouslyworked to make these recordings.

Though not particularly remembered for his love of music, FDR the student was no stranger to popular songs of the day. He, along with his roomate Lathrop Brown, were both members of the Harvard Glee Club, and together leased an upright piano for their Harvard digs, supposedly for practice, but also, as FDR admits to his mother, for entertainment.

Eventually a similar period piano, as well as the actual sheet music (already donated by parlorsongs.com) will again grace the FDR Suite.

In the meantime, enjoy a bit of Harvard 1900 by clicking on any of the covers below:

Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home?	A Bird in a Gilded Cage
Cindy You're My Dream	Down in Tennessee
In the Good Old Summer Time	Just a Gleam of Heaven in Her Eyes
Silver Threads Among the Gold	Taking a Trip Up the Hudson
Babes In Toyland	Hiawatha

 

© 2009 The FDR Suite Foundation, Inc. in benefit of the FDR Suite Restoration Project