Fight song a collaborated effort

The Student Government Association, with the help of the Athletic Department, the Department for Student Affairs and Campus Life, has finally selected a fight song to represent the GCSU community of students, faculty, staff and alumni.

From a pool of approximately ten applicants, the winners responsible for the lyrics are Marcus Green, a junior and the SGA President Pro- Tempore, and Paul Rossetti, who is a sophomore music composition major.

While the fight song itself tells a story of a journey from old to new, both Green and Rossetti agree that creating this song was a journey that they will never forget.

The fight song entitled “Here Comes the Thunder” actually started off as two completely separate pieces of work. However, Ryan Greene, SGA President, felt like Green and Rossetti each had meaningful sections of their lyrics that would work best if combined.

The challenging part of the task for Green and Rossetti was figuring out which lines to keep, and what additional lines needed to be created for a smoothly flowing song.

“We had similar word choices but I think [Rossetti's] lyrics gave the song a style of new, while my words [Green] gave it a touch of old,” Green said.

It seems that the combination of Green and Rossetti’s lyrical styles directly reflect the type of school they attend. GCSU never forgets its past, but will strive to continue to flourish in the future.

“GCSU is the new thing with the old touch of intrinsic beauty,” Rossetti said.

Rossetti further explains that, looking at our campus from the outside, one will see beautiful historical buildings; however, upon entering, the technological advances are abundant.

When “Here Comes The Thunder” was completed and approved, Green and Rossetti were left with a fight song that they can give to their college that “has substance people can relate on several levels,” Green said.

Although the lyrics are finished, the composition of the song is still being completed and approved, by Dr. Douglas O’Grady, the assistant professor of music.

“I tend to write in a contemporary style, but I had to reach back in the past,” O’Grady said.

While listening and researching other fight songs, O’Grady was able to create a traditional yet upbeat rhythm that accompanies the words with ease.

In order for “Here Comes The Thunder” to be a easy and enjoyable song to chant and sing, O’Grady made sure that there was a straight forward rhythm.

Beginning by working with the basic harmonies on his black, upright Yamaha piano, O’Grady completed most of the composition in a music program entitled Finale.

Finale is able to break down each section of the fight song for all the instruments of the pep squad, which include piccolos, clarinets, saxophones, trumpets, horns, trombones, baritones, a bass guitar, drums, and vocalists.

“I consider it an honor to be apart of this [creation of the fight song],” said O’Grady, “It will be here long after I am gone. It is much like a legacy.”

With the excitement of GCSU’s new fight song rising, the wait will not be much longer with “Here Comes The Thunder” premiering on Feb. 21 at the 2009 Homecoming basketball game.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Jan 30 2009. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry