Songs

Songbook for an inauguration reception for Woodrow Wilson on March 3, 1913, given by the Washington, D.C., alumni association. Courtesy of Princeton University Archives

Songbook for an inauguration reception for Woodrow Wilson on March 3, 1913, given by the Washington, D.C., alumni association. Courtesy of Princeton University Archives

Signature songs of Princeton reinforce the collective spirit of all involved with the University community and give voice to times of celebration and shared experience. Some songs have become known beyond Princeton's gates, achieving popularity among a more general audience. In 1869, three undergraduates compiled the first "Carmina Princetonia," a collection of 77 songs "peculiar to Princeton" that have long provided the soundtrack of campus life.