The school songs play a great part in Harrow life. Generation
after generation of boys have sung these songs, and they form a
most potent bond of union between Harrovians of all ages, for
their words and music are as familiar to the old Harrovian of
sixty as to the present Harrovian of sixteen.
Most of these songs are due to the genius of two men, Edward Bowen
and John Farmer. Like Gilbert and Sullivan, neither of these
would, I think, have risen to his full height without the aid of
the other. Farmer had an inexhaustible flow of facile melody at
his command, always tuneful, sometimes almost inspired. In
addition to the published songs, he was continually throwing off
musical settings to topical verse, written for some special
occasion. These were invariably bright and catchy, and I am sorry
that Farmer considered them of too ephemeral a nature to be worth
preserving. "Racquets," in particular, had a delightfully ear-
tickling refrain. Bowen's words are a little unequal at times, but
at his best he is very hard to beat.
I had organ lessons from Farmer, and as I liked him extremely, I
was continually at his house.
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