Sentimental and Spanish Tunes Top Favorites Among Students

Old-fashioned sentimentality and Spanish senoritas are the latest numbers on Harvard's musical hit parade. That students in Cambridge cling to the accepted tunes and types in popular music and fail to take the lead in forming styles or hits, is the opinion of the leading record concerns on the Square.

Sixty percent of Harvard purchases are classical records, while the remaining forty consist of popular pieces. The latter classification divides into smooth and hot numbers with the sweeter songs enjoying a twenty-five to fifteen percent lead.

These figures are excessively top-heavy on the classical side. Estimates at Dartmouth, B. C., and the Little Three reveal a decisive leading toward lighter types more nearly recording the same figures in reversed order. Yale, however, tends to reach Harvard's mark.

In the classical field, symphonies remain the dependable favorite at Cambridge with Beethoven and Wagner holding a wide margin over all other composers. The one recent alteration in the classics is a now interest in the works of string quartets and small instrumental groups. An explanation for this is that collectors, who possess the better-known records, are now branching out into novelties.

The most startling note in the popular group is Harvard's acceptance of the conventional path. When the country acclaims a band or song or when a number is rated high on the Hit Parade broadcast, sales to Harvard students take a rapid jump. Tommy Dorsey, Glenn Miller, and Will Bradley are praised and followed by the Harvard faithful. At the moment, Bonny Goodman is making a comeback since the critics have approved his new band.

The country is becoming South American conscious and the interest is reflected in Harvard record collections. Xavier Cugat and his rumbas and congas are the hits of the minute. Tunes like "Down Argentine Way" parallel the tango bands' success.

Smooth numbers show no spurts of popularity with numbers as old as "Stardust" consistently being purchased today. Hot jazz tends to be less definite with tunes changing position almost every day as a fad as boogey-woogey or songs like "He's My Uncle" grasp undergraduate imaginations.