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Band Performs X-Mas Songs

55 Students Gather, Sing Along at Steps of Widener Library

About 55 Harvard students, mostly first-years, gathered at midnight Saturday in front of Widener Library to hear the Harvard Band perform its 74th annual rendition of Christmas songs.

Some crowd members sang along with the music--the most popular hits were "Silent Night" and "Oh Come All Ye Faithful"--but other students were a bit shy.

One first-year, who asked not to be identified, was barely whispering the songs. "I'm kind of tone deaf," he said.

Others in the audience enjoyed the sing-along with gusto.

"I was studying chem--Chem 10. I have an exam Monday," said Khoa P. Le '97. "I needed a break." Looking for some serious diversion, Le had hung mistletoe from the brim of his baseball cap. It is unclear whether the mistletoe helped him with his chemistry.

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The band, meanwhile, played on, with Santa himself apparently on trumpet and crashing cymbals lending the performance of "Jingle Bells" special panache.

"The Widener steps are a very festive place," said John M. Bronsteen '97, an audience member who was not singing.

10,000 Men of Harvard

The only non-Christmas tune the band played was a stirring version of "The 10,000 Men of Harvard." Apparently stirred by the rhythms himself, a tuba player marched out into the audience, putting the mouth of the instrument over several audience members' heads.

At 12:35 a.m., the marching band marched off, led into the night by their Santa-cap-wearing, baton-waving conductor.

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