Alla Breve
Parishioners who are alumni or fans of The Ohio State University may have a pang of nostalgia when we sing next week’s opening hymn, Come, Christians, Join to Sing. The hymn as we’ll be singing it would be rather out-of-place at a secular state school, but the tune used for the hymn was also used for a school song called Carmen Ohio which means “Song of Ohio.” Carmen Ohio was composed by freshman athlete and Men’s Glee Club member Fred Cornell in 1902 or 1903. The legend is that he composed it on the train trip back to Columbus after Ohio State suffered a devastating 86-0 loss to the despicable Michigan Wolverines, but more likely he composed it when asked by the Glee Club, and the train story is just an embellishment. He used the hymn tune “Spanish Hymn” (or “Madrid” as our hymnal calls it), which comes from a traditional Spanish melody. Carmen Ohio first appeared in a game program in 1906, and by 1916, it had replaced the university’s previous alma mater song. So all you Buckeyes out in the congregation should sing out nice and loud, but just be sure to sing the church words and not the OSU words!
|
|