One Tune - Multiple Songs

One Sunday Juli and I were passing out hymnals at the beginning of Relief Society (women's meeting). Juli's husband completed dental school at The Ohio State last year and they moved to Kirkland. The pianist was playing prelude music. The music caught my attention. I looked at Juli and asked, "Why is she playing the Ohio State song?" Juli responded that she was thinking exactly the same thing!

The pianist was playing "Come Ye Children of the Lord." Click here and listen to it. Then click here and listen to "Carmen Ohio." (Click on the first play button after the lyrics for the instrumental version.)

Doesn't that bring a smile to your whole self?

Both songs use the melody "Spanish hymn" or "Spanish Chant." The tune was also used for the hymn "Come Christians, Join To Sing", Text: 1843 by Christian H. Bateman (1813-1889). Click here to listen.

When I mentioned this to a Worthington friend, she related the following experience. She and her husband moved from Utah to Columbus to attend school. The first Saturday they were in town they went to their first OSU football game. They experienced the Buckeye madness as they walked into the the stadium with thousands of Buckeye fans. She said to her husband, "They're playing 'Come Ye Children of the Lord.'" She was very impressed and surprised that the band would be performing this hymn for thousands of fans at a football game!

As I was sharing all this with Joe, we wondered, for the first time ever, why it's called "Carmen" Ohio. All you Buckeye fans probably already know that carmen is the Latin and Spanish word for song or poem. "Carmen Ohio" means "song of Ohio."

There's more -  "Carmen Ohio" has a Michigan connection. I found two accounts. Here and here. I like the version at the second link. In 1902, OSU freshman football player, Fred Cornell, was in Ann Arbor for the OSU-Michigan game. OSU was undefeated. Excitement was high. Amidst all the game hoopla and football songs, the crowd quieted and sang solemnly when the Michigan band played "The Yellow and  Blue." Fred Cornell decided Ohio State needed the same sort of song. On the train back to Columbus he wrote "Carmen Ohio." Ohio State had lost the game. They were "beaten and bloodied, but unbowed."

And now you know.

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