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"Beautiful Ohio" is the official

song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetit ...

of the U.S.

State of Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

History

The first

lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a " libretto" and their writer, ...

were written in 1918 by

Ballard MacDonald Ballard MacDonald (October 15, 1882 – November 17, 1935) was an American lyricist, who was one of the writers of Tin Pan Alley. Born in Portland, Oregon, he was a charter member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers ...

and the music by Robert A. "Bobo" King, who used the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

Mary Earl. The melody is partly based on " Song of India" by

Rimsky-Korsakov Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov . At the time, his name was spelled Николай Андреевичъ Римскій-Корсаковъ. la, Nicolaus Andreae filius Rimskij-Korsakov. The composer romanized his name as ''Nicolas Rimsk ...

and " Beautiful Dreamer" by

Stephen Foster Stephen Collins Foster (July 4, 1826January 13, 1864), known also as "the father of American music", was an American composer known primarily for his parlour and minstrel music during the Romantic period. He wrote more than 200 songs, inc ...

. The original 1918 publication also featured a second

obbligato In Western classical music, ''obbligato'' (, also spelled ''obligato'') usually describes a musical line that is in some way indispensable in performance. Its opposite is the marking ''ad libitum''. It can also be used, more specifically, to indic ...

voice, using the tune " Love's Old Sweet Song". A bill passed by the Ohio General Assembly in 1969 made it the state's official song, and in 1989 adopted an amendment to section 5.09 of the

Ohio Revised Code The ''Ohio Revised Code'' contains all current statutes of the Ohio General Assembly of a permanent and general nature, consolidated into provisions, titles, chapters and sections. However, the only official publication of the enactments of the Ge ...

which changed the original words to a new set, written by Wilbert McBride. "Beautiful Ohio" was originally written as a

love song A love song is a song about romantic love, falling in love, heartbreak after a breakup, and the feelings that these experiences bring. A comprehensive list of even the best known performers and composers of love songs would be a large order ...

whose lyrics depict a "paradise of love divine." When McBride rewrote the lyrics for the 1989 version, he gave a much more accurate portrayal of Ohio by including things such as the state's

cities A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

and factories rather than two imaginary lovers.

Recordings

Popular versions in 1919 were by: *

Henry Burr Henry Burr (January 15, 1882 – April 6, 1941) was a Canadian singer, radio performer and producer. He was born Harry Haley McClaskey and used Henry Burr as one of his many pseudonyms, in addition to Irving Gillette, Henry Gillette, Alfred Alex ...

* Waldorf-Astoria Dance Orchestra * Prince's Orchestra *

Olive Kline Olive Kline (sometimes given as Olive Kline Hulihan or the pseudonym Alice Green) (July 7, 1887 – July 29, 1976) was an American soprano who is chiefly remembered for her recordings for Victor Records from 1912 to 1935. She recorded a wide rang ...

& Marguerite Dunlap *

Fritz Kreisler Friedrich "Fritz" Kreisler (February 2, 1875 – January 29, 1962) was an Austrian-born American violinist and composer. One of the most noted violin masters of his day, and regarded as one of the greatest violinists of all time, he was known ...

* Sam Ash

Jo Stafford Jo Elizabeth Stafford (November 12, 1917July 16, 2008) was an American traditional pop music singer, whose career spanned five decades from the late 1930s to the early 1980s. Admired for the purity of her voice, she originally underwent classi ...

included the song on her 1966 album ''

Do I Hear a Waltz? ''Do I Hear a Waltz?'' is a musical with a book by Arthur Laurents, music by Richard Rodgers, and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. It was adapted from Laurents' 1952 play ''The Time of the Cuckoo'', which was the basis for the 1955 film '' Summertime' ...

''.

Modern use

Though "Beautiful Ohio" was originally written as a waltz, one version of the song is a march, arranged by Richard Heine. It is commonly performed by

the Ohio State University Marching Band The Ohio State University Marching Band (OSUMB) is a university marching band named for and a part of the Ohio State University. The band, popularly nicknamed The Best Damn Band in the Land (TBDBITL), performs at football games and other events d ...

when traveling, including their appearance in the 2005

Inaugural In government and politics, inauguration is the process of swearing a person into office and thus making that person the incumbent. Such an inauguration commonly occurs through a formal ceremony or special event, which may also include an inaugur ...

Parade of

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

George W. Bush and at the 2009 Inauguration of President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...

. The original waltz version of the song is performed by the All Ohio State Fair Band (which holds shows multiple times a day during the

Ohio State Fair The Ohio State Fair is one of the largest state fairs in the United States, held in Columbus, Ohio during late July through early August. As estimated in a 2011 economic impact study conducted by Saperstein & Associates; the State Fair contribute ...

) at the beginning of every performance. The original waltz version of the song has been played at the end of cavern tours at Ohio Caverns in West Liberty, Ohio since 1928.

Original lyrics

''Long, long ago
'' ''Someone I know
'' ''Had a little red canoe,
'' ''In it room for only two.
'' ''Love found its start
'' ''Then in my heart,
'' ''And like a flower grew.
'' ''Chorus:
'' ''Drifting with the current down a moonlit stream,
'' ''While above the Heavens in their glory gleam,
'' ''And the stars on high
'' ''Twinkle in the sky,
'' ''Seeming in a paradise of love divine,
'' ''Dreaming of a pair of eyes that looked in mine.
'' ''Beautiful Ohio, in dreams again I see
'' ''Visions of what used to be.''

1989 lyrics

''I sailed away;
'' ''Wandered afar;
'' ''Crossed the mighty restless sea;
'' ''Looked for where I ought to be.
'' ''Cities so grand, mountains above,
'' ''Led to this land I love.
'' ''Chorus:
'' ''Beautiful Ohio, where the golden grain
'' ''Dwarf the lovely flowers in the summer rain.
'' ''Cities rising high, silhouette the sky.
'' ''Freedom is supreme in this majestic land;
'' ''Mighty factories seem to hum a tune, so grand.
'' ''Beautiful Ohio, thy wonders are in view,
'' ''Land where my dreams all come true!
''

Notes

External links

Streamed recordings of "Beautiful Ohio" as a waltz at the Ohio History Central Online EncyclopediaMp3 files of "Beautiful Ohio" as a march being played by the Ohio State University Marching Band
{{Authority control Music of Ohio

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

Symbols of Ohio Songs with lyrics by Ballard MacDonald Songs written by Robert A. King (composer) Songs about Ohio