Chesterton Tribune

 

 

Michael Boo arrangements celebrate Indiana Bicentennial through music

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Chesterton resident Michael Boo has participated in preparations for the celebrations of Indiana’s Bicentennial in a unique way.

A few months ago, Boo was commissioned by the Indiana Bandmasters Association to create a band arrangement of Indiana’s Official State Song, “On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away.” He decided to also create an arrangement of Indiana’s unofficial state song, “Back Home Again in Indiana.”

Both arrangements are available to every band director in the state, free of charge, in perpetuity. Directors have been encouraged by the IBA to perform these works during this Bicentennial year. Due to how each is arranged, bands of any expertise level and size can perform the selections. Boo also has provided additional parts for extremely small bands with limited instrumentation.

In his program notes, Boo shared some history and insight into the arrangements.

“Many Indiana residents may be surprised to learn that the official Indiana state song isn’t Back Home Again in Indiana, but rather, On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away. Written in 1897 by Paul Dresser, Wabash was one of the most popular songs of the day, earning the composer/lyricist Dresser over $100,000 from sales of sheet music. By the turn of the century, well over one million copies of the sheet music had been sold. The Indiana General Assembly adopted the piece as Indiana’s official state song in 1913, four years before getting around to adopting a state flag.

“Dresser’s lyrics are quite nostalgic, pining for his departed mother and also a woman he referred to as being his sweetheart, (who was actually fictitious). He set the piece geographically to reflect that his boyhood home really was on the banks of the Wabash.

“Back Home Again in Indiana was published in 1917, 20 years after the earlier Wabash. Composer Ballard MacDonald and lyricist James F. Harley each borrowed quite liberally from the earlier Wabash, so much so that Dresser’s estate filed a plagiarism lawsuit. However, as the copyright laws of the day were ambiguous and weak, the estate lost the case.

“Are the two tunes all that similar? Let’s take a look at some facts. The introduction to both tunes is unmistakably melodically and rhythmically the same. Other sections of the melodies and many of the chords are similar as well. And the lyrics of the two works leave no doubt that there wasn’t as much originality going on in the latter tune as there might have been.

“Among the lyrics of On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away are the following words: “Through the sycamores the candle lights are gleaming.” Compare that to this line from Back Home Again in Indiana. “The gleaming candle light, still shining bright, through the sycamores for me.”

Wabash: “From the fields there comes the breath of new mown hay.” And from Back Home Again: “The new-mown hay sends all its fragrance from the fields I used to roam.” Wabash: “Oh, the moonlight’s fair tonight along the Wabash.” Back Home Again: “When I dream about the moonlight on the Wabash.” Wabash: “I long to see my mother in the doorway.” Back Home Again: “Then I long for my Indiana home.”

“Considering that each tune is comprised of two short verses, that’s a lot of similarities within two compact packages. But each deserves further exposure and each captures in its own way the pride of living in Indiana.

“There is no doubt that Back Home Again in Indiana is currently the more popular and better known of the two songs. It’s likely that much of that is due to it being heard around the world on television each year just before the start of the Indianapolis 500. Just minutes earlier, On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away is heard as the race cars are brought onto the track, but that segment is generally not televised worldwide.”

These two new settings of these historic Indiana works were commissioned by the Indiana Bandmasters Association and are provided to all band directors free of charge. Each of the two works were directly arranged from the original piano sheet music, presented in the online music archives of Duke University.

“Indiana is famed for having a school music scene that is the envy of the rest of the country, and much of that is due to the diligent work of the members of the Indiana Bandmasters Association,” Boo concluded in his notes. “The arranger hopes these two band arrangements, made possible by the IBA, will help further preserve the historic heritage of both these songs. It is also hoped that more people will be enlightened and intrigued by the elements that bind these two songs forever together.”

 

Posted 7/1/2016

 

 
 
 
 

 

 

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