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.”