Carmen Ohio
Encyclopedia
"Carmen Ohio" is the oldest school song still used by Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...

. The song was composed by freshman Fred Cornell on the train ride home from Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...

, after Ohio State suffered an 86-0 loss to the University of Michigan Wolverines. Set to the tune Spanish Hymn, or Spanish Chant, the Men's Glee Club first performed the song in 1903; however, it did not gain popularity until after its October 10, 1906 publication in The Lantern
The Lantern
The Lantern is the name of the official, daily student-published university newspaper at The Ohio State University. It is one of the largest campus newspapers in the United States, reaching a circulation of 15,000....

. At the following Ohio State-Michigan football game on October 20, 1906, Carmen Ohio was published in the program. In 1915, Cornell recalled that he wrote the song in 1903 at the request of the Men's Glee Club, and other family members later stated that the train story might be an exaggeration or outright fabrication.
Currently, after every home football game in Ohio Stadium
Ohio Stadium
Ohio Stadium is the home of the Ohio State Buckeyes football team and is located on the campus of The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. The stadium was added to the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service on March 22, 1974...

, win or lose, the football team and the crowd sing the first verse of Carmen Ohio, accompanied by The Ohio State University Marching Band
The Ohio State University Marching Band
The Ohio State University Marching Band performs at Ohio State football games and other events during the fall quarter...

.

Band director Jack Evans and arranger Richard Heine adapted the song to the brass band for which Ohio State is famous. The sound of chimes from the Orton Hall bell tower (which themselves are based on the Westminster Quarters) were added as an introduction to the song.

Small selections of the lyrics, arranged at random, may be found in the Ohio Union building in the Columbus campus for the Ohio State University.

External links

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