Oklahoma! (song)
Encyclopedia
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"Oklahoma" is the title song from, and the finale to, the Broadway
musical
Oklahoma!, named for the setting of the musical play.
The music and lyrics were written by Richard Rodgers
and Oscar Hammerstein II
. The melody is reprise
d in the main title of the 1955 film version and in the overture
s of both film and musical productions.
Midway through the second act of the play, after the principals Curly and Laurey are married, Curly begins to sing the song and is soon joined by the entire cast as a chorus. The lyric, which briefly depicts the Midwestern twang phonetically, describes the landscape and prairie weather in positive language. It further emphasizes the wholesome aspects of rural life, and the steadfast dedication of the region's inhabitants, against the overtly stated formal backdrop of the territory's impending admission to the Union in 1907.
Hammerstein's lyric is also notable and memorable for its trochaic
re-iteration of its title as a chant, and the final iambic eight-letter spelling of the title as a play on the colloquial English word "Okay
".
The state of Oklahoma
officially adopted the song as its state song in 1953. It is the only official state song from a Broadway musical. State Representative George Nigh
, who later served as the state's Governor, was the principal author of the legislation designating the state song.http://www.ecok.edu/news/news_2007_2008/2007_10/anoatubby_inducted.htm
regularly uses two arrangements of the song. "Fanfare and Oklahoma", the first part of the Pride's pregame performance, begins and ends with the melody of "Boomer Sooner
". A second, shorter arrangement is closer to the original Broadway version.
The Oklahoma State University Cowboy Marching Band plays a version of the song at sporting events. It is tradition to yell "State!" at the end of the song to show school pride. The school has received permission from Rodgers and Hammerstein to change the ending of the song to include the word "state."
"Oklahoma" is the title song from, and the finale to, the Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
musical
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
Oklahoma!, named for the setting of the musical play.
The music and lyrics were written by Richard Rodgers
Richard Rodgers
Richard Charles Rodgers was an American composer of music for more than 900 songs and for 43 Broadway musicals. He also composed music for films and television. He is best known for his songwriting partnerships with the lyricists Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II...
and Oscar Hammerstein II
Oscar Hammerstein II
Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein II was an American librettist, theatrical producer, and theatre director of musicals for almost forty years. Hammerstein won eight Tony Awards and was twice awarded an Academy Award for "Best Original Song". Many of his songs are standard repertoire for...
. The melody is reprise
Reprise
Reprise is a fundamental device in the history of art. In literature, a reprise consists of the rewriting of another work; in music, a reprise is the repetition or reiteration of the opening material later in a composition as occurs in the recapitulation of sonata form, though—originally in the...
d in the main title of the 1955 film version and in the overture
Overture
Overture in music is the term originally applied to the instrumental introduction to an opera...
s of both film and musical productions.
Midway through the second act of the play, after the principals Curly and Laurey are married, Curly begins to sing the song and is soon joined by the entire cast as a chorus. The lyric, which briefly depicts the Midwestern twang phonetically, describes the landscape and prairie weather in positive language. It further emphasizes the wholesome aspects of rural life, and the steadfast dedication of the region's inhabitants, against the overtly stated formal backdrop of the territory's impending admission to the Union in 1907.
Hammerstein's lyric is also notable and memorable for its trochaic
Trochee
A trochee or choree, choreus, is a metrical foot used in formal poetry consisting of a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed one...
re-iteration of its title as a chant, and the final iambic eight-letter spelling of the title as a play on the colloquial English word "Okay
Okay
"Okay" is a colloquial English word denoting approval, acceptance, agreement, assent, or acknowledgment. "Okay" has frequently turned up as a loanword in many other languages...
".
The state of Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
officially adopted the song as its state song in 1953. It is the only official state song from a Broadway musical. State Representative George Nigh
George Nigh
George Patterson Nigh , is a popular civic leader in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Nigh served as the 17th and the 22nd Governor of Oklahoma. He was the first Oklahoma Governor to be re-elected and the first to win all 77 counties in the state...
, who later served as the state's Governor, was the principal author of the legislation designating the state song.http://www.ecok.edu/news/news_2007_2008/2007_10/anoatubby_inducted.htm
Arrangements
The Pride of Oklahoma Marching BandThe Pride of Oklahoma Marching Band
The Pride of Oklahoma Marching Band, known as "The Pride", is the student marching band for the University of Oklahoma Sooners.-Early years:The Pride was founded in 1901 as a pep band to play at Sooner football games...
regularly uses two arrangements of the song. "Fanfare and Oklahoma", the first part of the Pride's pregame performance, begins and ends with the melody of "Boomer Sooner
Boomer Sooner
The Boomer Sooner Fight Song is the fight song for the University of Oklahoma written by Arthur M. Alden in 1905. The tune is taken from "Boola Boola", the fight song of Yale University...
". A second, shorter arrangement is closer to the original Broadway version.
The Oklahoma State University Cowboy Marching Band plays a version of the song at sporting events. It is tradition to yell "State!" at the end of the song to show school pride. The school has received permission from Rodgers and Hammerstein to change the ending of the song to include the word "state."