Emil Andreas Fenstad (1870–1941) was born in Namsos, Norway, and lived with his family in Trondheim until he emigrated to Duluth, Minnesota, in April 1889, 18 or 19 years old. His father was a drummer with the local military band, so Emil probably played an instrument before coming to the U.S.
In the U.S. Fenstad served in the Army as a corporal and bandmaster in the Band of the 7th Cavalry Regiment, and his grave can be found at Arlington Cemetery.
Opie (probably a nickname) is Fenstad’s only known composition, published by Carl Fisher in 1910 after it had been adopted as the University of Maine drinking and fight song.
The march was unknown to most people when it was discovered in 1902 by Adelbert W. Sprague, playing in an orchestra in Bar Harbor, Maine. In 1904, Sprague, then a senior and the school’s band leader, was preparing for a concert to be held at the university. He handed the Trio section of Opie to his roommate, Lincoln Colcord, and asked him to provide some Maine-themed lyrics for the song.
The faculty advisor on music affairs was appalled when he learned that the lyrics saluted the drinking of beer from mugs. The legal drinking age in the United States is 21, although it could differ by state before the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984.
Oh, fill the steins to dear old Maine
Shout till the rafters ring
Stand and drink a toast once again
Let every loyal Maine man sing
Then drink to all the happy hours
Drink to the careless days
Drink to Maine, our alma mater
The college of our hearts always
The song soon became popular with the student body. The singer Rudy Vallée heard the song when he attended the University of Maine in the early 1920s. In 1929 he recorded the song, which was an immediate hit and topped the charts for two months, making it the leading song of 1930 in USA. No other college song has ever reached such popularity.
The present arrangement is based on the published piano sheet music and comprises the full march, not just the Stein Song.
The sound clip above is generated from sampled sounds (AI).
Descriptions and transcription are not AI generated.
Set contains one score and one copy of each part, as download or on paper. Copying allowed by acquiring band for their performances only. Additional copies may be obtained from the J. W. Pepper webshop.
Emil Andreas Fenstad (1870–1941) was born in Namsos, Norway, and lived with his family in Trondheim until he emigrated to Duluth, Minnesota, in April 1889, 18 or 19 years old. His father was a drummer with the local military band, so Emil probably played an instrument before coming to the U.S.
