'O Canada' - the back story

As a 14 year old, the young Calixa Lavallée  left his native town of Montreal and joined the travelling troupe 'The New Orleans Minstrels' . He was embarking on a new exciting life on the road, touring around the USA as a musician. The year was 1859, some 180 years ago.

It must have been an extraordinary time, moving and performing throughout the States especially in the turbulent two years leading up to the outbreak of the American Civil War (1861). As a 16 year old, Lavallée enlisted in the 4th Rhode Island Infantry Regiment in New York to help the Unionist army cause. He served as a private and a musician in the regimental band for four years and returned to Montreal after the war. Now 21 years old, and perhaps older than his years, he started teaching music, composing, and arranging concerts.

Lavallée in Union Army uniform aged 19

Lavallée at 21 years old .

At 22, he went back to the States to tour again with The New Orleans Minstrels. He fell in love, got married, and left for Paris with his new bride Joséphine Gentilly. After a couple of years, he returned to Montreal, performing, composing, working as a pianist and music teacher.

Lavallée at 30 years old

Now in his early 30s, he conducted orchestral and operatic productions in concert halls travelling frequently between Canada and the USA. He had established himself on the music scene.

To celebrate St. Jean-Baptiste Day in 1880, the Lieutenant Governor of Québec, Théodore Robitaille, commissioned the now 37 year old Lavallée, to compose "O Canada". This was set to a patriotic poem by Adolphe-Basile Routhier and it became a popular tune of its time.

Lavallée ran into financial difficulties in Canada and so once again moved to the United States, establishing himself as the choirmaster at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston. He was plagued with illness and bad health and contracted tuberculosis. Sadly, he died in that City in 1891, penniless, aged just 49.

Lavallée towards the end of his life

Recognizing it as an important piece of Canadian Heritage, his composition for 'O Canada' was formally adopted as Canada's National Anthem in 1980 almost exactly 100 years after it was composed .

Although the accompanying words have been updated, the original music remains unchanged to this day.

As a Trio , we are exploring some of Lavallée's other compositions and hope to showcase some of his lesser known pieces in our up and coming concerts.

Selected musical works

• Peacocks in Difficulties/Loulou, comic opera

• The Bridal Rose Overture, operetta

• The King of Diamonds, overture

• L'Absence, lyrics by Remi Tremblay, 1882–1885

• L'Oiseau Mouche, Bluette de Salon, Op.11, 1865?

• La Rose Nuptiale, brass quintet

• Une Couronne de Lauriers, Caprice de Genre, Op.10, 1865

• Le Papillon (The Butterfly) Étude de Concert for piano, 1874/1884

• La Patrie (1874).

• Marche funèbre, 1878

• Violette, cantilène, lyrics by Napoleon Legendre and P.J. Curran, 1879

• "O Canada", 1880

• The Widow, 1881, comic opera (known in French as La veuve)

• TIQ (The Indian Question), Settled at Last, 1882, comic opera

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