O Canada

"O Canada"

National anthem of Canada
Also known asFrench: Ô Canada
LyricsAdolphe-Basile Routhier (French, 1880), Robert Stanley Weir (English, 1908)
MusicCalixa Lavallée, 1880
AdoptedJuly 1, 1980
Audio sample
Instrumental rendition by the US military's Third Marine Aircraft Wing Band

"O Canada" (French: Ô Canada) is the national anthem of Canada. The song was originally commissioned by Lieutenant Governor of Quebec Théodore Robitaille for the 1880 Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day ceremony; Calixa Lavallée composed the music, after which French-language words were written by the poet and judge Sir Adolphe-Basile Routhier.

The original French lyrics were translated to English in 1906.[1] Multiple English versions ensued, with Robert Stanley Weir's 1908 version (which was not a translation of the French lyrics) gaining the most popularity; the Weir lyrics eventually served as the basis for the official lyrics enacted by Parliament.[1] Weir's English-language lyrics have been revised three times, most recently when An Act to amend the National Anthem Act (gender) was enacted in 2018.[2] The French lyrics remain unaltered.

"O Canada" had served as a de facto national anthem since 1939, officially becoming the country's national anthem in 1980 when Canada's National Anthem Act received royal assent and became effective on July 1 as part of that year's Dominion Day (today's Canada Day) celebrations.[1][3]

  1. ^ a b c "Full history of 'O Canada'". Department of Canadian Heritage. January 5, 2018. Archived from the original on September 12, 2019. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  2. ^ Marshall, Alex (February 9, 2018). "The women who fought to make Canada's national anthem gender-neutral". BBC News. Archived from the original on February 9, 2018. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
  3. ^ DeRocco, David (2008). From sea to sea to sea: a newcomer's guide to Canada. Full Blast Productions. pp. 121–122. ISBN 978-0-9784738-4-6.

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