O Canada
"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.
This article is about the national anthem of Canada. For other uses, see O Canada (disambiguation).Also known as
French: Ô Canada
Adolphe-Basile Routhier (French, 1880), Robert Stanley Weir (English, 1908)
Calixa Lavallée, 1880
July 1, 1980
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]
Adaptations
In the 1950s, the melody of "O Canada" was adapted for the school anthem of the Ateneo de Manila University. Titled "A Song for Mary" or simply "The Ateneo de Manila Graduation Hymn", the song's lyrics were written by James B. Reuter, SJ, and the tune was adapted by Col. José Campaña.[53]
