Calixa Lavallée was a Canadian composer who lived from 1842 to 1891. He wrote the music for “O Canada,” the national anthem. He was a pianist, a bandsman, a conductor, and a teacher, and he spent much of his life on the road in Canada and the United States. The best first piece for a child is the anthem itself, which most Canadian children can sing already.
Quick facts
- Born: 1842, in Verchères, in what is now Quebec
- Died: 1891, in Boston, Massachusetts
- Era: Romantic
- Played: piano, violin, organ, and cornet
- Known for: the music of “O Canada”
The life in short
Lavallée’s father was a blacksmith who built instruments and led a band. Calixa grew up with music in the house and learned several instruments as a boy.
He went to the United States as a young man. During the American Civil War, he joined a regiment from Rhode Island in the Union Army as a musician. He became the band’s lead cornet player.
After the war, he worked as a pianist and conductor in one city after another: Montreal, Quebec City, New Orleans, Boston, and New York among them. In the 1870s, he spent two years in Paris to study piano and composition.
Back in Quebec, he wanted to start a national music school. The plan did not find support.
In 1880, French Canadians held a large national gathering in Quebec City. The organizers wanted a new national song, and they asked Lavallée for the music. Judge Adolphe-Basile Routhier wrote the French words. The song was first played on June 24, 1880.
Lavallée moved to Boston soon after. He taught, led a cathedral choir, and wrote music for the stage. In 1886, the music teachers of the United States chose him as president of their national association.
He died in Boston in 1891. In 1933, his remains were brought home to Montreal.
How the song became the anthem
“O Canada” took time to spread. French Canadians sang it first. The English words most people sing today came later. Robert Stanley Weir wrote them in 1908.
For many years, Canada used “O Canada” and “God Save the King” side by side. Parliament made “O Canada” the national anthem by law in 1980, 100 years after it was written.
Lavallée never knew. He had been dead for almost 90 years.
What the music sounds like
Lavallée wrote in the style of his time. His tunes are broad and easy to sing, and his piano music is quick and showy. He wrote for the people in front of him: band players, theater audiences, and piano students.
“O Canada” moves in slow, even steps, with one strong climb near the end. That shape makes it easy for a crowd to sing together.
Pieces to play first
“O Canada.” Listen to it played by a band, sung by a choir, and sung by one voice at a hockey game. Ask which version your child likes best.
“Le Papillon.” The title means “The Butterfly.” It is a fast piano study that flutters from the top of the keyboard to the bottom.
Music from The Widow. Lavallée wrote this comic opera in the United States. Its waltz and overture are light and cheerful.
“The Bridal Rose” overture. A piece that concert bands still play.
Things to do together
Sing it both ways. Learn the first lines of “O Canada” in French and in English. The French words came first.
Find Verchères. It is a town on the St. Lawrence River, near Montreal. Trace the river to Quebec City, where the anthem was first played.
Cornet or trumpet? Lavallée played the cornet, a cousin of the trumpet with a rounder, softer tone. Look at pictures of both and spot the difference. Read the trumpet for kids.
Count the years. The song was written in 1880 and became the anthem in 1980. Ask your child how old the song is now.
Print and play
Fill in a composer study notebook page for Calixa Lavallée. Meet seven more composers from Canada in Canadian composers for kids. For the era he lived in, read Romantic era music for kids.
For more composers by era, see classical composers for kids.
Sources
Checked in November 2026.
- The Canadian Encyclopedia. Calixa Lavallée.
- The Canadian Encyclopedia. “O Canada”.
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This article is part of Classical composers for kids: a guide by era, from Vivaldi to Britten.
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Use it with your kids
Print a listening page, a practice chart, or a composer fact sheet. Or try a tool, such as the composer timeline or the piece picker.