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Calixa Lavallée

Calixa Lavallée
Calixa Lavallée.png
Calixa Lavallée from 1873
Born (1842-12-28)December 28, 1842
Verchères, Quebec, Canada
Died January 21, 1891(1891-01-21) (aged 48)
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Occupation Canadian musician and composer
Nationality Canada

Calixa Lavallée, (Verchères, Québec, December 28, 1842 – Boston, Massachusetts, January 21, 1891), born Calixte Paquet dit Lavallée, was a French-Canadian-American musician and Union Army band musician during the American Civil War. He is best known for composing the music for O Canada, which officially became the national anthem of Canada in 1967, after a vote in the Senate and the House of Commons. The modern version became official with an Act of Parliament in 1980.

Calixa Lavallée was born near Verchères, a village near Montreal, Quebec. His father, Augustin Lavallée, was accomplished in many trades, including those of blacksmith, logger, bandmaster, self-taught luthier and bandleader. Calixa's father also worked for the pipe organ builder Joseph Casavant. Calixa Lavallée's mother was Charlotte-Caroline Valentine. He was the eighth generation of the Pasquier family (also known as Pasquet or Pâquet). On his father's side, his ancestor was Isaac Pasquier from Poitou, France. Issac Pasquier arrived in Nouvelle-France in 1665 as a soldier in the Carignan-Salières regiment. On his mother's side, he was related to James Valentine, a man from Scotland who moved to Verchères, a Montreal suburb, where he married Louise Leclerc.

Calixa began his musical education with his father, who taught him organ. Calixa also studied in Montréal with Paul Letondal and Charles Wugk Sabatier.At the age of 11, Calixa played organ. At age 13, he did a piano concert at the Théâtre royal de Montréal. In 1857, he moved to the U.S. and lived in Rhode Island. After touring the world as a musician, including in Brazil and Mexico, he returned to the US, where he enlisted in the 4th Rhode Island Volunteers of the Union army as a cornet player during the American Civil War. He attained the rank of Lieutenant. He was wounded in battle. During and after the war, he traveled between Canada and the United States building his career in music.


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