Work / monument · song

O Canada

first performed 24 June 1880; English words by Weir 1908; national anthem from 1 July 1980 · 19th century · Also known as Ô Canada

The Lieutenant Governor of Quebec, Théodore Robitaille, commissioned the song for the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day ceremony of 1880. Calixa Lavallée composed the music, and the poet and judge Sir Adolphe-Basile Routhier then wrote French words for it, as a French Canadian patriotic song for the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society. It was first performed on 24 June 1880 at a Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day banquet in Quebec City.

Songs in history

O Canada1880

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). O Canada. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/o-canada
MLA
“O Canada.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/o-canada. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “O Canada.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/o-canada.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘O Canada’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/o-canada (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻