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Happy Canada Day: Composer of Canadian anthem lived and died in Boston

By adamg on Fri, 07/01/2016 - 12:19pm

Turns out the author of "O, Canada" lived and died in Boston - although he did at least compose what became the Canadian national anthem while living in Canada in 1880.

Calixa Lavallee spent his last years in Boston - living at 4 Brookford St. in Dorchester and serving as choirmaster at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross. That was after he married a Lowell girl following the Civil War, during which he served with a Rhode Island regiment on the Union side, as one did.

When Lavallee, in January, 1891, just 48, a funeral Mass was held for him at the cathedral, after which he was buried in Mt. Benedict Cemetery in West Roxbury. However, in 1933, his remains were disinterred and then reburied in Montreal.

H/t Neal Gaffey.

Neighborhoods: 
Dorchester
Topics: 
History


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Comments

By 02120 on Fri, 07/01/2016 - 12:50pm.

He and his family owned 29 Worthington Street.

By anon on Fri, 07/01/2016 - 2:01pm.

Need's a bronze plaque STAT!

By anon on Fri, 07/01/2016 - 1:09pm.

it really should be Oh, Canadah (duh)? Although I've heard some with an old school Boston accent pronounce it Canader.

By anon on Sat, 07/02/2016 - 7:49pm.

Yes, the old style Boston accent would have said "Canader". John Kennedy used to say "Cuber" for "Cuba". A rule of thumb for he old style accent is that it dropped the "r'" where it should have been and added an "r" where there shouldn't be one.

By anon on Fri, 07/01/2016 - 1:20pm.

Interesting! Thank you. This is why I visit Uhub daily.

By Lunchbox on Fri, 07/01/2016 - 1:38pm.

This makes me think of a couple hosers in hockey sweaters frantically digging under cover of darkness, then absconding north, crossing the border just ahead of the authorities.