O Canada! Series

For years concerts have opened with the playing of the Canadian national anthem. Kenneth Bray transcribed two great versions, one for concert band and one for orchestra. In response to a shortage of interesting versions of O Canada!, Eighth Note Publications has asked several of the arrangers on staff to make new and interesting versions for a variety of ensembles and difficulty levels. This is just the start of this project, and new versions will be released periodically in the catalogues to come.

O Canada! was not officially declared the national anthem until 1980 but had been the most popular national song since it had been written 100 years earlier. The need for a national song had been felt for some time and many people had attempted to compose such a piece.

Calixa Lavallée, a pianist and composer, was asked in early 1880 to write music for a national song to be performed at the French-Canadian National Festival. After the music was written, the festival president Ernest Gagnon asked Judge A.B. Routhier to write appropriate words for this new composition. It is also a fact that Gagnon suggested the first line to Routhier "O Canada!, terre des nos aieux". Even before its first public performance, the Quebec press proclaimed: "at last we have a truly French-Canadian National Song".

Although originally intended for French-Canadians, it became popular all over the contry and accepted as a national song. Following the first English performance in Toronto in 1901 there have been several English texts, the most widely used being the version by Stanley Wier written in 1908.

OC971	Woodwind Quintet - Arranged by Kenneth Bray	$10.00
OC972	Brass Quintet - Arranged by Kenneth Bray	$8.00
OC973	Trombone Quartet - Arranged by Craig I.W. Marlatt	$8.00
OC974	Trumpet Ensemble - Arranged by David Marlatt	$8.00
OC976	Solo Piano - Arranged by Craig I.W. Marlatt	$6.00

CB2029	Concert Band - Arranged by David Marlatt - sold separately	$50.00 (score - $12.00)