Alexander Muir (5 April 1830 – 26 June 1906) was a Canadian songwriter, poet, soldier, and school headmaster. He was the composer of "

The Maple Leaf Forever "The Maple Leaf Forever" is a Canadian patriotic song written by Alexander Muir (1830–1906) in 1867, the year of Canada's Canadian Confederation, Confederation. He wrote the work after serving with the Queen's Own Rifles of Toronto in defence ...

", which he wrote in October 1867 to celebrate the

Confederation of Canada Canadian Confederation () was the process by which three British North American provinces—the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick—were united into one federation, called the Dominion of Canada, on July 1, 1867. This process ...

Early life

In 1833 Muir immigrated to

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, from

Lesmahagow Lesmahagow ( ; or ''Lesmahagae'', ) is a small town in the historic county of Lanarkshire on the edge of moorland, near Lanark in the central belt of Scotland. Lesmahagow was also a civil parish. It lies west of the M74 motorway, M74, and sout ...

, Scotland, where he grew up and he was educated by his father. Muir later studied at Queen's College, where he graduated in 1851.

Career

Muir taught in the

Greater Toronto Area The Greater Toronto Area, commonly referred to as the GTA, includes the Toronto, City of Toronto and the regional municipality, regional municipalities of Regional Municipality of Durham, Durham, Regional Municipality of Halton, Halton, Regional ...

in such places as

Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, sub ...

(School Section # 6 in what is now Woburn.) and Toronto, as well as in Newmarket, Beaverton, and in then suburban areas as Parkdale and

Leslieville Leslieville is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated east of the Don River. It is bounded by the Canadian National railway line and Gerrard Street to the north, McGee Street to the west, Eastern Avenue to south, and Coxwell ...

, where he lived on Laing Avenue. During the early 1870s, Alexander Muir was an elementary school teacher in Newmarket. When the cornerstone of the Christian Church in Newmarket was being laid on 25 June 1874, by the Governor General,

Lord Dufferin Frederick Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 1st Marquess of Dufferin and Ava, (21 June 182612 February 1902), was a British public servant and prominent member of Victorian society. In his youth he was a popular figure in the court of Queen Victoria, ...

, Muir brought his school choir to the event to sing his new composition "

", its first public performance. From 1860 to 1870, he was principal of Leslieville School in Toronto. He was later (1888-1901) principal of Toronto's Alexander Muir/Gladstone Junior and Senior Public School (renamed after his death in his honour). Muir was a noted Canadian Orangeman. He joined

The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada is a Primary Reserve regiment of the Canadian Armed Forces, based in Toronto. The regiment is part of 4th Canadian Division's 32 Canadian Brigade Group. It is the only reserve regiment in Canada to currently have ...

in 1860 and served as Lieutenant in No. 10 (Highland) Company, fighting with them at the

Battle of Ridgeway The Battle of Ridgeway (sometimes the Battle of Lime Ridge or Limestone Ridge) was fought in the vicinity of the town of Fort Erie across the Niagara River from Buffalo, New York, near the village of Ridgeway, Ontario, Ridgeway, Canada West, curr ...

being wounded in the arm. He was later awarded the

Canada General Service Medal The Canada General Service Medal was a campaign medal awarded by the Canadian Government to both Imperial and Canadian forces for duties related to the Fenian raids between 1866 and 1871. The medal was initially issued in 1899 and had to be a ...

. He also wrote "The Maple Leaf Forever" while he was serving with the regiment.

Music

Although Muir's musical activities were on an amateur level, they were strongly emphasized along with athletics and patriotism during his teaching career. Muir wrote several songs about Canada during his career, including "Canada Forever" and "Young Canada Was Here", but his most enduring composition was "

", written in 1867, the year of Confederation. Muir originally wrote the poem for a patriotic poetry contest in Montreal, winning second prize. He then looked for an existing melody that would fit, a very common practice (it was not unusual for a poem printed in a journal to bear the statement "May be sung to the tune of..."). When he failed to find a suitable tune, Muir wrote the music himself.

Death and legacy

Muir died unexpectedly in Toronto on June 26, 1906. He was buried at Mount Pleasant Cemetery. A number of places have been named in his honor: *

Alexander Muir Memorial Gardens Alexander Muir Memorial Gardens is a municipal park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The park was created in 1933 by public subscription to honour Alexander Muir, who composed the song "The Maple Leaf Forever". The park was originally located opposi ...

, a municipal park in Toronto, Ontario * Alexmuir Park, a small park in Scarborough, Ontario * Maple Leaf Forever Park, a municipal park in Toronto, Ontario, named after Muir's composition "The Maple Leaf Forever" * Schools which have been named after him are: **Alexander Muir/Gladstone Ave Junior and Senior Public School in Toronto **Alexmuir Junior Public School in Scarborough **Alexander Muir Public School in Newmarket **formerly Alex Muir Public School in Sault Ste Marie which has now been repurposed into a 16 unit apartment building. * Mount Muir in Alberta/British Columbia is named for him.

References

;Bibliography *

External links

*
The Maple Leaf Forever MP3The Maple Leaf Forever MIDI FileThe Maple Leaf Forever Johnson, Edward, 1878-1959
{{DEFAULTSORT:Muir, Alexander 1830 births 1906 deaths Province of Canada people People from Lesmahagow People of the Fenian raids Heads of schools in Canada Scottish emigrants to pre-Confederation Ontario Queen's Own Rifles of Canada Canadian male songwriters Musicians from Toronto Immigrants to Upper Canada National anthem writers Burials at Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto