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 song written by Alexander Muir (1830–1906) in 1867, the year of Canada's Confederation. He wrote the work after serving with the Queen's Own Rifles of Toronto in the Battle of Ridgeway against the Fen ...

'', which he wrote in October 1867 to celebrate the

Confederation of Canada Canadian Confederation (french: Confédération canadienne, link=no) 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 o ...

Early life

In 1833 Muir immigrated to

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, from

Lesmahagow Lesmahagow ( ; sco, Lismahagie or ''Lesmahagae'', gd, Lios MoChuda) 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 o ...

, 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

Portrait of Alexander Muir, 1830-1906 OHQ-PICTURES-S-R-723

Muir taught in the Greater Toronto Area in such places as Scarborough 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 Av ...

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

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

, 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 ("In peace prepared") , colours = None (Rifle regiments have no colours) , march = , mascot = , battle_honours = See #Battle honours , website ...

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, Canada West, currently Ontario, Ca ...

being wounded in the arm. He was later awarded the Canada General Service Medal. He also wrote ''The Maple Leaf Forever'' while he was serving with the regiment. Company 10, Queens Own Rifles, 1866

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.

Legacy

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 formal garden and park, just south of

Yonge Street Yonge Street (; pronounced "young") is a major arterial route in the Canadian province of Ontario connecting the shores of Lake Ontario in Toronto to Lake Simcoe, a gateway to the Great Lakes#Geography, Upper Great Lakes. Once the southernmost ...

and

Lawrence Avenue Lawrence Avenue is a major east-west thoroughfare in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is divided into east and west portions (Lawrence Avenue East and Lawrence Avenue West) by Yonge Street, the dividing line of east-west streets in Toronto. Route de ...

in the Lawrence Park neighbourhood of

, is named in his honour. * Maple Leaf Forever Park is in the rear of Maple Cottage at 62 Laing Street, near

Leslie Street Leslie may refer to: * Leslie (name), a name and list of people with the given name or surname, including fictional characters Families * Clan Leslie, a Scottish clan with the motto "grip fast" * Leslie (Russian nobility), a Russian noble family ...

and

Queen Street East Queen Street is a major east-west thoroughfare in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It extends from Roncesvalles Avenue and King Street in the west to Victoria Park Avenue in the east. Queen Street was the cartographic baseline for the original east-w ...

in Toronto. * Schools which have been named after him are: **Alexander Muir/Gladstone Ave Junior and Senior Public School, 108 Gladstone Ave., Toronto **Alexmuir Junior Public School, 95 Alexmuir Blvd., Scarborough **Alexander Muir Public School, 75 Ford Wilson Blvd., Newmarket **formerly Alex Muir Public School, 188 Kohler St., Sault Ste Marie which has now been repurposed into a 16 unit apartment building. *Three maple leaf symbols were honored after him is affixed in the crest of

Woburn Collegiate Institute Woburn Collegiate Institute (Woburn CI, WCI, or Woburn) is a non-semestered, English-language public secondary school on Ellesmere Road in the Woburn neighbourhood of the Scarborough district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada operated by the Toront ...

. * 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 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 songwriters Musicians from Toronto Immigrants to Upper Canada National anthem writers