Calixa Lavallee, the composer of O Canada, was the first Canadian-born musician to achieve an international reputation. While primarily remembered for the national anthem, Lavallee and his work extended well beyond Canada, and he played a multitude of roles in North American music as a composer, conductor, administrator, instrumentalist, educator, and critic. In Anthems and Minstrel Shows, Brian Thompson analyzes Lavallee s music, letters, and published writings, as well as newspapers and music magazines of the time, to provide a detailed account of musical life in nineteenth-century North...