Relayed from the National Museum of Wales

The National Orchestra of Wales

In 1903 Sir Alexander Mackenzie undertook a tour in Canada, conducting concerts in all the chief towns, from Halifax, Nova, Scotia, to Victoria, British Columbia. In honour of his visit no fewer than eleven new choral societies were organized, and the impetus given to choral singing throughout the Dominion was one of which the effects are still evident.
In the course of his travels a number of Canadian airs came to his knowledge, of which some are no doubt originally French Canadian. The first movement of his Rhapsody is founded on parts of three of these, one a children's song, and the other two French-Canadian tunes. In the slow movement can be heard also two Canadian airs; one is known as Bytown (the old name for Ottawa), the other called 'Un Canadien Errant.'
The best known of the three tunes in the last movement is one which has of itself become very popular here-'Alouette.' Before it there appears a snatch of tune taken from the song, 'A la claire fontaine,' and at the end there is the song which the Province of Quebec adopted as its own hymn.

(to 14.00)