Calixa Lavallée was a musician with French-Canadian and American roots. He is mainly remembered for writing the music to the song "O Canada." This song later became very important for Canada as their national anthem. Lavallée’s work left a lasting mark on Canadian culture due to this connection. The song "O Canada" officially became the national anthem in 1980 after the Canadian Senate and House of Commons voted for it. This marked a formal recognition of the piece in Canadian life, tying Lavallée’s music to the country's identity. Along with the music, some changes were made to the English lyrics in the same year by an Act of Parliament to update the song. Further changes to the English words were made in 2018, but these were minor. The original French lyrics and the music have not changed since 1880, which shows the lasting strength of Lavallée’s original composition. His work continues to be heard in its original musical form whenever "O Canada" is performed.