“Row, Brothers, Row”: Canadian Boat Songs, Imperial Glee, and National Identity, 1805-67

Abstract

The collection and publication of folk songs was considered central to the expression of nationalism and national identity in the nineteenth century. The Irish poet Thomas Moore’s three-voiced glee titled “A Canadian Boat Song” was published in 1805 and was supposedly based on a folk melody of the French-Canadian voyageurs. This article explores how this invention of tradition relied on the pretense of authenticity to stand in as Canada’s national song, sparking its own category of poetry and music known as Canadian boat songs. It influenced the imaginings and experiences of British newcomers and immigrants, inspiring folk song collections and nationalist compositions that produced early articulations of English-Canadian national identity.