On this year’s unseasonably warm Flag Day at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, the bells began to chime. The carillon at the Peace Tower – a 53-bell instrument – is played every weekday at noon and echoes through the neighborhood.

The recitals are “pieces from the Canadian repertoire, both current and past,” according to Dominion Carillonneur Andrea McCrady. Songs from “O Canada” to the less conventional “Wavin’ Flag” by K’naan filled the air along Wellington Street.

But on Flag Day, a different song rang out over the people that passed by. It’s a tune tied deeply to Canadian history, but only lives on now through occasional carillon performances and government events.

Alexander Muir’s song “The Maple Leaf Forever” was once Canada’s de facto national anthem, but has faded into obscurity in the 150 years since it was composed.

“I would be surprised if you found one person out of 100 who could hum the tune of ‘The Maple Leaf Forever’,” said Darrin Oehlerking, a music professor and Canadian music researcher at the University of Saskatchewan.

However, Oehlerking also called the song a “cultural institution” for Canada that should not be forgotten.

The popular story of the song’s creation came from Muir’s friend George Leslie. According to Leslie’s account in the 1914 book Landmarks of Toronto, Muir got the idea while they were out for a walk together. A Montreal society had posted an award for the best patriotic works that could be performed at their Halloween celebration, but Muir couldn’t decide what to write about.

Suddenly, a maple leaf fluttered onto Leslie’s sleeve, and he was struck by the image.

“There Muir! There’s your text! The maple leaf; the Emblem of Canada!” Leslie said in his story. “Build your poem on that!”

The song was a hit and experienced widespread success. “The Maple Leaf Forever” became popular amongst Canadians and was often referred to as Canada’s national anthem.

But the song had its critics. The Francophone population took issue with it because it celebrated British military victories in its verses. And once the originally French anthem “O Canada” was written and given English lyrics in 1906, “The Maple Leaf Forever” began to fall out of favor

Attempts were made in 1964 and 1997 to produce new and more inclusive lyrics for Muir’s song. But at that point in Canada’s history, “O Canada” was considered the national anthem while “The Maple Leaf Forever” had lost its lofty status.

The song hasn’t completely vanished from Canadian culture. Besides the Peace Tower carillon, the military of Canada has embraced the song as a more current national symbol.

The mandate of the Ceremonial Guard of Canada posted online includes participating and performing in significant Canadian ceremonies. Dominion Carillonneur McCrady said in an email that the Ceremonial Guard plays “The Maple Leaf Forever” regularly at summer performances.

And the song is still played by youth bands in Canada’s Cadet Program. Laurie McAulay, a Navy League lieutenant, has her cadet band play the song every night as a long-standing tradition.

“If the military hadn’t adopted it, I’m not sure if it would be as prevalent as it is,” McAulay said.

It’s certainly not as celebrated as it once was. The Toronto Evening Telegram printed an editorial after Muir’s death in 1906. It stated that “Canada will go on singing the song of her life, and remembering the man who wrote it.”

Now, Canadians will have to be content with hearing “The Maple Leaf Forever” played by military marching bands or on the carillon at Parliament Hill.

“I think it’s important that our government agencies are keeping it alive,” Oehlerking said. “I think that’s kind of all we can hope for.”

To see an outline of original documentation, click here.