Canada’s music reflects Indigenous traditions, French and British histories, immigration, regional identity, and a remarkably influential modern popular scene spanning folk, rock, country, jazz, classical, and more.
The music of Canada has influences that have shaped the country.[1] Aboriginals, the British, and the French have all made unique contributions to the musical heritage of Canada.[2] The music has subsequently been heavily influenced by American culture because of its proximity and migration between the two countries.[3] Since French explorer Samuel de Champlain arrived in 1605 and established the first permanent Canadian settlements at Port Royal and Quebec City in 1608, the country has produced its own composers, musicians and ensembles.
Overview adapted from Wikipedia’s “Music of Canada” article.
Karin and Kathy Kettler demonstrate Inuit throat singing, a collaborative vocal tradition rooted in Indigenous communities of Canada’s Arctic.
The Tragically Hip’s “Ahead by a Century” carries the band’s unmistakably Canadian storytelling through one of its most beloved songs.
Nukariik offers another living example of Inuit throat singing in a public festival setting.
Joni Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi” represents Canada’s internationally influential singer-songwriter tradition with wit, melody, and environmental urgency.