George Frederick Cameron
Encyclopedia
George Frederick Cameron (September 24, 1854 – September 17, 1885) was a Canadian
poet, lawyer, and journalist, best known for the libretto for the operetta
Leo, the Royal Cadet
.
, the son of James Grant Cameron and Jessie Sutherland. He was educated in New Glasgow.
He moved to Boston
in April 1869. He graduated from the Boston University School of Law
in 1877. He worked for the law firm Dean, Butler and Abbot of Boston from 1877-1882. He contributed poetry to Boston periodicals, including the Courier and the Transcript. In fall 1882 he enrolled in Queen’s College in Kingston, Ontario
where he won a poetry prize in 1883 for “Adelphi.” He is sometimes considered one of the Confederation Poets
.
He married Ella Amey on 22 August 1883. He was the editor of the Daily News in Kingston, Ontario
from March 1883 until his death of heart failure on 17 September 1885 at Millhaven, Ontario. The couple had had one daughter, Jessie Cameron Alison.
George Frederick Cameron was a war poet
since he was a poet writing in time of and on the subject of the Anglo-Zulu War
. He wrote Leo, the Royal Cadet
. The latter achieved over 1,700 performances between its premiere in 1889 and 1925 and has recently been revived in a revised version. In 1887 his brother, Charles L. Cameron, edited and published a selection of Cameron's poems under the title Lyrics on Freedom, Love and Death (Kingston, 1887).
. His poetry also appeared in A Century of Canadian Sonnets (1910).
George Frederick Cameron was declared a Person of National Historic Significance
in 1946. A bronze plaque was affixed to the New Glasgow post office (since moved to the town' Dominion Building) by Historic Sites and Monuments of Canada which reads: "George Frederick Cameron, Poet and Journalist, Author of "Lyrics of Freedom, Love and Death". Born at New Glasgow, 24 September 1854. Died in Kingston, Ontario, 17 September 1885."
consists of manuscript notebooks as well as handwritten and typewritten copies of his poetry.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
poet, lawyer, and journalist, best known for the libretto for the operetta
Operetta
Operetta is a genre of light opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter. It is also closely related, in English-language works, to forms of musical theatre.-Origins:...
Leo, the Royal Cadet
Leo, the Royal Cadet
Leo, the Royal Cadet is a light opera with music by Oscar Ferdinand Telgmann. The libretto was by George Frederick Cameron. It was composed in Kingston, Ontario, Canada in 1889. The work centres on Nellie's love for Leo, a cadet at the Royal Military College of Canada who becomes a hero serving...
.
Life
He was born in New Glasgow, Nova ScotiaNew Glasgow, Nova Scotia
New Glasgow is a town in Pictou County, in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. It is situated on the banks of the East River of Pictou, which flows into Pictou Harbour, a sub-basin of the Northumberland Strait....
, the son of James Grant Cameron and Jessie Sutherland. He was educated in New Glasgow.
He moved to Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
in April 1869. He graduated from the Boston University School of Law
Boston University School of Law
Boston University School of Law is the law school affiliated with Boston University, and is ranked #22 among American law schools by US News and World Report magazine. It is the second-oldest law school in Massachusetts and one of the first law schools in the country to admit students regardless...
in 1877. He worked for the law firm Dean, Butler and Abbot of Boston from 1877-1882. He contributed poetry to Boston periodicals, including the Courier and the Transcript. In fall 1882 he enrolled in Queen’s College in Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
where he won a poetry prize in 1883 for “Adelphi.” He is sometimes considered one of the Confederation Poets
Confederation Poets
"Confederation Poets" is the name given to a group of Canadian poets born in the decade of Canada's Confederation who rose to prominence in Canada in the late 1880s and 1890s. The term was coined by Canadian professor and literary critic Malcolm Ross, who applied it to four poets Charles G.D...
.
He married Ella Amey on 22 August 1883. He was the editor of the Daily News in Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
from March 1883 until his death of heart failure on 17 September 1885 at Millhaven, Ontario. The couple had had one daughter, Jessie Cameron Alison.
George Frederick Cameron was a war poet
War poet
A War poet is a poet writing in time of and on the subject of war. The term, which is applied especially to those in military service during World War I, was documented as early as 1848 in reference to German revolutionary poet, Georg Herwegh.-Crimean War:...
since he was a poet writing in time of and on the subject of the Anglo-Zulu War
Anglo-Zulu War
The Anglo-Zulu War was fought in 1879 between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom.Following the imperialist scheme by which Lord Carnarvon had successfully brought about federation in Canada, it was thought that a similar plan might succeed with the various African kingdoms, tribal areas and...
. He wrote Leo, the Royal Cadet
Leo, the Royal Cadet
Leo, the Royal Cadet is a light opera with music by Oscar Ferdinand Telgmann. The libretto was by George Frederick Cameron. It was composed in Kingston, Ontario, Canada in 1889. The work centres on Nellie's love for Leo, a cadet at the Royal Military College of Canada who becomes a hero serving...
. The latter achieved over 1,700 performances between its premiere in 1889 and 1925 and has recently been revived in a revised version. In 1887 his brother, Charles L. Cameron, edited and published a selection of Cameron's poems under the title Lyrics on Freedom, Love and Death (Kingston, 1887).
Recognition
Cameron's poem "On Leaving the Coast of Nova Scotia" was included in the 1889 anthology Songs of the Great DominionSongs of the Great Dominion
Songs of the Great Dominion was a pioneering anthology of Canadian poetry published in 1889. The book's full title was Songs of the Great Dominion: Voices from the Forests and Waters, the Settlements and Cities of Canada. The collection was selected and edited by William Douw Lighthall of Montreal...
. His poetry also appeared in A Century of Canadian Sonnets (1910).
George Frederick Cameron was declared a Person of National Historic Significance
Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada)
Persons of National Historic Significance, , are people designated by the Canadian government as being nationally significant in the history of the country. Designations are made by the Minister of the Environment on the recommendation of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada....
in 1946. A bronze plaque was affixed to the New Glasgow post office (since moved to the town' Dominion Building) by Historic Sites and Monuments of Canada which reads: "George Frederick Cameron, Poet and Journalist, Author of "Lyrics of Freedom, Love and Death". Born at New Glasgow, 24 September 1854. Died in Kingston, Ontario, 17 September 1885."
Works
- George Frederick Cameron (Libretto) and Oscar Ferdinand TelgmannOscar Ferdinand TelgmannOscar Ferdinand Telgmann was a Canadian composer of operettas, conductor and educator, and violinist best known for his operetta Leo, the Royal Cadet....
'An entirely new and original military opera in four acts, entitled: Leo, the Royal CadetLeo, the Royal CadetLeo, the Royal Cadet is a light opera with music by Oscar Ferdinand Telgmann. The libretto was by George Frederick Cameron. It was composed in Kingston, Ontario, Canada in 1889. The work centres on Nellie's love for Leo, a cadet at the Royal Military College of Canada who becomes a hero serving...
([Kingston], 1889, Ho! Ho! My Airy Fairy Maid, Ho! Ho! My Pretty Maid, I met him in the far away from Opera and Operetta Excerpts Composer: Oscar Ferdinand Telgmann Words: George Frederick Cameron - Farewell, O Fragrant Pumpkin Pie from Leo, the Royal CadetLeo, the Royal CadetLeo, the Royal Cadet is a light opera with music by Oscar Ferdinand Telgmann. The libretto was by George Frederick Cameron. It was composed in Kingston, Ontario, Canada in 1889. The work centres on Nellie's love for Leo, a cadet at the Royal Military College of Canada who becomes a hero serving...
Composer: Oscar Ferdinand Telgmann Words: George Frederick Cameron - Our Premier [music] / words by George Frederick Cameron ; music by Oscar Telgmann Kingston, Ont. : C.J. Cameron, c 1885 in honour of John A. MacdonaldJohn A. MacdonaldSir John Alexander Macdonald, GCB, KCMG, PC, PC , QC was the first Prime Minister of Canada. The dominant figure of Canadian Confederation, his political career spanned almost half a century...
- George Frederick Cameron Lyrics on freedom, love and death, ed. C. J. Cameron (Kingston, Ont., and Boston, 1887; repr. Toronto and Buffalo, N.Y., 1973), and in Later Canadian poems, ed. J. E. Wetherell (Toronto, 1893)
- George Frederick Cameron; in Edmund Clarence Stedman, ed. (1833–1908). A Victorian Anthology, 1837–1895. 1895.
- George Frederick Cameron (1854–1885) by John Garvin, (1872–1934) Garvin, John William, ed. Canadian Poets. Toronto, Canada: McClelland, Goodchild & Stewart, Publishers, 1916. pp. 101–108.
- George Frederick Cameron Library and Archives CanadaLibrary and Archives CanadaLibrary and Archives Canada is a national memory institution dedicated to providing the best possible account of Canadian life through acquiring, preserving and making Canada's documentary heritage accessible for use in the 21st century and beyond...
; Canada Poetry Archive "My Fate"; "Remember Thee!" - Bentley, D.M.R. “Charles J. Cameron’s Emendations and Annotations to Lyrics on Freedom, Love and Death by George Frederick Cameron.” Studies in Canadian Literature 13 (1988): 244-9.
- Burpee, Lawrence Johnstone (ed) (1910) A Century of Canadian Sonnets, The Musson Book Company, Limited, Toronto 'George Frederick Cameron (1854–1885)' 'June' 'Wisdom' 'Anticipation'
Fonds
The George F. Cameron fonds at the University of British ColumbiaUniversity of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
consists of manuscript notebooks as well as handwritten and typewritten copies of his poetry.
External links
- George Frederick Cameron at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
- Lyrics on Freedom, Love and Death by George Frederick Cameron on Google Books. ISBN 978-1120321275 or ISBN 1120321271
See also
- List of Canadian poets
- Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada)Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada)Persons of National Historic Significance, , are people designated by the Canadian government as being nationally significant in the history of the country. Designations are made by the Minister of the Environment on the recommendation of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada....