(They will be available when copyright permission is granted)
Born in London, England in 1881, John F. Leonard came to British Columbia with his parents in 1899. Not knowing where to settle in B.C., they settled in Vancouver. Speaking to one of Vancouver's pioneers, John's father asked about opportunities for his musician son. A man laughed and answered, "The only music we hear is in the red light district." They boarded an eastbound train and headed to Salmon Arm.
Exhibiting signs of his gift of music at an early age, Leonard refused to learn how to read music. Instead he would only play a song on the piano after first hearing it. His mother eventually taught him how to read music and soonafter began to write his own.
Leonard's first job in B.C. was as a millright. He was often invited to the homes of loggers where there was a piano. There he became very popular and kept them well entertained. Leonard became very skilled in keyboard improvisation.
Leonard returned to London during WWI and returned to Canada embarking on a farming career. Unhappy with this choice of profession, he obtained his teacher's certificate and secured a position in Cloverdale. During his stay there, he wrote his first operetta The Maids of Hamlin. This was followed by four more operettas which were performed by Langley students in the old Langley Theatre. At age 62, his hands became crippled, but he continued to compose operettas using musical note stencils.
Before his death in 1967, Leonard donated his operetta scores to the Langley School Board and gave them full custody and control of their use.
British Columbia was written in 1956-57 as an epilogue to his operetta Fort Langley. First performed at Douglas Day ceremonies at Fort Langley in 1957, this anthem dedicated to British Columbia was played by the organist at his funeral.
