Frederick Harris Music Co. Limited : The Frederick Harris Music Company was first established in 1904 by Frederick Harris (ca.1866-1945) in London, England. Frederick Harris had previously worked for the British music publisher Rivière & Hawkes (later called Boosey & Hawkes) and decided to go into business for himself. After successfully acquiring several music copyrights in Britain, Harris expanded his business into Canada in 1910. In order to afford to do so, Harris partnered with Oliver Hawkes of Hawkes & Son, to create The Hawkes and Harris Music Co. in Toronto. In 1914, Harris and his wife Louisa purchased a home in Oakville, Ontario, and began the process of relocating to Canada. Around this time, Harris entered into a partnership with Carrie Jacobs Bond to sell her music in the British Empire, a partnership that would prove lucrative as Bond's songs became highly popular during the Great War. At the time of the company's establishment, British copyright extended to its Empire, including Canada. The Frederick Harris Music Co. entered into several legal battles surrounding copyright throughout its existence, setting precedents for copyright law in Canada.
In 1915, Harris & Hawkes collaborated with the Toronto Conservatory of Music to publish its Introductory Pianoforte Requirements books, a partnership which continued for decades and began the establishment of the company as a leading publisher of music pedagogy. In 1923, once Harris bought out the Hawkes stocks from Oliver Hawkes's widow, Hawkes & Harris became the Frederick Harris Music Company. At this time, Harris moved his company from Toronto to Oakville. Soon after, Harris began to publish music by prominent musicians, including Sir Ernest MacMillan, Healey Willan, and Boris Berlin.
In the 1930s, Harris briefly expanded into the American music market by opening a branch in East Orange, New Jersey, with the help of family friend Grace Lindsay. The Frederick Harris Music Co. suffered financial difficulties during the Second World War due to wartime import restrictions and high taxes, at the same time that Frederick Harris's health was deteriorating. His wife, Louisa, died in 1943, and Frederick Harris died in 1945. He left his share of his company to the Toronto Conservatory of Music (soon to become the Royal Conservatory of Music, part of the University of Toronto), which led to a significant legal battle between TCM and senior Harris staff. Fred Collier, long-time staff member, took over as General Manager, while the company continued to publish Royal Conservatory music. The UK branch of Frederick Harris Music Co. continued to operate in London, though it experienced financial troubles. In 1964, it was taken over by Lengnick & Co., a British music publishing company.
Music publishing in Canada prospered during the 1950s and 1960s, and Frederick Harris Music Co. was one of Canada's largest publishers, specializing in classical and choral music. Collier died in 1969, and W. Ray Stephens took over as General Manager, and later, President. Frederick Harris Music Co. was the first to publish and record "O Canada" once it became the official national anthem in 1980. In 1981, Wayne Gilpin took over as General Manager, followed by Andrew Shaw (1987) and Clarke Macintosh (2002). Frederick Harris Music sold its entire choral catalogue to Leslie Music Supply of Oakville in 1992, and in 1996 relocated to Mississauga, Ontario. It continues to be the official publisher for the Royal Conservatory of Music.
