Regent's Harmonic Institution (RHI), also known as Royal Harmonic Institution, Welsh and Hawes at the Royal Harmonic Institution, and Welsh and Hawes, was a 19th-century English firm of

music publisher A music publisher is a type of publisher that specializes in distributing music. Music publishers originally published sheet music. When copyright became legally protected, music publishers started to play a role in the management of the intellect ...

s as a well as a purveyor of music instruments. The firm was notably the first press to publish

Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...

's '' Hammerklavier'' in an edition authorized by the composer in September 1819.

History

Founded as Regent's Harmonic Institution in London in 1818, the organization was a

joint-stock company A joint-stock company is a business entity in which shares of the company's capital stock, stock can be bought and sold by shareholders. Each shareholder owns company stock in proportion, evidenced by their share (finance), shares (certificates ...

created for the express purpose of raising funds to finance the reconstruction of the

Argyll Rooms The Argyll Rooms (sometimes spelled Argyle) was an entertainment venue on Little Argyll Street, Regent Street, London, England, opened in 1806. It was rebuilt in 1818 due to the design of Regent Street. It burned down in 1830, but was rebuilt, bu ...

, the home of the

Royal Philharmonic Society The Royal Philharmonic Society (RPS) is a British music society, formed in 1813. Its original purpose was to promote performances of instrumental music in London. Many composers and performers have taken part in its concerts. It is now a memb ...

(RPS). Spearheaded by

Regent Street Regent Street is a major shopping street in the West End of London. It is named after George, the Prince Regent (later George IV) and was laid out under the direction of the architect John Nash and James Burton. It runs from Waterloo Place ...

architect John Nash and the board of the RPS, the firm was made up of several composer members who invested money into the organization as well as agreeing to publish their music through the firm. Investors in this organization recouped their money through the sale of music and music instruments, such as harps and pianos, sold by the firm. In 1820 the firm was renamed the Royal Harmonic Institution. Several successful 19th century English composers were investing members of the RHI and published their music through the RHI; including Thomas Attwood, William Beale, James Calkin,

Johann Baptist Cramer Johann (sometimes John) Baptist Cramer (24 February 1771 – 16 April 1858) was an English pianist, composer and music publisher of German origin. He was the son of Wilhelm Cramer, a famous London violinist and conductor, one of a numerous family ...

, George Eugene Griffin,

William Hawes William Hawes (178518 February 1846) was an English musician and composer. He was the Master of the Children of the Chapel Royal and musical director of the Lyceum Theatre bringing several notable works to the public's attention. Life Hawes was ...

Charles Neate Charles Neate (1806–1879) was an English politician and academic, economist and political writer. Life He was the fifth of the eleven children of Thomas Neate, rector and squire of Alvescot, Oxfordshire, and his wife Catherine, born at Adsto ...

, Thomas Augustus Rawlings,

Ferdinand Ries Ferdinand Ries (baptised 28 November 1784 – 13 January 1838) was a German composer. Ries was a friend, pupil and secretary of Ludwig van Beethoven. He composed eight symphonies, a violin concerto, nine piano concertos (the first concerto ...

(who was German),

George Thomas Smart Sir George Thomas Smart (10 May 1776 – 23 February 1867) was an English musician. Smart was born in London, his father being a music-seller. He was a choir-boy at the Chapel Royal, and was educated in music, becoming an expert violinist, orga ...

, Thomas Forbes Walmisley, Thomas Welsh, and

Samuel Wesley Samuel Wesley (24 February 1766 – 11 October 1837) was an English organist and composer in the late Georgian period. Wesley was a contemporary of Mozart (1756–1791) and was called by some "the English Mozart".Kassler, Michael & Olleson, Phi ...

. Eventually internal struggles led many of the investing composers as well as the RPS to divest of their interests in the firm, at which point Thomas Welsh and William Hawes became the controlling members of the organization and it was renamed Welsh and Hawes at the Royal Harmonic Institution or simply Welsh and Hawes in September 1825. The firm was in operation until May 1833. The RHI mainly published

art song An art song is a Western vocal music composition, usually written for one voice with piano accompaniment, and usually in the classical art music tradition. By extension, the term "art song" is used to refer to the collective genre of such songs ...

glee Glee means delight, a form of happiness. Glee may also refer to: * Glee (music), a type of English choral music * ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy * ''Glee'' (Bran Van 30 ...

s, arrangements of opera arias or other opera excerpts, and works for the piano. The most well known composition published by the firm was the first publication of

's '' Hammerklavier'' in September 1819; a publication authorized by the composer.

References

{{reflist Music publishing companies of the United Kingdom Sheet music publishing companies British companies established in 1818 British companies disestablished in 1833