W.H. Billing

W.H. Billing

W.H. Billing. Toronto retailer and publisher established in 1880 by Willimott H. Billing. A listing under Strange & Billing in 1881- and 1882 city directories implies a short-lived partnership. About 100 songs and pieces of dance and march music were published in the period 1880-1903, and also such volumes as the Giant King Folio (no date) and Theodore Lamotte's How to Vamp (1894). The sheet music, though mostly by foreign composers, includes Carl Martens' 'Toronto's Jubilee' (1884) and W.T. Diefenbaker's 'Rush to the Klondike' (1897) as well as pieces by Edwin Gledhill and A.W. Hughes. Mrs. Adeline White was president of the firm after 1911. Directories list it until 1925. It went bankrupt at that time, and the Atwell Fleming Printing Co (1904- ), Billing's printer, retained the stock and plates, printed music, and filled orders under the Billing name (which appeared again in city directories 1950-7) until demand had dwindled.