Born in London England, moved to Ottawa Ontario in 1882 and died there. Composer, educator, advocate for "British standards of music education and examinations in Canada" (Dictionary of Canadian Biography).
In 1894 Harriss became the founding director of the McGill Conservatorium of Music (today the Schulich School of Music), Montreal.
Not to be confused with Charles Lewis Matthew Harris (1863–1925). He was also an organist and choir master, also born in England (Stanningly, Yorkshire) and who later (as a child) moved to Canada, eventually becoming the founder and first director of Hamilton Conservatory.
