Re: Copyright Free Music

[Carol Simpson <csimpson@TENET.EDU>]

On 23 Aug 1996, Phil Shapiro wrote:

> In answer to Jim Aufderheide's question about copyright free music,
> one good resource are the melodies from classical music and
> traditional folk songs. (By "traditional," I mean folk songs that
> are over a hundred years old.)
>
> All of this music is now in the public domain. Keep in mind, though,
> that although the music is in the public domain, the performance
> of the music can be copyrighted. So if you'd like to use some Vivaldi

To clarify a misconception here, one needs to understand that music can
have MANY layers of copyright.  While it is true that classical music of
the last century and earlier is in the public domain IN ITS ORIGINAL FORM,
new arrangements of these works are constantly appearing.  These
arrangements make difficult classical music suitable for beginning and
intermediate players, or for certain collections of instruments.  These
new arrangements WILL BE COPYRIGHTED as of their creation or publication
dates.  Please do not assume that just because the composer has been dead
a long time that all the work of a particular composer is in the public
domain.

Also, for those of you who were suggesting that students compose music,
remember that the STUDENT owns the copyright to his own composition, and
you may not use that work without the permission of the student (or more
properly, his parents.)

Carol Mann Simpson                   csimpson@tenet.edu
Facilitator - Library Technology          214 882-7450
Mesquite (TX) Independent School District