Re: website: why do you use lilypond?

[Tim Rowe]

2009/8/6 Graham Percival <address@hidden>:

>> True, but we haven't invented new copyright pieces for classical,
>> Gregorian chant, etc.
>
> Those aren't covered by copyright.

And I gave numerous examples of pop songs that are not covered by
copyright, and there are lots more.

>> I would have thought it better to have a
>> recognisable pop song on the web site if we can. Elvis Presley might
>> not exactly be current, but he was certainly popular!
>
> I don't think that any of his songs would become available until
> 2050 or so -- assuming the big media companies don't extend
> copyright again in a few years.

As I said originally, Elvis Presley's hit "Wooden Heart" is *already*
public domain. It was a cover of a German folk song that goes back to
at least 1827. The English words are not public domain, but
(conveniently) Presley sang a verse of the German original which *is*.
So we could perfectly well obey copyright law by giving a couple of
bars of the German verse. "Muß i' denn, muß i' denn, zum Städtele
hinaus", Presley public-domainly sang. It would be different if we
were posting his recording or that arrangement, but the song itself
and the German lyric shouldn't be a copyright issue.

>> Or we could go back to earlier pop: "She was poor but she was honest..." ;-)
>
> If that's a reference to my "let's obey copyright law, even if we
> have poorer examples", then yes.  If that's a reference to a
> pre-1926 pop song, then it obviously went over my head.  :)

It's a pre-1926 pop song (probably -- certainly pre-1930). Music Hall,
composer unknown. Probably best known for the verse "It's the same the
'ole world over / ain't it just a bloomin' shame, / it's the rich what
gets the pleasure / it's the poor what gets the blame."

-- 
Tim Rowe