Both on the Choralnet website and on the Finale Forum, there have been
postings about Universal Editions and its closing down of IMSLP (as I
understand it, the instrumental version of the choral site CPDL) which
makes available, free of charge, music that is in the public domain.
There is an entry from one of the Choralnet Board members entitled
"Copyright Vultures Score Again".
As a member of the choral community who has gone to great expense,
through travel to Europe to examine authentic and original manuscripts
(both autograph and handcopied), as well as purchase of equipment and
software, not to mention time and effort, to produce modern performing
editions of unknown choral works for all voicings, both a cappella and
concerted, editions that are documented to have been prepared from
authentic sources (unlike some public domain sites that provide free
music without any documentation in many instances), I am saddened by
the view of many in the choral world that I as a published editor,
along with my publishers, am making money hand over fist and are
gouging money out of the hands of conductors. Oh that it were true, I
could actually afford to move back to New York City where I was born
and raised. Alas, that couldn't be further from the truth.
Having listened to the arguments presented in favor of the public
domain music sites in the past, and those that are vehemently opposed
to us in the field that, at great personal expense to ourselves,
provide repertoire choices to the choral field, I know that nothing
will change the minds of those people. I am not really looking for a
debate about the pros and cons about public domain sites, the
publishing field, etc. I just felt compelled to comment on articles
like the one put forth on the Choralnet website from someone on the
other side of the fence.
Martin
Martin Banner
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
_______________________________________________
Finale mailing list
[email protected]
http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
