> From: "Stewart McCoy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Dear Roman, > I have every sympathy with what you say. Those of us who own good > instruments and expensive music are most fortunate, whether it came > by luck, by hard work, or because we happen to live in affluent > societies. Of course, I would love to own more instruments, better > instruments, more music (particularly lute facsimiles), but even > though I cannot afford these things, what I have already is far more > than many others may have. Stewart, I have never doubted that you were a man with a heart.
> Both of us have had first-hand experience of seeing the difficulties > faced by musicians in other countries, where the local currency may > (or may not) be sufficient to buy things produced locally, but > certainly cannot match the hard currency needed to buy books and > instruments from abroad. It is a serious issue, and I think you are > absolutely right to mention it, thinking and caring for others, as > you do. > > Where we disagree is what should be done about it. I don't think > putting Albert Reyerman's facsimile editions on a website is the > answer. That would be unfair to Albert, because it would be giving > away his work without his permission. My idea is that facsimile business MUST be made to function similarly to the Metropolitan Museum admissions: Pay what you wish (what is is worth to you, what you honestly can afford), minimum is a mere penny. I have done this a few times with my paintings and it generated no abuse. Besides, making his facsimiles > available on a website would be giving his work to everyone, rich > and poor alike, wherever they happened to live on this world. Albert > would get nothing, and that can't be right. He owns an AGFA-scanner, doedn't he? > > > Others reading this e-mail may care to remember your e-mail to the > list dated 3rd March 2003, "Re: Off Topic, but....", in which you > give the names and addresses of musicians in Russia and the Ukraine, > who would appreciate help in the form of music and CD's. > > It is an extremely important issue, and I would be very interested > to hear what you and others may think, and what practical steps > might be taken. In recent months I have mailed more than a 100 CD, only 15 of them pirated to the old country. Ukraine now has half a dozen lutenists, and one luthier of some competence. "Adopt-a-lutenist" may sound condescending, but in reality is a good thing. I know for certain that a box of books I sent to St.Petersburg 15 years ago brought 2 people into the fold. An organization may have legitimate reservations about sending copied materials, but individuals have no reason to feel constrained. Anyone actually interested in helping, ask me off the list. I am compiling a russophone lutenists' directory (53 worldwide) and while it is hard to find contact information, there are a dozen or so lads worth helping. RT ______________ Roman M. Turovsky http://turovsky.org http://polyhymnion.org > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Roman Turovsky" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "Stewart McCoy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "Lute Net" > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Wednesday, December 03, 2003 4:16 AM > Subject: Re: Facsimeles etc. > > >>> Why stop at facsimiles? Why not make all their published music >>> available for free downloading? This would be such a great > service >>> to everyone, wouldn't it, because then we wouldn't have the > trouble >>> and expense of actually acquiring the books legitimately > ourselves. >> A good and noble idea, actually (limited to dead composers, of > course). >> When we use words like "ourselves" we invariably limit the notion > to more or >> less prosperous European and American middle class types who > actually are >> able to afford said trouble and expense. >> This, however, is a rather callous worldview of a petit bourgeois, > and it is >> expected, as the lute microcosm is a scaled down version of the > larger >> world, and there is no added reason to expect any altruism from it > any more >> than from the larger one. >> The lute microcosm is nowhere near the idyll that uncle Albert, > MO, or >> St.McCoy imagine it to be. There are GREAT MANY lutenists that are > UNABLE to >> undertake the "trouble" of both access and affordability of lute > music, the >> reasons being their isolation of faraway places AND/OR places in > which a >> price of an item from even such "moderate" and "reasonable" > publisher as >> uncle Albert buys a week's worth of food. They have computers that > they >> largely build themselves, they share modems between half a dozen > friends >> when they can buy internet access cards, they sometimes have > decent lutes >> strung with unimaginable things, and they love music in general, > as well as >> lute music in particular. >> I also have reasons to believe that hardship is not limited to the > part of >> the world associated with RT's birthplace. Thing are not much > better in >> South America (which has produced some of the finest lute-players > to date). >> So I consider it my sacred duty to make everything lutenistically > relevant >> available to these individuals, CD's copied and recopied, the same > with >> editions, and if you ask me if I ever have any qualms about > turning the >> blind eye on uncle Albert's copyright notices on the materials he > borrowed >> from dead composers, the answer is simple NO. Moreover I do it not > only >> lightheartedly, but also with a sense of profound satisfaction. >> RT > > >
