Bulletin printing: copyright for SEP and Chabanel Psalms?
  • We want to print in our bulletin, weekly, the refrain from the Simple English Propers and the refrain from the Chabanel Psalm. Does anyone know what the copyright issues are for that? Is that allowed?
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,216
    You ought to print a copyright notice for each one. Actually, two notices for each piece (music and text). I recommend using a tiny font size such as 6-point. :-)

    For example,

    Simple English Propers music by Adam Bartlett (c) copyright 2011 Church Music Association of America, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License. Translation from the Graduale Romanum (c) copyright 1990, by St. Peter's Abbey, Solesmes, used under a Creative Commons Attribution License.


    The Chabanel Psalms are not CMAA's project, but if the piece is marked as having a Creative Commons Attribution license, you should reproduce the copyright and licensing notices they put on each piece.

  • BenBen
    Posts: 3,114
    I believe neither have any copyright restrictions off the top of my head, though I may be mistaken.
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,216
    Ben, there is a difference between Creative Commons licensing (which requires that the copyright notice and the licensing info be preserved) and public domain (in which the creator of the piece asserts no control over it whatsoever).


    I dug up some more info.

    The various composers contributing work to the Chabanel project use differing variations on the CC license, so you need to look at the PDF file for the psalm to check for a copyright notice and a license notice, if any. If there's no license notice, ask for permission, and the composer will probably give it.

    Creative Commons licenses allow you to include the work in an anthology. You're required to preserve the copyright and license notices intact.

    If a Creative Commons license notice has markings like "nc" (non-commercial), you can't sell the bulletin without getting explicit permission from the composer.

    If the license notice has markings like "nd" (no derivative works), you're not allowed to modify the content of the work.

    Note: in the Chabanel Psalms project, the texts are from the Lectionary, so the copyright rules of the bishops' conference have to be observed.
  • matthewjmatthewj
    Posts: 2,700
    The SEP are not intended for congregational singing. You might check out these settings - meant for congregational singing - instead: http://www.illuminarepublications.com

    Just click on scores and they're all there.