Psalm Copyright Question
  • JaredOstermann
    Posts: 488
    I have completed a set of English congregational communion antiphons for the full liturgical year (sundays and solemnities), that has been in use at my Cathedral parish for several years. I've put out feelers with the major publishers but with no success, so I'm considering just putting the files online for free. It's (if I may say so) a useful resource that I've already shared with a number of people privately. My question is what the copyright ramifications are. I would assume that the antiphon texts (mostly from the Roman Missal, with some exceptions where a Graduale translation was needed) can be distributed - but I don't know for sure. The larger concern is with the psalm verses that go with the antiphons. Unfortunately, in my progressiveness I used the Revised Grail, which is still in limbo liturgically. I double-checked with GIA, and it is OK to do this as long as the copies are not printed permanently (i.e. are disposed of after each liturgy) or sold. However, if I were to offer the antiphons publicly (even for free) online I think I would need a different psalm translation - most likely the NABRE from the lectionary.

    My goal at this point would be to have a simple website where the antiphon/psalm can be listed by day and a PDF downloaded.

    Does anyone on the forum know what the best approach is and what I need to be careful about? It's crazy how convoluted it gets even when you want to offer a resource for free!
  • bhcordovabhcordova
    Posts: 1,167
    The antiphon texts in the Roman Missal are copyrighted by ICEL and the USCCB. You would need their permission to publish (even for free)
  • irishtenoririshtenor
    Posts: 1,333
    Did you ask Andrew Motyka? I bet he knows this!
  • francis
    Posts: 10,848
    Stay away from English translations... it will eventually be abrogated, suppressed or banned and then what?
  • JaredOstermann
    Posts: 488
    I've just emailed Andy, GIA, and the USCCB copyright office.

    Update - Andy's email through his communion antiphon site is not working. But if you see this post, Andy, any tips are appreciated!

    And, whether or not English antiphons are eventually changed or replaced, we have them now. So if we have musical settings for them now, no harm is done. In any case, I expect it will be a long time before there are any concrete changes to the texts. We can't be paralyzed as church musicians and composers just because something might go out of use at some future date.
    Thanked by 4CharlesW CHGiffen Carol mattebery
  • Andrew Motyka
    Posts: 946
    Hi all,

    It's been quite a while! Jared, thanks for the heads-up that that email isn't working; I hadn't received anything on it in a long time, so I just assumed no one loved me. I'll check on it.

    When I used the RGP for my antiphons, I contacted GIA and described what I wanted to do. They gave me gratis permission in writing for non-commercial use, even posting them online. The thing to watch out for here is that you can't have ads that give you money on that site, nor should you really even link to other things you have for sale. I'm sure there are nuances here that I'm unaware of, but I think that's the gist of it.

    You'd have to contact them again separately for commercial use.

    I can't wait to see your work!
    Thanked by 4CHGiffen canadash Carol Marc Cerisier
  • btodorovich87
    Posts: 101
    I second Andy's comment, Jared... if you choose to post these online I would be delighted to see them!
  • JaredOstermann
    Posts: 488
    Thanks all - If I put them all up online I will definitely link here. As I go deeper down the rabbit hole, I see that I need: approval from ICEL, USCCB, GIA, and possibly permission from my bishop to publish even for free (as the USCCB recommended to me, since this would loosely be considered a hymnal). This is to do everything properly (no pun intended!). Between all of that and not wanting even at my own job to keep printing and throwing these away each week, I am also looking into self-publishing options. I think ideally it would be something like the CMAA communio project, where you can download for free but you also have the option of buying a book. But given the hurdles created just from free downloads, I quake with fear at the thought of actually selling the thing...

    I'll update as I learn more. I guess the music was the easy part!
  • bhcordovabhcordova
    Posts: 1,167
    And ICEL will charge, I believe - if I remember correctly, around $150.00/yr. just to have a free version available on-line.
  • noel jones, aagonoel jones, aago
    Posts: 6,611
    And ICEL will charge


    ICEL - priests and bishops, right? We pay them. Then they want to be paid for translating scriptures to replace translations that were badly done by their predecessors, who we also paid.


    Double Dipping over and over again. And worst of all discouraging serious composers from composing for a continually changing set of translations.

    It makes as much sense as charging seminarians to be educated to become priests.
  • bhcordovabhcordova
    Posts: 1,167
    Sorry Noel. I misspoke. It’s the USCCB that will charge
    [Thanks for posting this.--admin]
  • davido
    Posts: 958
    Jared, are you free to share further details in your permissions quest?
  • Marc Cerisier
    Posts: 542
    The USCCB is apparently reviewing a new policy now on being able to share compositions using texts they control freely. I recently had a conversation on this topic, and they said everything is on hold until the new policy is adopted formally, but the implication was $$$.
    Thanked by 2Liam igneus
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