Copyright Rules and Chant Tones
  • mbagatti
    Posts: 2
    I'm putting together a worship aid for Compline at the parish I work at. I want to use tones from Howard Hughes, SM, and I want to double check rules around copyright. I've seen worship aids use the tones in the past, and haven't seen any copyright information for the tones specifically (usually would only put copyright information for music)
    What are the rules around copyrighting with tones? I don't want to do anything that would get me/the parish in trouble

    Thanks!
  • RevAMG
    Posts: 162
    Brother Howard Hughes' psalm tones are © 1992, GIA Publications, Inc. They can be licensed through OneLicense. Some resources list them as © 1992, ICEL (but they are not listed here, nor is anything listed from 1992.)
    Thanked by 1Paul F. Ford
  • ServiamScores
    Posts: 2,890
    This might point you in the right direction too:
    https://udayton.edu/imri/mary/m/music-by-howard-hughes.php

    (I daresay it's almost criminal to try and copyright simple psalm formulas...)
  • mbagatti
    Posts: 2
    Rev, I found the tones on OneLicense. I notice though that only tones 1, 6, and 8 are available. Do I need to worry about the rest of them? Or what happens with those?

    Serviam, I've found that site before and it's only seemed o be moderately helpful
    (Also I tend to agree with you. I'm asking because I don't know anything about copyright and just don't want to get in trouble)
  • RevAMG
    Posts: 162
    OneLicense allows you to manually submit titles that aren't present. If tones 1, 6, and 8 are there, I'm sure the others are administered by GIA/OneLicense as well. They note:

    If you are certain the work is owned or administered by a Member Publisher but do not find a title in our database, OneLicense allows you to manually submit the song for inclusion in the OneLicense database. Manually submitted titles are carefully reviewed by OneLicense Member Publishers before being accepted into our database of covered music and require time to review.


    There is a guide to manual submission here.

    I would reprint the tones you need and then manually submit them on OneLicense. I do have the tones and accompaniments for them, if you need them.
    Thanked by 1irishtenor
  • irishtenoririshtenor
    Posts: 1,325
    I agree with @RevAMG -- that's what I think is the right thing to do
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