O Store Gud / How Great Thou Art : copyright
  • probe
    Posts: 292
    @CHGiffen kindly posted four versions of How Great Thou Art (HGTA).
    Wikipedia says that verses 3 and 4 are from Stuart Hine. So the text is copyright until 1989+70 = 2059.

    Who has the copyright to the harmonisation ? Is that also Hine?

    My lower voices are asking for an alto harmony (ie not up to Eb) to sing with the congregation when the organist plays HGTA. Assuming the harmonised editions given by Charles are copyright, I can easily write a seconds part. But I can't print the copyrighted words. Is there a public domain text available? I find this one from the catholicthing but it too requires permission from frinstitute.org although it's the same as the Wikipedia entry for the translation by Johnson who died in 1974. Edit: I just found this PD version in the Cyber Hymnary.

    When I see people listing 'O Store Gud' in their hymn listings for Sundays, which version is that? In Swedish?

    (I know from searching this forum what many people think of HGTA, that's not my focus here.)

  • RoborgelmeisterRoborgelmeister
    Posts: 446
    There are a few PD arrangements that can be found on Hymnary if one wants to sift. Here is one, that also has a PD translation. https://hymnary.org/hymn/CYBER/5172
    But the most commonly used text, popularized by the Billy Graham Crusades, is copyright, and the copyright holders have fiercely held their ground.
    When you see it on music lists, assume that a Worship Aid / Hymnal is in use, or a license.
  • probe
    Posts: 292
    Thanks Roborgelmeister. Yes, that's the PDF I linked to.
    BUT in the second bar of the refrain, on the word 'would', there are tritones in both hands. What's going on? A misprint maybe, should be a vi or IV chord.
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