Piano adaptation of accompaniment for Rutter "O be joyful"???

Date: October 13, 2009

Hi all,

My HS choir is doing Rutter's "O be joyful" in our upcoming Fall concert. My accompanist is very capable, but all we have is a piano. The accompaniment is most definitely NOT suited for piano.

Has anyone tweaked this for piano? I don't know if this violates copyright; if it does, no flaming please... just say so! =0) We have purchased plenty of copies, but I don't know if this qualifies as "re-arranging."

Thanks!

Dan

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John Howell on October 14, 2009 8:21am

Dan:

Actually, if we're talking about U.S. copyright law, that would not be a violation. Under the Fair Use Guidelines it is permitted to "edit or simplify" legally purchased copies. You can probably still get copies of those Guidelines from the Music Publishers Association website. This specifically applies to "non-profit educational institutions," although it could be interpreted as applying to music used in the course of religious services as well.

So this would NOT constitute "re-arranging," although that provision could also be argued as the basis for permission to rearrange, if you don't mind being the test case in court.

For those who aren't familiar with them, I emphasize that the Fair Use Guidelines are NOT part of the law itself, but came out of a committee that included the Music Publishers Association and represent what they were willing to live with. A few of those provisions may, in the last 30 years, found their way into the law, which is a fluid thing.

All the best,

John

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