How can one tell if a text, melody or harmonization is in the public domain (i.e., free to use without permission)?
A – First, we presume that if you are planning to reprint a song, you will have a published copy of that song in your possession. Work from a commercially published copy of the work—usually a hymnal, song book or sheet music. Look for a copyright notice. If you look at the carol “Silent Night” in most hymnals, you will see no claim to copyright on the page. This generally implies that the piece is in the public domain. When a text or music is under copyright, the copyright owner states their claim through the three-part notice: © (year) (name). In some cases, though, these notices are lumped either in the front or the back of the collection, so check carefully. Other ways to tell are by examining the dates attached to author’s and composer’s names. Using the example above, the printed page credits the text to Joseph Mohr, 1792-1849; the translation to John F. Young, 1820-1885, and the tune to Franz X. Gruber, 1787-1863. Since all died before 1900, it is a relatively firm conclusion tha
