Musical news Volume 16

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1899 Excerpt: ...MARCH 25th, 1899. that, for public concerts, it asks the additional aid of a number of extra singers, for whom copies have to be provided by the Society. We state the case impersonally, names and dates do not affect the principles at stake. The Society has made itself rather active in producing new works by living composers. In some cases, besides purchasing 150 copies or more of the vocal scores for its members, it has hired an extra supply from the publishers for the reserve choral force; in other cases, however, no hire copies have been available, and the Society has had to purchase them instead. The result i3 that after a few seasons the Society finds itself with a large stock of useless music, because small choral novelties, unlike the large "classics," can rarely be repeated until after a long interval. The Secretary advertised these copies for sale at a reduced price; in reply to his advertisement he has received the following communication from a large publishing firm:--"We notice your advertisement addressed to Choral Societies in which you offer to sell a number of second-hand copies of works, the copyright and performing rights in which belong to us. As we do not permit per' formances of our works to take place from borrowed, hired, or second-hand copies, we think it right to inform you of that fact at once, lest by chance third parties may purchase from you and you may sell to them in ignorance of our restrictions upon the right to perform under such circumstances." The Secretary asks if this is good law, and whether his Society is thus restrained from making any use of its own property (tor it is obviously impossible to repeat such works, except after a long interval or if unusual enthusiasm has been aroused by the first per...