# Announcement: Richard Strauss copyright expiration in half a year



## Dark Lord (May 29, 2019)

In half a year from now, on January 1st, 2020, all of the music of Richard Strauss will reach its copyright expiration date. This means that the entire German trio (Wagner, Mahler, and Strauss), as well as the entire Austrian trio (Schubert, Mendelssohn, and Brahms), will all be in the public domain. To celebrate, let's put up a bunch of chamber music by these composers on free music websites such as freemusicarchive.org, as well as on YouTube. Just for fun, let's have a common theme: the violin. This includes string quartets, violin sonatas, violin concertos, solo violin music, and so on.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Just to be clear: this does not mean that recordings of his works are in the public domain!


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## flamencosketches (Jan 4, 2019)

Dark Lord said:


> In half a year from now, on January 1st, 2020, all of the music of Richard Strauss will reach its copyright expiration date. This means that the entire German trio (Wagner, Mahler, and Strauss), as well as the entire Austrian trio (Schubert, Mendelssohn, and Brahms), will all be in the public domain. To celebrate, let's put up a bunch of chamber music by these composers on free music websites such as freemusicarchive.org, as well as on YouTube. Just for fun, let's have a common theme: the violin. This includes string quartets, violin sonatas, violin concertos, solo violin music, and so on.


I believe Mendelssohn belongs in the German trio, being from Hamburg, and Mahler in the Austrian trio, being an Austrian from Bohemia.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

And Brahms was of course German......


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## flamencosketches (Jan 4, 2019)

Art Rock said:


> And Brahms was of course German......


He lived in Vienna for years, so I understand his being lumped in with the Austrians... kind of like Beethoven being included in the "First Viennese School" despite hailing from Bonn in Germany. But yes.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Life and 70 years may have elapsed in the case of Strauss himself, but the librettos for Strauss's final four operas, _Friedenstag_, _Daphne_, _Die Liebe der Danae_ and _Capriccio_ were written by Joseph Gregor or Clemens Kraus, who lived until 1954 and 1960 respectively, so would the copyright for these works still apply?


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Under normal circumstances, yes, they are the creators of the libretto, and their copyright on the libretto is still valid.


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## RICK RIEKERT (Oct 9, 2017)

Dark Lord said:


> In half a year from now, on January 1st, 2020, all of the music of Richard Strauss will reach its copyright expiration date.


The same is true for Nikos Skalkottas (1904-49), the Greek pupil of Schoenberg who held Skalkottas in very high esteem. Skalkottas was a fine tonal composer and one of the greatest and most prolific atonal and twelve-note composers of the twentieth century. In an article 'Nikos Skalkottas: An Original Genius', published in _The Listener_ in 1954 Austrian-born British musicologist Hans Kellerin includes Skalkottas among "our century's masters of symphonic thought".

Skalkottas' work as composer, falls into three periods: the first one (1927-1938), which includes his time in Germany and first years after his return to Greece, is marked by the prevalence of the 12-tone technique, which though usually producing atonal music finds an exception in Skalkottas' "36 Greek dances", a work that creatively incorporates elements of traditional Greek music. The second period (1938-1945) is distinguished by a turn towards a more epic style in his often long compositions while the last period (1945-1949) is distinguished by more dramatic, solemn compositions, and a more frequent use of tonal harmony.

Anyway, Skalkottas' music is little known today so I took this opportunity to bring it to the attention of my fellow music lovers.


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## Larkenfield (Jun 5, 2017)

I'm barely familiar with Skolkottas, but the only works that I've genuinely cared for so far are ones that are more Greek colored. He reminds me somewhat of George Enescu. His music can sound rather ordinary to me unless it's played with enough intensity.






His work "The Sea," one of his last major works, seems to start off with a quote from the popular song "With a Song in My Heart," almost as if it were part of a movie score. "With a Song in My Heart" is a show tune from the 1929 Rodgers and Hart musical Spring Is Here. Skolkottas seemed to be highly regarded at the time.


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

It’s apt to talk about Richard Strauss and copyright, not only in relation to this thread topic. He was at the forefront of the development of modern copyright law in the early 20th century. 

Having almost lost everything in the aftermath of two world wars, the ability to reap the financial benefits of his musical talent was important to Strauss. He was branded as a vulgar bourgeois by his enemies as a result (these favoured maintaining the status quo where composers earnt a pittance while publishers had the lions share from sales). 

Theres no doubt that being a man who put his family ahead of all matters, there was a sense of pragmatism at work. At the same time, Strauss was also thinking of fellow composers, his contemporaries and future generations.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Sid James said:


> It's apt to talk about Richard Strauss and copyright, not only in relation to this thread topic. He was at the forefront of the development of modern copyright law in the early 20th century.


Strauss also got in trouble with intellectual property laws. He wrote _Aus Italien_ in 1886 when he was 22. "Strauss incorporated the tune of 'Funiculì, Funiculà' into the symphony's fourth movement, 'Neapolitan Folk Life', thinking it was a traditional Italian folk song, when it was in fact a piece written by Luigi Denza in 1880. Denza filed a lawsuit against Strauss and eventually won." (Wiki)

Kind of like George Harrison and _My Sweet Lord_, I guess.


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## Portamento (Dec 8, 2016)

Of course, his works have been PD in Canada for 20 years, and the same for those published before 1924 in the US.

elgars ghost is right concerning the copyright of the operas; dates are based on the last surviving _contributor_.


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## PlaySalieri (Jun 3, 2012)

I thought copyright was 50 years? Though in the EU I think that was extended to cover 60s pop.

Jeez - you'll be telling me next that mozart's works have only just expired.


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## Portamento (Dec 8, 2016)

stomanek said:


> I thought copyright was 50 years? Though in the EU I think that was extended to cover 60s pop.
> 
> Jeez - you'll be telling me next that mozart's works have only just expired.


Canada is last living contributor's death + 50 yrs.; EU is + 70 yrs.


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## Larkenfield (Jun 5, 2017)

I'm sure Richard Strauss is as thrilled about it as he is about conducting: 






:wave:


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