Re: Re:8 marking on piano piece

[Phil Holmes]

From: Peter Toye
To: address@hidden
Cc: Phil Holmes
Sent: Friday, June 28, 2013 9:42 AM
Subject: Re:8 marking on piano piece

> Phil,
>
> In addition to the comments from Kieren and David, I should
> point out that the "8" sign is ambiguous. Some composers use
> it to add the lower octave (as here), others to play an octave
> lower (Debussy's Cathedrale Engloutie is an example), and you
> have to work out which one is meant, usually on musical
> grounds or parallel passages. If you look at the two settings
> of "hope nor love" in this song, you'll see that RVW (or the
> publisher) has used both notations, which makes it easy to
> work out what's needed.

Thanks.

> But I'm a bit worried that you're setting the Songs of Travel
> at all. RVW died in 1958 and is still in copyright, at least
> in the UK (I don't know where you are). At any normal rate,
> the time taken to typeset it worth far more than buying a copy
> from a shop! Of course, a programmer is someone who spends a
> week programming something to save himself 5 minutes.

I'm doing it for 2 reasons, both primarily for my own use.   Firstly as a 
type-setting exercise, since some of the Song of Travel are interesting to 
re-set.  Secondly, I may sing them for my college recital and so I create 
computerised versions so I can learn the notes.  That said, I would use 
these versions for the accompanist, but that's allowed for in the copyright 
regulations.

I have uploaded one to IMSLP, but it's clear there that this is not 
copyright free in the EU, although it is in Canada, where it's hosted.  So I 
believe everything I've done so far is within the allowable regulations.

--
Phil Holmes