Copyright info on W. E. Haesche (1867-1929)

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VlaVlnPlayer
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Copyright info on W. E. Haesche (1867-1929)

Post by VlaVlnPlayer »

I see there are 2 pieces by him available here on IMSLP:

1. Kamazur for Violin & Piano - Philadelphia: Presser, 1918 (1st published in 1914)
2. Forest Idyl - New York: G. Schirmer, 1906

I recently came across another piece by him with the copyright notice "Copyright 1925 by HARMS Inc., NY". I couldn't find much info on HARMS Inc., except that it looks like it was bought by Alfred Publishing. Is it safe to assume this piece has not had the copyright renewed? If so, would it be Public Domain (the composer died in 1929)?

Thanks for any help!
cypressdome
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Re: Copyright info on W. E. Haesche (1867-1929)

Post by cypressdome »

In the 1953 Catalog of Copyright Entries in see renewals for two works of his -- Masca and Nadina -- which were renewed by his widow. Those two works will be under copyright in the U.S. until Jan. 1, 2021. Haesche's works are already in the public domain in both Canada (50 years post mortem) and the E.U. (70 years post mortem) and as such can be uploaded to IMSLP.
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Re: Copyright info on W. E. Haesche (1867-1929)

Post by VlaVlnPlayer »

Thanks, @cypressdome!

The piece in question is neither of those renewed in 1953, so I guess I should be safe.

Do you happen to know that, if I make enough editorial changes (bowings, fingerings etc), I could also sell my edition of it (of course, not at IMSLP)? I wonder if I could upload the original in here, but make available for sale an edited version.

Thanks again!
cypressdome
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Re: Copyright info on W. E. Haesche (1867-1929)

Post by cypressdome »

If you would provide the title of the piece I'll check the Catalog of Copyright Entries to make certain it wasn't renewed. If the work is in the public domain you are certainly free to make your own edition of it.
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Re: Copyright info on W. E. Haesche (1867-1929)

Post by VlaVlnPlayer »

Well, now that I'm digging deeper on this composer, I'm finding all sorts of pieces that look interesting. But the one I mentioned is his "Souvenir de Wieniawski No. 1".

Many thanks

PS: How does one check the most current Catalog of Copyright Entries? Is the 1953 still it? I see it's available on Google Books, but I thought there must be more recent documents.
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Re: Copyright info on W. E. Haesche (1867-1929)

Post by cypressdome »

I'm not even finding the Souvenir de Wieniawski No. 1 in any of the volumes for new registrations in the mid 1920s. Worldcat notes his Souvenir de Wieniawski No. 2 was published in 1908 and lists a Souvenir de Wieniawski. Mazurka characteristique as being published in 1892. It's possible that the date on the 1925 publication represents a copyright renewal or a fraudulent attempt to re-assert copyright on the work.

You can find links to all the music score volumes for the Catalog of Copyright Entries on this page. In the U.S. copyright protection for a work published in 1925 would expire after 28 years unless is was renewed before the deadline. If the work shows up in the 1925 Catalog then the renewal will likely show up in the 1952 or 1953 volume. For the two works I mentioned the original copyright registration actually showed up in the 1926 volume but was noted as having been registered in 1925. Also, be aware that if a work was published in say 1925 with a copyright notice the publication had to be registered sometime within that 28 year time frame. I have run across some works whose "renewal" registration actually shows up in the volume of new registrations in the mid 1950s simply because the publisher didn't register it at the time of publication. The Souvenir de Wieniawski No. 1 does not appear to be in the new registration volumes of the early/mid 1950s. It can be mind boggling.
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Re: Copyright info on W. E. Haesche (1867-1929)

Post by VlaVlnPlayer »

Now I'm going down into the rabbit hole of the Catalog, looking for entries for Mr. Haesche! Right now, I found a renew from 1928 for another piece (Hungarian Dance), first published in 1901 (according to WorldCat). I haven't found (yet) any other mention of this piece in other Catalogues. Should I assume this piece is also safe to upload?

Thanks!
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cypressdome
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Re: Copyright info on W. E. Haesche (1867-1929)

Post by cypressdome »

Since it was first published in 1901 it is in the pubic domain in the United States since any work published before 1923 is public domain in the U.S. And, of course, it is in the public domain in both Canada and the E.U. since the composer died over 50 (and 70 for the E.U.) years ago. The work can certainly be uploaded to IMSLP.
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