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Copyrights

This music is in the public domain.

The CCEH is an archive of public-domain material related to hymns used in Christian worship: primarily tunes for hymns, chants, carols, and similar songs.

This music was transcribed from secondary sources -- usually published hymnals and hymnology references. I used various ways to determine whether a tune might still be copyrighted: including date of composition or publishing, lifetime of the composer, declarations of copyright status, or absence of declaration in sources with apparently comprehensive copyright information. If omissions or errors in these sources have misled me, I'd like to hear about it so that it can be corrected.

All files -- sheet music, MIDIs, and electronic scores -- are free to use in any manner: download, copy, modify, use, distribute, publish, and perform. There is no cost, obligation or limitations on these rights. There are no technological barriers to exercising these rights, except those inherent in the file formats. And even file formats have been chosen with view toward facilitating any kind of use.

Copyrights on Contributed Content.

The CCEH accepts contributed content that can be legally distributed under these same terms.

Note that a tune, an arrangement, a "score" of that arrangement (such as a MIDI or PDF file) and a "performance" (a tweaked MIDI file, or an MP3 file generated from either kind of MIDI file) all may be copyrighted. Each of those copyrights could be owned by a different person.

Any material contributed to the CCEH should be public domain, and be sent with a description of the evidence leading to that conclusion. In practice, this should mean that each of the tune, the arrangement (harmonization), scores (MIDIs or graphics form) or performance (MIDI file or recording) be either:

Published before 1923;
Expressly released into the public domain; or
Your own work, which you wish freely distributed through the CCEL.

Example: For an arrangement you transcribed from a book published in 1920, the tune and arrangement are public domain, but you hold a kind of copyright on the transcription, and I could not publish it without your permission.

Example: For an arrangement published in 1956 of a medieval tune, you may transcribe (make a MIDI file) for your own use, but may not publish it without the copyright holder's permission. If you make your own (obviously different and obviously independent) arrangement of the same tune, you will automatically hold the copyright on it: but you can waive that right, allowing the world (including the CCEL) the freedom to use and copy it.

Copyright laws and principles

Note: national laws vary, and a very few tunes or arrangements may still be copyrighted in some other countries. It's your responsibility to comply with the laws of your country. Where possible, I've included dates that might be relevant to current copyright status under local laws.

See the Copyright Information category at the Open Directory Project for links to authoritative and detailed information.