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This has become an increasingly hot topic among musicians, composers, publishers
and writers. Copyright is their only legal means of ensuring that their livelihoods
are protected from illegal copying of their work. By buying the music, a choir
has the right to perform that music before a non-paying audience (such as you
might find at a wedding). Most original musical works are protected by copyright
for a minimum period of 70 years after the composer's death, and the publishers
will often go to great lengths to enforce this. If you are having an order of
service printed, the printers may require you to get permission from the copyright
holder before they will reproduce the verses from some hymns. This is the reason
why the verses from such hymns are not published on this site. Those that are
published here are either out of copyright or are published with the kind permission
of the copyright holders. If you wish to reproduce these verses in your order
of service, you should contact the person or organisation shown for permission. Always make sure that you inform the priest or vicar about all the plans you are making and be sure that everyone is clear as to what has been agreed. There was one occasion where the bride had asked for the theme from "Robin
Hood, Prince of Thieves" to be played as she walked in expecting the Bryan
Adams hit "Everything I do". On the day the organist confidently struck
up the chords of "Robin Hood, Robin Hood, Riding through the Glen"! |