Hello.

I'd like to know if there is, on the web, some database or source
where anyone can check the copyright status of a musical composition.
I.E.: I'd like to know if the composition by Maurice Ravel titled
"Pavane pour une enfante défunte" is still copyrighted or it is in the
public domain.

Any information is very welcome.

Regards

Fabrizio Ferrari

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Request for Question Clarification by justaskscott-ga on 09 Jun 2003 06:48 PDT

I do not know yet -- though I doubt -- whether there is a single
database for checking the copyright of every composition in every
country.  Would an online source for the copyright status of "Pavane
pour une enfante défunte" be a sufficient answer?  If so, are you
looking for the copyright status of this piece in France, in the U.S.,
or somewhere else?

---

Clarification of Question by fablau-ga on 09 Jun 2003 08:20 PDT

Thank you for your reply,

Answering your questions, the main purpose of my request of
information was about any possible source (on the web) to know the
copyright status of any musical composition ever written, but if a
such resource is not possible to find and/or doesn't exist, an online
source for the copyright status of the Ravel's composition would
suffice since I could use it to know the status of other compositions.
I'd like to know the status of any musical composition above all in
the U.S., but if the same information from other countries is
available, this is very welcome.

Thank you for your service.

Fabrizio Ferrari

Fabrizio--

I have researched your question and have the answers to both your
questions.

I have searched the U.S. Copyright Office Database and found that
Ravel does in fact have substantial copyright protection of this work.
I found some 48 different copyright listings of his of this work. I am
posting the list below.

ITEM 1. RE-68-904: Pavane. Composed by Maurice Ravel, new arr. for
B-flat cornet, trumpet & piano: Harold L. Walters. CLNA: acRubank,
Inc. (PWH of Harold L. Walters)

ITEM 2. RE-246-522: Pavane. For saxophone trio. By Maurice Ravel, arr.
Harold L. Walters. CLNA: acRubank, Inc. (PWH)

ITEM 3. RE-739-214: Pavane pour une infante defunte. m Maurice Ravel,
arr. Alan Gubbay, editing John W. Duarte. CLNA: acAlan Gubbay & acJohn
W. Duarte (A)

ITEM 4. PA-36-642: Pavane pour une enfante defunte / by M. Ravel ;
transcribed for guitar by Richard Franklin. CLNA: Columbia Music
Company

ITEM 5. PA-318-524: Pavane pour une infante defunte / Maurice Ravel ;
arr. for flute and guitar by Stefan Nesyba. CLNA: Schott & Company,
Ltd.

ITEM 6. PA-344-143: Pavane pour une infante defunte : pour flute et
guitare / Maurice Ravel ; transcription et doigte de Konrad Ragossnig.
CLNA: Editions Max Eschig

ITEM 7. PA-433-032: Pavane pour une infante defunte / Maurice Ravel ;
arr. for three octave handbells by Douglas E. Wagner. CLNA: Agape, a
div. of Hope Publishing Company

ITEM 8. PA-496-338: Pavane pour une infante defunte / Maurice Ravel ;
trans. & ed. by Jack LaBauve. CLNA: Big Hill Music Press

ITEM 9. PA-524-211: Pavane pour une Infante defunte / Maurice Ravel ;
arr. by Makio Kimura. CLNA: Ludwig Music Publishing Company, Inc.

ITEM 10. PA-581-913: Pavane pour une infante defunte : for solo piano
/ by aMaurice Ravel , 1875-1937 ; editor, aRoger Nichols , 1939-.
CLNA: Hinrichsen Edition, Peters Edition, Ltd.

ITEM 11. PA-591-376: Pavane pour une infante defunte / Maurice Ravel ,
1875-1937. CLNA: (c) acMike Marshall , 1957- & acPaul Binkley , 1954-
d.b.a. MMQ Music

ITEM 12. PA-681-353: Pavane : pour une infante defunte / Maurice
Ravel. CLNA: Lyra Music Company

ITEM 13. PA-699-129: Pavane pour une infante defunte / arr. pour harpe
de Nicanor Zabaleta ; music Maurice Ravel. CLNA: Max Eschig , Editions

ITEM 14. PA-763-822: Pavane pour une infante defunte / Maurice Ravel ;
harp solo transcribed by Yolanda Kondonassis. CLNA: Lyon & Healy
Harps, Inc.

ITEM 15. PA-843-348: Pavane pour une infante defunte / Maurice Ravel ;
transcribed for string orchestra by Owen Goldsmith. CLNA: Belwin Mills
Publishing Corporation

ITEM 16. PAu-1-760-045: Pavane for a dead princess. CLNA: acJudith
Lynn Stillman , 1956-

ITEM 17. PAu-2-000-896: Pavane pour une infante defunte / Maurice
Ravel ; arr. Shirl Jae Atwell. CLNA: acShirl Jae Atwell , 1949-

ITEM 18. PAu-2-014-894: French fantasy. CLNA: acRobert L. Auman 

ITEM 19. PAu-2-103-054: Pavanne : from the Pavane pour une infante
defunte / by M. Ravel ; arr. Kathy Broersma. CLNA: acKathy Lynn
Broersma , 1955-

ITEM 20. SR-4-572: Franzoesische Harfenmusik = French harp music /
Nicanor Zabaleta, Harfe. CLNA: acPolydor International, G.m.b.H.

ITEM 21. SR-6-325: Concerto number 1 in D flat, opus 10 / Prokofiev
i.e. Sergei Prokofiev ; Andrei Gavrilov, piano ; aLondon Symphony
Orchestra ; Simon Rattle, cond. Concerto for the left hand / Ravel
i.e. Maurice Ravel ; Andrei Gavrilov, piano ; London S ymphony
Orchestra ; Simon Rattle, cond. CLNA: acE M I Records, Ltd.

ITEM 22. SR-7-952: Impressions for flute / Ransom Wilson, flute ; with
Nancy Allen, harp ; & strings. CLNA: acCapitol Records, Inc.

ITEM 23. SR-20-685: Bolero ; Daphnis et Chloe (second suite) ; Pavane
pour une infante defunte / Ravel i.e. Maurice Ravel ; aLondon Symphony
Orchestra ; Andre Previn, cond. CLNA: (c) (p) acE M I Records, Ltd.
Nature of copyrightable authorship: artwork, sound recording,
performance

ITEM 24. SR-33-963: Great classics I / aAmerican Orchestral Symphony.
CLNA: (c) (p) Richard Horian

ITEM 25. SR-36-380: Bolero ; Pavane pour une infante defunte ; Valse ;
Daphnis et Chloe : 2. suite / Maurice Ravel ; aOrchestre de Paris ;
Dir., Daniel Barenboim ; Solo-Horn Myron Bloom 2d selection ;
Solo-Floete Michel Debost 4th selection. CLNA: acPolydor
International, G.m.b.H.

ITEM 26. SR-51-777: Daphnis et Chloe : suite no. 2 ; Valse :
choreographic poem ; Pavane pour une infante defunte / Maurice Ravel ;
aHouston Symphony Orchestra ; Sergiu Comissiona, conductor. CLNA: (c)
(p) acVanguard Recording Society, Inc.

ITEM 27. SR-58-193: Orchestral works / Maurice Ravel ; aOrchestre
Symphonique de Montreal ; Charles Dutoit, conductor. CLNA: the Decca
Record Company

ITEM 28. SR-63-147: Ravel : transcriptions for guitar / Giovanni
DeChiaro, guitar. CLNA: Towerhill Records, a division of Towerhill
Corporation

ITEM 29. SR-65-891: Impressions / Carlos Barbosa-Lima, guitar. CLNA:
(c) (p) acConcord Jazz, Inc.

ITEM 30. SR-72-342: Jazzy wind / Fumiaki Miyamoto, oboe ; Norio Maeda,
piano ; Takeshi Inomata, drums ; Yasuo Arakawa, bass ; Sadanori
Nakamura, guitar. CLNA: C B S, Inc.

ITEM 31. SR-78-621: Bolero ; Rapsodie espagnole ; Ma mere l'oye ;
Pavane pour une infante defunte / Maurice Ravel ; aLondon Symphony
Orchestra ; Claudio Abbado cond.. CLNA: acPolydor International,
G.m.b.H.

ITEM 32. SR-78-864: Mer ; Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune / Claude
Debussy. Pavane pour une infante defunte ; Daphnis et Chloe / Maurice
Ravel ; all performed by aBerliner Philharmoniker ; Herbert
VonKarajan, conductor. CLNA: acPolydor International, G.m.b.H.

ITEM 33. SR-79-662: Requiem / Gabriel Faure. Pavane pour une infante
defunte / Ravel ; both performed by aPhilharmonia Orchestra ; Carlo
Maria Giulini, conductor. CLNA: acPolydor International, G.m.b.H.

ITEM 34. SR-100-412: Valse ; Bolero ; Pavane pour une infante defunte
... et al. / Ravel ; aOrchestre du Capitole de Toulouse ; direction
Michel Plasson. CLNA: Capitol Records, Inc.

ITEM 35. SR-102-592: Bolero ; Pavane pour une infante defunte ;
Daphnis et Chloe : suite no. 2 from the ballet / Ravel ; aSaint Louis
Symphony Orchestra ; Leonard Slatkin, conductor ; aSaint Louis
Symphony Chorus ; Thomas Peck, director. CLNA: acTelarc International
Corporation

ITEM 36. SR-121-398: Work in progress / performed by Edgar Meyer ;
piano, Amy Dorfman. CLNA: (c) (p) the acMCA Records, Inc.

ITEM 37. SR-124-661: Introduction et allegro ; Pavane pour une infante
defunte ; Sonate pour violon et violoncello / Maurice Ravel. Syrinx ;
Chansons de bilitis ; Sonate pour flute, alto et harpe / Claude
Debussy ; aEnsemble Wien-Berlin. CLNA: acDeutsche Grammophon, G.m.b.H.

ITEM 38. SR-128-544: Symphony in C / Bizet. Ma mere l'oye ; Pavane
pour une infante defunte / Ravel. CLNA: (c) (p) acVirgin Classics,
Ltd.

ITEM 39. SR-146-689: tombeau de Couperin ; Pavane pour une infante
defunte ; Ma mere l'oye / Maurice Ravel , 1875-1937. Sarabande ; Danse
/ Claude DeBussey , 1862-1918 ; orchestration, Maurice Ravel. CLNA:
(c) (p) acTeldec Classics International, GmbH

ITEM 40. SR-168-287: Daphnis et Chloe ; Rapsodie espagnole ; Pavane
pour une infante defunte ... et al. / Maurice Ravel , 1875-1937. CLNA:
(c) (p) on recordings, photography; acErato Disques, SA (employer for
hire)

You may search the U.S. Copyright Office database online. It is at
this link http://www.copyright.gov/records/cohm.html

I found the best way to search for this particular work you're
requesting was to enter the title of the work in the form blank and
click on "title" then "submit."

I hope this helps. If you need any clarification or any further
information, please don't hesitate to click the "clarify" button.

I am happy to help,

darrel-ga

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Request for Answer Clarification by fablau-ga on 09 Jun 2003 23:12 PDT

Thank you very much Darrel-ga.

Anyway, I found that the given results of the Copyright Office
Database include only recordings, arrangements, transcriptions and
editions of the composition I looked for, not the actual composition
for piano solo written by Ravel. I am sorry if I am not enough clear:
in the results of the Copyright Office Database there is not evidence
of copyright protection on the ORIGINAL written music by Ravel. In
other words, there is not a specific record which states protection on
the original written piano work by Ravel.

Probably there is not possibility to know this, at least through the
Copyright Office Database. I tried to do another search on a surely
copyrighted title like "Menuet antique" always by Ravel (written in
1929), but still there is only one record listed, about a musical
edition of it, not the actual original composition.

I am satisfied of your answer anyway because now I know how to verify
the status of any registered publication of a specific musical
composition: this would help me anyway to calculate the copyright
status of any original work, basing on the rules showed here:

http://www.unc.edu/~unclng/public-d.htm


If you have any more idea, just let me know.

Thank you again for all your kind effort.

Sincerely

Fabrizio Ferrari

I think was the best the researcher could answer.

The US Copyright Office has a searchable database, but it only dates back to 1978:
http://www.copyright.gov/records/

The MLA Copyright for Music Librarians web site might be of interest:
http://www.lib.jmu.edu/Org/MLA/