Music that entered the public domain in the USA in 2024

featuring Rachmaninoff, Medtner, Villa-Lobos, and Godowsky
more scores here: imslp.org/wiki...
more public domain review videos: • Public Domain Review w...
bennacar.com
bennacar.bandc...

[@charlesloving4820]

I clicked on this based on the title of the video, thinking he was just going to talk about music. Then he says, "I'm going to try to approximate the piano and the orchestra simultaneously." Epic. Mind blown.

[@user-lp3ew1xb5u]

“Savage enough for you~?”

[@insearchofthemuses]

"I'm going to try to approximate every single piece of music on this list simultaneously" [sits on keyboard]

[@christianweatherbroadcasting]

Repent and trust in Jesus. We all deserve Hell for our sins, such as lying lusting coveting and more. We can't save ourselves, but Jesus can save us. He died on the cross to save us for our sins and rose from the grave defeating death and Hell. You must put your faith in him only. He is the only way to Heaven. Repent and trust in Jesus. Romans 6:23 John 3:16❤😊❤❤

[@bombi8709]

​@@christianweatherbroadcastingi goon for hours at a day staring at my poster of jesus on the wall, amen ❤

[@gonzoengineering4894]

​@@christianweatherbroadcasting Jesus condemned such conspicuous public declarations of faith piety 😘

[@ChristopheStrobbe]

"96 years after first publication" (USA), "70 years after the creator's death" (Canada): as far as I know, copyright protection was created to make sure that creators could benefit from the publication, performance and recording of their works while they lived. Extending copyright protection to a certain number of years after the creator's death make sense if you want to make sure that their children should also benefit (which is understandable of the creators neglected their family for their work). But a deadline more than 50 years after the creator's death makes no sense for the creators themselves or their children. This is solely for the benefit for the publishers and other copyright holders, who don't create any of these works but lobby to extend the time period during which they can benefit from other people's creative works.

[@insearchofthemuses]

Amen brother

[@themathhatter5290]

For me, 40 years post publication/25 past death makes most sense as a compromise.

[@AhrkFinTey]

@@themathhatter5290 I've always thought just having it be a set amount would make the most sense. Like 40 or 50 years. That way your estate would inherit rights identical to how you left them, as is the case with most other assets. And if you've made a work when you were young, you would have more than enough time to extract everything out of it that you could, but it still becomes a part of the culture while still in popular memory

[@andrewwestcott9172]

It depends if you consider inheritance as a right rather than a necessary practicallity.

[@thomasharris9059]

@@AhrkFinTeyEspecially because the author can sell copyright while alive if they, say, neglected their children. I think it should be a maximum of 30 years with no exceptions. Imagine how screwed this world would be if patents frequently had lifetimes of 100+ years.

[@esotericVideos]

I don't know why I expected to recognize anything from one specific year ages ago.

[@pseudotonal]

You are QUITE a pianist!! That took a lot of work and preparation! Thank you for introducing us to this concept. It brought to mind that I have told IMSLP my first publication dates. So I guess that someday my works will become public domain.

[@ITNoetic]

Technically, I think if it's your work, you can release it to the public domain whenever you want.

[@ugh.idontwanna]

Well, he's had ninety-six years to practice. :)

[@brownie3454]

🥩🎢

[@InstrumentManiac]

Wow Rach 4 is a really cool piece! This was a really interesting video- thanks for taking the time put this together 👏

[@OfficialWorldChampion]

It really is

[@modjohnsenglishdisco]

I was expecting a long list of Tin Pan Alley songs... nice surprise! Deftly demonstrating a few choice pieces with some fascinating background info... Love it, this is what KZbin is for.

[@Zayphar]

Tin Pan Alley was a New York institution by 1908, so they had been putting out top 50 pop songs for 20 years already by 1928.

[@modjohnsenglishdisco]

Indeed, I was expecting a 20s hit parade of Tin Pan Alley tunes along the lines of "I'm Just Wild About Harry" or "The Charleston" or "Bye Bye Blackbird" :)@@Zayphar

[@briansunday7099]

Thank you for clarifying copyright rules. It certainly helps to explain why I have had trouble getting certain works, such as those by Dohnanyi and Bortkiewicz.

[@carlazaz1690]

Long copyrights don't mean more compensation for creators, but less because people simply aren't going to play the songs at all if they have to pay. Which means also that those songs disappear from history.

[@donovandownes5064]

creators are free to release their works into the public domain early, if they want

[@Muzikman127]

@@donovandownes5064 I mean no, not usually

[@Muzikman127]

@@donovandownes5064 most people working creative jobs do so under contracts of some kind or an other and don't end up sole owners of the rights to their own creative output. Hell, you're doing well if you keep a big piece!

[@DonnaChamberson]

Thank you. That’s so beautifully said. 🌸

[@Wesrl]

not if they are dead

[@richardrijnvos722]

07:32 Many, many thanks for your video. In my humble opinion, “Rudepoêma” is Heitor Villa-Lobos’s masterpiece. It sounds like a Brazilian version of “The Rite of Spring”, all squeezed into a single piano. Generally speaking, Villa-Lobos was a fast composer, so given the fact that it took him five years to compose “Rudepoêma” means a lot. Below is a link to the orchestration I did for the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, back in 2011, though this particular recording is the 2014 revision, performed by OSESP, the Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo. In case you enjoy my orchestral versions of Villa-Lobos piano works: I also did “Valsa da Dor”, “Alma Brasliera” (perhaps better known as “Chôros No.5”) and “Ciclo Brasileiro”. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nWSXk2Otjs2gY9k&ab_channel=RichardRijnvos

[@insearchofthemuses]

Woah that's great! I had been aware that Villa-Lobos himself had written an orchestral version, but from a first listen I like yours better. What led you to undertake re-orchestrating it?

[@richardrijnvos722]

Back in 1988, at the Royal Conservatoire (The Hague), an adventurous fellow student of mine performed “Rudepoêma” as part of his final exam recital. I was the page-turner. ☺ From that moment onwards, I have been dreaming of doing an orchestration. That didn’t happen until 2010, and it just so happened I was already halfway arranging the piece, when I discovered Villa-Lobos’s own orchestral version in the archive in Rio de Janeiro (as at that stage it wasn’t published). The major difference between the two versions is that Villa-Lobos composed an alternative ending for his orchestral version (which perhaps wasn’t the best idea…?). The ending of my version is 100% faithful to the piano original and much more “savage” (to use his own words). ☺

[@robertstorlind2302]

The 1928 Rach 4 is lovely with its jazz inspired material that was cut in the later version. I get the impression his style evolved more than that of the audience or publishers

[@insearchofthemuses]

That's my impression as well, or at least he was growing beyond people's expectations of him specifically. It's basically what happened with Stravinsky - the "Rite of Spring" was so notorious that he found himself typecast as a composer of that kind of music. When he subsequently got onto his neoclassical kick, people kept asking him "why don't you write more music like the Rite of Spring?"

[@nullv0d880]

Came for the royalty-free inspo, stayed for the immaculate Mr. Rogers-adjacent vibes of the whole dang video 👌 encore!

[@HodGabriel]

Medtner is among the greatest piano composers of all time, and definitely among the greatest Russian composers, In the last 20 years his music is heard more and more and he became a stable in the repertoire.

[@insearchofthemuses]

Oh yeah Medtner's great. I've played (sadly so far only) one of his works before, the op. 51 no. 3: kzbin.info/www/bejne/g33ReKuiicqVbM0

[@Htfsik]

Curious why Medtner has taken so long to be more widely noticed. Theories?

[@Jburt571]

@@Htfsik Why would Russian music from a man who died after 1947 not propagate to the US? I wonder if something happened for the next 40 years after his death?

[@seheyt]

I've clicked the like button about 6 times. Three times just realizing I had already. This is some craftsmanswork and just lovely backgrounders too

[@davidarundel9739]

Lovely playing and thanks for reminding me about Rach 4; feels like catching up with an old friend.

[@kingconcerto5860]

Criminally underrated piece of music.

[@insight827]

good to see villa lobos getting his flowers (somewhat). Beautiful, savage playing!

[@lloydbotway5930]

You've got some serious piano chops, Sir. Congratulations. I downloaded Rach 4 today and am going to learn parts of it.

[@insearchofthemuses]

Have fun!

[@Ambidextroid]

Thank you for introducing me to several incredibly strange and austere pieces like that passacaglia and the villa lobos piece. I love this kind of strange sound so deeply but I find it difficult to find.

[@ChristinaPepper]

I look forward to Public Domain Day so much every year, and this put the spotlight on some excellent music. Thanks for putting this video together!

[@crysstoll1191]

OH Wow, absolutely fabulous. My first thought at the very start was "uh oh, really reverby and low volume voice" (i have a hard time understanding speech in a certain shortish reverb range) but then he started playing! Then i was blown away by music which says so much more than words.

[@limethefemboy5205]

The Medtner intro you played was so interesting, tbh really cool, I liked it a lot and it was just a tiny bit of the whole piece

[@eldergeektromeo9868]

Always such a pleasure to hear Rachmaninoff. Thank You!

[@christopherdew2355]

Your piano illustrations are the making of this episode. Looking forward to more!

[@insearchofthemuses]

More is the plan!

[@myboibill]

So glad I logged on to your channel. Certainly worth the time. I enjoyed it so much Thanks. I will keep an eye out for new posts and watch what you have in the queue.

[@lisys511]

Ravel respighi and gershwin also entered the public domain :)

[@ikschrijflangenamen]

Thank you for the overview and presentation! There's also An American in Paris by Gershwin

[@insearchofthemuses]

Now _that_ would be fun! According to IMSLP, An American In Paris was _composed_ in 1928 but only _published_ in 1929 or 1930, so it seems we'll have to wait a bit longer (although if you have reliable documentation to the contrary, you can edit IMSLP yourself!). But I'll definitely keep it in mind for a later video!

[@ikschrijflangenamen]

@@insearchofthemuses Ah you are right, that one's sketchier than I thought at first glance.

[@christianweatherbroadcasting]

Repent and trust in Jesus. We all deserve Hell for our sins, such as lying lusting coveting and more. We can't save ourselves, but Jesus can save us. He died on the cross to save us for our sins and rose from the grave defeating death and Hell. You must put your faith in him only. He is the only way to Heaven. Repent and trust in Jesus. Romans 6:23 John 3:16😊❤

[@katiehough2499]

​@@christianweatherbroadcasting stop spreading your hatred

[@mkshffr4936]

​@@katiehough2499Severely OT but not hateful.

[@ripleyhrgiger4669]

I appreciate the music lesson... but, my god man, you play beautifully. I'm not sure what else to say about it - just beautiful. Don't you ever stop playing, please, you're remarkable.

[@matthewgurvitch4990]

Thank you for the historical info and examples included - very interesting and enjoyable

[@Zayphar]

There was also Ravel's "Boléro", Ellington hits like "Black & Tan Fantasy"(maybe this is late 1927), Jerome Kern "Ol' Man River", Kurt Weill & Bertolt Brecht's "Mack The Knife", or Jimmie Rodgers' "In the Jailhouse Now". I also wonder if there are any notable Noel Coward songs from '28 other than "A Room with a View".

[@SwirlyWhirlyXYZ]

Early blues and jazz will be a treasure trove of new PD works

[@givepeaceachance940]

Your performance of the Villa-Lobos piece is mind blowing!! It has inspired me to listen to more of this innovative composer

[@Kidzelda0]

Great video concept, looking forward to seeing where this goes

[@phineasbluster2872]

I'm mystified that a smart, articulate, and very helpful presenter does not give his name ( privacy, security? ). Or are we supposed to deduce it to be Ben Nacar? Anyway, you're excellent! And a terrific pianist! OHHHH... I see now. You publish your name at the end. Bless your heart.

[@vrkoven]

Looks like there were quite a few notable works that went PD this year. One I highly commend to your attention (though it's not a piano piece) is the string quartet by John Alden Carpenter.

[@insearchofthemuses]

Thanks for the recommendation! I honestly wasn't aware of any of John Alden Carpenter's work, but I'll have to go check out that quartet.

[@jackpijjin4088]

Good God that was some beautiful playing... Publishers should not have rights over those of the creator. Thanks Mr. MOUSE, et al. for making copyright so incomprehensible.

[@itschelseakay]

This video was on my recommendeds. I know close to nothing about classical music or music history but I have quickly subscribed. I love how you share the stories behind the pieces and the artists. I thought this would be a list and a quick sample of it. It ended up being so much better 💕It is unbelievable wholesome that they would name their compositions after friends or people they admire. That is way too cute. Now I want to read a historical fiction book about queer famous pianists who are secretly in love with each other and name the same specific part of their compositions after the other. Does the other ever find out it is out of love? Do they become “best friends” or do they love from afar? I do not know. If a book like this exists, please feel free to leave recommendations 😅

[@inamoratopiano]

Savage it is :-) Thanks for the video and great performances!

[@christianweatherbroadcasting]

Repent and trust in Jesus. We all deserve Hell for our sins, such as lying lusting coveting and more. We can't save ourselves, but Jesus can save us. He died on the cross to save us for our sins and rose from the grave defeating death and Hell. You must put your faith in him only. He is the only way to Heaven. Repent and trust in Jesus. Romans 6:23 John 3:16❤😊❤

[@KC9UDX]

In five years Congress will yet again do the bidding of Big Business and this channel will be shut down for the copyright violations from this one video.

[@zgriggs]

No, they know they can’t get away with another extension. They rely on trademark now.

[@kingconcerto5860]

Medtner's 2nd is such an incredible concerto... My personal favorite of his concerti is the 1st (the Tozer recording), but Hamelin's recording of the 2nd on Hyperion is a staple of my regular listening rotation. Timecode 1:50 - 2:50 in the 1st movement of Hamelin's recording of Medtner's 2nd piano concerto, it might be the most sublime 60 seconds of music ever recorded.

[@adrianaperez2805]

First time your channel gets recommended to me, and from just this one video your skill and passion for music is clear to see! Beautiful playing and super insightful how you went into the backstory for each piece! I especially loved the story about Villa-Lobos and the piece he composed for Rubinstein :^) you’ve earned yourself a new sub!! uwu

[@tobyzxcd]

First exposure to villa-lobos, something just snapped inside of me- in a good way

[@89volvowithlazers]

u let me have new background music lol bless you, after listening and taking names man I feel a bit inadequate lol wow thanks again, incredible and going to check out the list huge

[@Carpface]

This is giving “California’s Gold” vibes! But it’s Floridas gold 😄 This guy either has a very well written script or he’s going off the dome. I’m impressed regardless!! Thanks for showing us the very cool trees. I’d love to visit a mangrove forest 🙂

[@jaykay1053]

What a GREAT idea for a post!

[@alitlweird]

It’s amazing how the piano can sound like classical… and then boogie woogie… and then rock and roll… and then blues…

[@nandovancreij]

loved ur approximation (?) of medtner 2 !!!! very epic playing

[@Oneirovore]

"Reduction"😊

[@Scottie_McNaughty]

WOW! I didn't that. Suddenly breaks out in the most amazing piano playing ever!

[@nomadcrows]

Wonderful video and channel! Subscribed. I didn't even know about Medtner, thank you.

[@johnh6790]

man you are a serious pianist. great playing.

[@jvallas]

I really like the bright sound of that piano (and of course, I'm amazed at your playing and enjoyed the entire video so much).

[@ojotut]

Great video, thank you! I would be interested to know how you figure out what exactly has come into the Public Domain. I am interested in the organ music that is now available. Thank you for all the work you put in to this.....and all the playing of such interesting works

[@insearchofthemuses]

You're very welcome! For the most part I'm depending on imslp.org, where you can filter by year published: imslp.org/wiki/Category:Works_first_published_in_1928 I always check a few days ahead of the new year, because there are usually a handful of anomalies where the copyright had already expired (I discount those), and again a couple weeks after the new year, because there will usually be a bunch of new scores added as copyright expires. If you live in a country that does copyright expiration by time elapsed from composer's death, I don't think there's an easy way to search on imslp by "composers who died in [year]", so there would be some extra legwork involved.

[@violamateo-on8pc]

I adore the Rach.4 and it also contains a rare example of self-plagiarizing (which so few people seem to ever comment upon): in a magical moment at the end of the 2nd movement and against accompanying ascending two-hand chords on the piano, the cellos play a melody which is, note for note, the same as the end of his Étude-Tableaux op. 33 #3. Hopefully, the fact that orchestral parts will no longer have to be rented in order for this piece to be perfomed will mean that it will show up more frequently on concert programs!

[@insearchofthemuses]

If that's self-plagiarizing, what about him quoting the theme of his First Symphony at the end of the first movement of the Symphonic Variations? I wonder if there was a hidden message in both cases, or maybe he was thinking "this is too good an idea to use only once, hopefully no-one will notice"... or else he was just having fun giving music scholars more material for gossip

[@jasonklein8102]

You mean Symphonic Dances. Remember, though, at the time SD was written SVR thought he had destroyed the 1st Symphony. The score was reconstructed from old orchestra parts after his death. So the touching and wistful quotation was his private tribute to his younger self.

[@insearchofthemuses]

My bad, yes I meant the Symphonic Dances! Thanks for the correction.

[@gorak9000]

We are playing some Beach in the community orchestra I play in this year. It is quite difficult, but it is very beautiful!

[@Herfinnur]

That Villa Lobos piece is really cool! I didn’t realise he was this modern. And I’ve never heard of Godowsky but that piece is right up my alley!

[@ethanmenzel]

So inspiring. I’m so happy I came across your channel. So many good pieces I need to listen too.

[@ProckGnosis]

Cool overview/info and some nice playing...danke!

[@charlieinthe_box]

I'm so glad that artists like Rachmaninoff are able benefit from their extended copywrite, even today! Afterall, the lengths of copywrites were extended to benefit the individual artists, right? right?

[@airstriker108]

Amazingly played, well deserved subscription!

[@bigblack621]

Your voice is very NPR coded. Soothing and informative!

[@thenerdlet3171]

this was so lovely to watch! thank you for this video

[@grantturley8600]

That Godowsky tune is a fantastic example of why copyright, if it exists at all, should be much more limited in its time scope.

[@TheSecretProvider]

That Lobos piece was wild. Great playing

[@lewis_r_]

You've got the start of a great channel there.

[@JulieBulon-fb9dz]

Love the passacaglia style in the godowsky!

[@brentarnold_piano]

We have similar taste in music. The Villa-Lobos Rudepoema is one of my favorite pieces by the composer. I think it is texturally similar to the Stravinsky Petroushka, but is a better work for solo piano and conceived purely for the piano (and in many ways, more playable). As for the Godowsky, I prefer the Piano Sonata, which should already be in the public domain (1911). The first, second and last movements are wonderful. It's criminally neglected and so beautiful. And it's not based on another work. The question of public domain is one that comes up a lot. It's frustrating for those of us that really enjoy playing 20th century music, and new music. It's an even bigger problem with concertos. It's a reason why the repertoire expands very slowly, if at all. The Medtner concerti are great. I also really enjoy the Lyapunov Rhapsody on Ukrainian Themes. Another work that is criminally underperformed is the Tchaikovsky Concert Fantasy (it was difficult for me to get a two piano score copy for myself). Even as works enter the public domain, or even if they have been already for a while, people have to program them for the pieces to get any traction with the public. And unfortunately the soloist rarely has any say over what gets programmed. The orchestra associations - in places like the U.S. especially - need to sell tickets.

[@insearchofthemuses]

Ooh, I'll have to check out the Godowsky sonata - thanks for the recommendation! And totally agreed about what a drag long copyright terms are for expanding the popular repertoire. The good news is so many people ignore copyright here on KZbin that (most of the time!) the rights holders are now willing to compromise and let recordings stay available as long as they get the ad revenue. Not exactly an end run around the system, but the Internet does make it possible for lesser-known music to get more exposure.

[@brentarnold_piano]

​@@insearchofthemuses On KZbin, I think the way around it for most people is to not monetize and say it is fair use or educational. The Godowsky Sonata is quite long (about 50-60 minutes), and the quality of its movements is inconsistent. But the movements that are the best are towards the outside, and they are wonderful. The other movements (3 and 4) aren't bad, they're just not as good.

[@LukeFaulkner]

Thank you for covering these beautiful but neglected works!

[@insearchofthemuses]

You're very welcome! Once upon a time they weren't neglected - expiration of copyright seems as good an excuse as any to pull them out.

[@LukeFaulkner]

@@insearchofthemuses Absolutely! Would love to hear all the Medtner concertos played more. They're very rarely programmed, yet they are exquisite.

[@jimm6386]

And what about the Gershwin brothers? They wrote lots of music in the 1920's. Many that are still played today popularly by any number of professional artists.

[@shubus]

I've always loved the Godowsky Passacaglia. It is a huge complex work that is unfortunately rarely performed. I asked a concert pianist friend about this and he said the work was too long and couldn't hold an audience's attention. Guess it's just left to connoisseurs to enjoy..

[@insearchofthemuses]

I think it's all about setting audience expectations. I performed Beethoven's "Hammerklavier" once and by way of introduction I told the audience that it was going to be a solid 45 minutes of not very easy listening, and they loved it.

[@AlvesterGarnett]

Spectacular! What a wonderful presentation!

[@JamesMGarrenisme]

Thank you so much for making these videos. They’re wonderful.

[@PhenomDaGod]

Great video man! Very knowledgeable on the subject and then killed the piano!

[@dragonflytheatre8468]

Christ, the sheer emotional power of the Rachmaninov.

[@djtomt]

What an incredible demonstration and such amazing piano playing. Where have you been? I would love to watch an autobiographical video.

[@patrickmacgillivray8452]

Everyone has lost all faith in Canada.

[@JosephVanceDude]

I’ve been in love with Rachmaninoff since my teens and Villa-Lobos, and Godowsky since discovering Marc-André Hamelin in the early 90s. Absolutely love what you played here! The Rudepoêma section was wonderful! The Passacaglia is a sublime and intellectually and physically challenging piece (as is a good portion of Godowsky’s oeuvre). Thank you, subscribed from this and will enjoy exploring more vids!

[@rosshoyt2030]

Very good content! Inspiring discussion and performances

[@ledfarmer100]

Can’t wait till I’m 70 and all good music is public domaine

[@Reuben-]

I really enjoyed this video! You presented it very well, and your talent at the piano is amazing!

[@gnastyfunk]

i already love this guys vibe, and insane skill too

[@Cfjgrub]

Royce on the Road! In Japan, where they have vending machine restaurants

[@benbookworm]

This just reminds me again that our copyright laws are ridiculous. I think 50 years from the original publication is an appropriate amount of exclusivity, maybe even 30 years. This is particularly an issue in the video games industry, thanks to multiple corporations having a stake in a work, and then IP getting lost in mergers and reshuffle. Without knowing who the current copyright holder is, you can't find who to license the work from, growing the amount of "orphaned works".

[@vrixphillips]

ooo! 3penny opera goes public domain? nice.

[@gRosh08]

Cool... thanks for sharing.

[@rogercarroll2551]

Thanks for this excellent summary. Wonderfully informative.

[@DancerGirl-24]

Awesome, thanks!

[@VICTORYOVERNEPTUNE]

The last piece is thrilling

[@achaley4186]

What wonderful playing! 🙂⭐❤🙏🏼

[@sovereignbrehon]

Beautiful playing! Very inspiring!

[@cnking27]

I can’t imagine what the accidentals look like on those last couple pieces

[@teddyb.5769]

Love what you’re doing!!!!

[@spencermarks7644]

Great picks! Thanks for posting!

[@myu2k2]

It is worth looking up the Disney vs US Copyright Law videos that came out when the Mouse became public domain. It is basically Disney had no interest in protecting their animation studio rights now the animation industry and the characters they created are no longer their core source of income for the company.

[@anlingitalia]

This series is great.

[@juanferestrada]

Great video and amazing playing!

[@stevenklimecky4918]

I would hope Handel had already been in public domain.

[@rlittlefield2691]

It used to be many people got rich on music, not so much any more.

[@zelig888]

dude this is dope. would be way more dope with a decent microphone so i can hear better. I love the vid though seriously. Just want you to succeed bro

[@Tommyboyy99]

you got mad skills! Just earned a new subscriber 👍

[@tabor503]

wow that first piece is beautiful

[@amusicment4829]

Wonderful, thank you!

[@_purble]

I need more Villa-Lobos in my musical life