Is performing Sorabji's Opus Clavicembalisticum illegal?

[mihnahc]

As a compositional student who knows how to play piano, the OC has magical power attracting me try to explore it. After listening it and doing some research, I have acknowledged that the score is available for sale on Sorabji Archive, but there are still rare performances.

Although I still haven't purchased the score, I am curious that if it is illegal or not to perform the piece, of course, as a student after purchasing it (Even if only purchasing its pdf). I am willing to pay the money as a respect to the composer, but I do not know if the copy available for purchase on Sorabji Archive is something giving you the right to perform it.

I noticed that Mr.Hinton is also in the forum. It might be a dumb question. I am looking forward  to purchase and play the mythical OC.

[ahinton]

As a compositional student who knows how to play piano, the OC has magical power attracting me try to explore it. After listening it and doing some research, I have acknowledged that the score is available for sale on Sorabji Archive, but there are still rare performances.

Although I still haven't purchased the score, I am curious that if it is illegal or not to perform the piece, of course, as a student after purchasing it (Even if only purchasing its pdf). I am willing to pay the money as a respect to the composer, but I do not know if the copy available for purchase on Sorabji Archive is something giving you the right to perform it.

I noticed that Mr.Hinton is also in the forum. It might be a dumb question. I am looking forward  to purchase and play the mythical OC.

Of course it isn't illegal! Every piece written by a composer who is either alive or who died after 31 December 1950 (different terms apply in a few territories incluing US) will be in copyright rather than in the public domain but that doesn't make public performance illegal. When such performances of copyright works are given, the performer/s or concert organiser or performance venue includes it on return to the copyright agency in the country concerned and that data feeds through to the UK one, MCPS/PRS.

There was once a restriction on such performances of Sorabji's work during his lifetime but that has not pertained for almost half a century.

Please therefore feel free to write to us at sorabji.archive@gmail.com for further information and/or visit www.sorabji-archive.co.uk .

Best,

Alistair

[mihnahc]

As a person who live far away from U.K., I would possibly purchase a pdf version instead of a printed version. Is that valid as a copyright score for performance? Thanks for answering.

[ahinton]

As a person who live far away from U.K., I would possibly purchase a pdf version instead of a printed version. Is that valid as a copyright score for performance? Thanks for answering.

All of Sorabji's scores are available as .pdf files as well as printed copies but the text of the .pdf file of each of them is of course identical to that of the printed copy. Just drop us an email and we can discuss and progress this.

Best,

Alistair

[thalbergmad]

It's not illegal, just dumb when taken into account the work involved vs the musical value lol

[ahinton]

It's not illegal, just dumb when taken into account the work involved vs the musical value lol

That is for any performer or prospective performer to decide, not for you (since you are not about to become one of them).

Best,

Alistair

[mihnahc]

It's not illegal, just dumb when taken into account the work involved vs the musical value lol

What's the difference between your words and a child who dislikes Stravinsky?

[thalbergmad]

That is for any performer or prospective performer to decide, not for you (since you are not about to become one of them).

Best,

Alistair

I have already performed this work in a private recital.

[ahinton]

I have already performed this work in a private recital.

Yes, of course - and, as the well-worn cliché has it, "the moon is made of green cheese" (not that this seems to be any kind of commendation)...

Why bother to comment when the subject is so obviously of no interest to you?

Also, your post does not even bother to attempt to answer mihnahc's question...

Best,

Alistair

[thalbergmad]

If I had no interest, I wouldn't have listened to a recording, attended a live performance and spent £350 on an original score.
Also I do not eat cheese.
End of Story

[ahinton]

If I had no interest, I wouldn't have listened to a recording, attended a live performance and spent £350 on an original score.

OK, but where did you source that recording, which live performance did you attend and who on earth ripped you off by charging you £350 for a score? (it most certainly was not me!). Sorry, Thal, but what you write does not stand up to scrutiny.

But OK, you still claim to have an interest. Fine. So why try to dampen someone else's?

Also I do not eat cheese.

Neither here nor there; it was a comment about your assertion of having performed the work in a private recital which, quite obviously, you have never done and never will.

Best,

Alistair

[thalbergmad]

Recording- Ogdon performance downloaded from e mule
Live performance- you were there dimwit. Is your memory that bad?
Score-Bought from Lubrano. It is an original Curwen Edition. This was about the average price at the time.

[ahinton]

Recording- Ogdon performance downloaded from e mule

Well, at least that is illegal!

Live performance- you were there dimwit. Is your memory that bad?

If you're talking about Oxford in 2017, I recall that you did not stay for the whole work.

Score-Bought from Lubrano. It is an original Curwen Edition. This was about the average price at the time.

Fine, but you could have gotten a printed copy of it with the composer's extensive annotations / corrections for just over one-sixth of what you paid - or indeed a .pdf copy for a quarter of that...

Anyway, none of that is relevant to the OP's first  question here - and you have yet to answer the second one...

Best,

Alistair

[thalbergmad]

Corrections lol. As If that makes any difference.
That is funny.

[ahinton]

Corrections lol. As If that makes any difference.
That is funny.

Yes; corrections. Those are amendments to incorrect text with correct ditto. The difference that they make is that certain incorrect text is no longer so. I would have thought that plainly obvious. Clearly not (at least to you, it would seem).

The problem with it in this instance is that many more errors remain.

All the handwritten amendments were made during the 1930s after Sorabji had given his only performance of the work (from the ms. in 1930 - the publication emerged several months after this) and, as no other pianist besides Egon Petri had considered performing it at that time, they remained confined to the composer's "working copy" which was not discovered until the mid-1990s, whereupon it replaced the unadorned publication as our master-copy and we have issued the work in that form ever since.

However, a new typeset edition is in preparation which will resolve all such problems; it is a large-scale project, though and we have no idea when it will be completed.

Best,

Alistair

[thalbergmad]

I have always thought the high F# in measure 8960 should have been a natural.

[ahinton]

I have always thought the high F# in measure 8960 should have been a natural.

Then why on earth have you not put your name forward to join the editorial team? After all, neither the ms. nor the publication bears measure numbers so you must be extremely knowledgeable about this score (but then you have by your own admission performed it privately, of course).

That said, "8960" must be a typo, since there's nothing like that many measures in the score...

Someone ought to have advised you that setting your own tripwires does not of itself obligate you then to trip over them - but would you have taken any notice?...

Best,

Alistair