Subject: FAQ: rec.music.a-cappella Frequently Asked Questions (Part 1 of 3)
Date: 22 Nov 1994 01:40:20 GMT
References: <acappella-faq.21Nov94.intro@yoyo.cc.monash.edu.au>
X-NNTP-Posting-User: bpqui1
Summary: This posting lists frequently asked questions, with answers, about a cappella music, its performers, and its fans. Please read this before posting to the rec.music.a-cappella newsgroup.

Version: 2.2

Part One: Questions from A Cappella Singers
*******************************************

Questions on A Cappella Singing
===============================

 o What is a cappella? Is there a standard definition of "a cappella music",
   and what makes an "a cappella group"? 
 o How do I learn to sing in an a cappella group? Can just anyone do it? 
 o What is the range of the various vocal parts? 
 o Can anyone give some tips on transcribing music from a recording? 
 o Can anyone give some tips on translating an SATB score for use by my
   TTBB/SSAA group? 
 o Can anyone recommend any books on arranging popular a cappella music? 
 o What is the best microphone technique for a four part a-cappella group?
   Does one mike work well or should everyone have a mike? 
 o What types of microphone are best for a quartet? 
 o Could someone share their wisdom concerning recording your own albums? 
 o What should we do about members missing or being late for rehearsals? 

A Cappella Organizations
========================

 o Are there any organizations of a cappella singers and/or fans? 

A Cappella Workshops
====================

 o Does anyone give a cappella workshops? 

A Cappella Mail Order Sources
=============================

 o Do any mail order catalogues exist for a cappella music and/or recordings? 

Questions on Copyright Issues
=============================

 o Questions about Copyright & Legal Issues 

Questions on A Cappella Singing
===============================

Q. What is a cappella? Is there a standard definition of "a cappella music",
and what makes an "a cappella group"?

   The phrase "a cappella" is Italian in origin, as are most musical terms.
   Literally it translates to "in the style of the chapel", which does not mean
   "unaccompanied". It refers to choral music without separate instrumental
   accompaniment. Instruments may be used to double the vocal parts, eg using
   an electric bass to strengthen the vocal bass line, and the piece is still a
   cappella.

   In light of this, an "a cappella group" is one that sings a cappella music,
   with or without instrumental doubling. But does a group such as the Nylons,
   who often use synthesized bass, or Boyz II Men, who perform some a cappella
   but mostly accompanied, qualify as an a cappella group? This question is
   left to individual discretion and opinion.

   The spelling of "a cappella" can also get on some people's nerves if not
   done properly: a letter to the editor in the CAN (see below) commented:

   ... in truth, "a capella" means "in your hair", "a cappello" means "in your
   hat", and "A Capella" is an astronomical reference to the first planet
   circling the star Capella in the constellation Auriga.

Q. How do I learn to sing in an a cappella group? Can just anyone do it?

   Like most things in life, it takes practice. Some people are better at it
   than others, but with hard work you can learn how to do it. A good sense of
   pitch is important, as is a good singing voice (particularly one that can
   blend with others). What you might do is try to find a vocal teacher in your
   area who specializes in a cappella music.

Q. What is the range of the various vocal parts?

   The range, or compass, of the traditional parts is as follows: 

   (with C4 = middle C, C3 = C below middle C, etc)

           Soprano:  C4 - A5       (Also known as treble)
           Alto:     G3 - D5       (Also known as contralto)
           Tenor:    C3 - G4
           Bass:     F2 - D4

   You should arrange (or transpose) your music so that your vocalists can stay
   roughly within these boundaries, unless you know that a specific vocalist
   can sing outside them comfortably.

Q. Can anyone give some tips on transcribing music from a recording?

   [ These tips were posted by Shawn Pearce ]

   When transcribing a song, listen for the bassline first, then the lead, then
   the harmony parts. Write these in the same order. It is to my experience
   that with even the most difficult songs, if you have a bassline and a
   melody, you can usually figure out the rest.

   Know the ability level of the group you're writing for. This will help you
   make certain decisions in the arranging, i.e. range of parts, difficulty
   level etc.

   Listen for basic chord progressions from one song to the next (eg I-vi-IV-
   V-I) 50's and 60's music are notorious for beating this progression to
   death... If you know what that progression sounds like, it will save time
   with the arrangement, trust me :)

Q. Can anyone give some tips on translating an SATB score for use by my
TTBB/SSAA group?

   Noam Elkies <elkies@zariski.harvard.edu> posted some tips:

   For women, have the first sopranos read S, and the seconds read T up an
   octave (not A); the first altos sing A as written, and the seconds sing B up
   an octave. Same idea, mutatis mutandis, for a men's group: Basses read B,
   Baritones read A down the octave, second tenors read T, firsts read S down
   the octave. Schematically, then:

           Men         Mixed       Women
           T1 (-8ve)     S           S1
           B1 (-8ve)     A           A1
           T2            T           S2 (+8ve)
           B2            B           A2 (+8ve)

   The point is that this preserves the relation between the outer voices and
   automatically transforms many common open voicings into standard closed
   voicings with the four parts in the natural order; e.g. the open D-major
   chord D-A-F#-D becomes D-F#-A-D.

Q. Can anyone recommend any books on arranging popular a cappella music?

   [ This is basically a straight copy of a post by Chris Hebert: ]

   There is a large manual available from the SPEBSQSA on barbershop
   arranging, the Arrangers Manual. It is very thorough, with lots of examples,
   and details three different methodologies for approaching an arrangement. It
   goes into such things as song forms, harmonic progressions, chord vocabulary,
   chord voicings, etc. There is also a smaller manual called The Theory of
   Barbershop Harmony, which you should know first before starting to arrange.

   A very good text on SATB arranging is Choral Arranging by Hawley Ades,
   Shawnee Press, Inc. 1966. 

   It is loaded with examples, both classical and popular in nature. Tables of
   contents includes: principles of part writing for voices, 4-, 3-, 2-, and
   multi-part writing, contrapuntal techniques, special effects, treble voices,
   male choruses (includes glee and barbershop, but not much detail), key and
   tempo changes, intros and endings, planing arrangements, scoring
   arrangements, chorus with instruments, etc. 

   Hawley Ades was the arranger for the Fred Waring's Pensylvanians, and in
   the 60's he did all their radio show music (five 30 minute shows a week plus
   a one hour evening show over 7 years, so he has done a lot of arranging).
   Mr. Ades believes that the techiniques in part writing apply to all styles,
   voices, etc., and a firm foundation in music and harmony is necessary as
   well.

   This has been the only book I have gotten my hands on that discusses choral
   arranging (and was published within the last 30 years). In the bibliography
   section he mentions the normal books on harmony and counterpoint that most
   music students use in their undergraduate work, and some more books that I
   have never found:

   Delamont, Gordon. Modern Arranging Techniques - Kendor Music, NY 1965
   Wilson, Harry. Choral Arranging - Robbins Music, NY 1949

   You also might try to find books on vocal jazz arranging. I believe you
   might have better luck, as this style is currently more popular than
   standard choral stuff.

   If arranging is new to you, I would definitely recommend this book!

Q. What is the best microphone technique for a four part a-cappella group? Does
one mike work well or should everyone have a mike?

   Four directional mikes are great if you have a competent sound person, who
   understands that a properly-balanced quartet does not mean that all four
   parts are of equal volume.

   Next best is one omni-directional mike. Here, though, you need to work very
   carefully to keep the singers at equal distances from the mike. Some places
   provide two directional mikes, which is awful. With this set- up, try
   pointing the two at the center of the quartet and cluster your group very
   close together.

   An important consideration is that low voices need to be closer to mikes
   than high voices. Each singer needs to take responsibility of getting closer
   to his/her own mike at bottom of his/her range.

   It's safer to have individual mikes, practise your technique and be sure to
   have an alert sound tech. Or consider the intermediate approach - two
   singers on each of two mics. If the heights are close enough, this works
   pretty well.

Q. What types of microphone are best for a quartet?

   [ From David Boyes ]

   For one mike, you must have strong vocalists, and a very good
   omnidirectional. Sennheisers work acceptably well, but it's a lot easier to
   get good sound levels and balances for recording with individual mikes.

   One or two PZM-style surface mikes with extension stands work well for
   larger groups; for individuals and studio work, the Sennheisers are
   absolutely a better choice. They don't travel well, and they're expensive,
   but they're worth it in response and sound. The SM58s are a good touring
   mike, but tend to have somewhat uneven spectral response as the elements
   age. SM58s tend also to become more directional with age, but that can be
   both a blessing and a problem if your soundman isn't aware of it. 

Q. Could someone share their wisdom concerning recording your own albums?

   [ Thanks to Ken Purchase: ]

   I'm not all that credible, 'cause I'm just starting out on recording my own
   CD, but I've reviewed many CD's from a cappella groups, and I've talked to
   some of the people that made some of the better ones. Here's what I know.

   The studio time will depend on how ready/good you are. If you don't have
   every single note perfected, complete with dynamics and a good blend, you'll
   find that you'll get into the studio and be shocked by how brutally honest a
   roll of tape can be. The best preparation is to record yourself you your own
   sound system during rehearsals, and play it back, then fix what was wrong,
   and repeat.

   If you're really prepared, you should be able to lay down three to six songs
   in a three or four hour studio session. If you're anything like my group, or
   some of the ones I've talked to, however, you've still got a long way to go.
   We're going to follow basically the same track that a bunch of my buddies in
   the U Maryland Generics did. We're recording only background tracks during
   the group studio sessions, and then we'll go back with a few of our best
   singers and "touch up" weak or out of tune parts by adding additional
   tracks. We'll then add the soloist. These fix-up jobs can take up to two or
   three hours per song, though you get some of the final mix-down settings
   done at the same time.

   Then the final mixing should only take another hour. This is provided that
   at this point you don't decide to go throw away the whole thing and start
   over. 

   Now at this point, I'm sure a lot of people are going to write back and say
   that I'm crazy and that they went into a studio and recorded their entire
   album in one weekend. Well, yes, a lot of groups have done that, and I've
   heard the results. I can say for sure that my group is going to spend the
   time/money to do it right. We expect the overall project (including printing
   CD's, tapes and liners) to run about $5-6 K.

Q. What should we do about members missing or being late for rehearsals?

   [ from Dave Damouth...]

   The first thing that is needed is an objective measure of the impact of
   lateness or absence on the rest of the group. It's important to get it out
   of the realm of emotion and personal opinion, and establish something that
   is measurable independent of personalities.

   The second key thing is to separate the actual impact of the absence from
   the reason for the absence, and deal with the two separately. If someone is
   absent a lot, for the best of reasons (car wrecks, command performances at
   the White House, having a baby, whatever), it damages the preparedness and
   quality of the performance just as much as if the excuses were bad. The
   nature of the excuses is very important too, of course, but this is a very
   different kind of discussion. When someone is missing frequently, the
   discussion is, first, "how much have you damaged the group by not being
   here?" and, second, quite separately, "is this behavior likely to continue
   in the future and does the group value you enough to be willing to tolerate
   this damage?"

   The attendance policy for Madrigalia, Dave's 16-voice madrigal group, is
   stored at the Princeton archive as
.   pub/rec.music.a-cappella/info/attendance.policy

A Cappella Organizations
========================

Q. Are there any organizations of a cappella singers and/or fans?

 o CASA - The Contemporary A Cappella Society of America
   +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

   Based in San Francisco (with chapters in Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey
   and Texas), the CASA was started by ex-collegiate a cappella singer Deke
   Sharon, who now runs the Ultimate A Cappella Arranging Service and sings
   with his own group, the House Jacks. The organization was formed three
   years ago with the intention of advancing a cappella music in all shapes and
   forms.

   CASA offers the following services:

    o CASA Hotline: Information, News, Concert Calendar, etc. 
    o CASA Arrangement Library 
      Members can request up to five arrangements per four months from
      their library of over one thousand songs. They ask that you donate one
      arrangement to the library for each one that you receive.
    o Contemporary A Cappella Newsletter ("the CAN") 
      Published bi-monthly, the CAN is "filled with current news, reviews
      of a cappella concerts and albums, interviews with famous and
      influential individuals, and articles on a wide range of related topics,
      from arranging tips to the mathematical superiority of a cappella
      tuning... advertisements... a classifieds section, and an upcoming
      concerts calendar."
    o A Cappella Recording Archives 
      They are currently collecting recordings, with a view to distributing
      them to interested people when and if they can find a legal way of
      doing so.
    o Ultimate A Cappella Arranging Service 
      A service run by Deke Sharon which arranges songs personally for
      your group, for a fee.
    o International A Cappella Directories 
      Lists of professional groups, collegiate groups and other contacts the
      world over.

   Annual subscriptions are $20 for groups and $15 for individuals
   (international add $5). They can be contacted at:

        1850 Union St. Suite 1441
        San Francisco, CA 94123

        Phone:(+1) (415) 563-5224
        Fax:  (+1) (415) 921-2834
        e-mail:     casa@netcom.com

 o SPEBSQSA
   ++++++++

   Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet
   Singing in America (don't ask me, I didn't name it), I think you can guess
   what they do. In addition to sponsoring educational workshops and
   competitions from local to international levels, SPEBSQSA also assists high
   school music programs through its "Harmony Explosion" program, and also
   support a charity called Heartspring, which helps children with speech
   defects. They have over 35,000 members.

   They have a number of useful pamphlets on singing and arranging, as well as
   an arranger's manual, available for about US$30. Note that this manual only
   deals with barbershop-style arranging, which deals almost solely with major,
   minor, and dominant seventh chords. If this is your thing, then go for it,
   but if you're a bit more adventurous, well, it can still be used as an
   introduction to arranging for voices, and you can supplement it with
   information on other techniques (from, say, the Jazz Primer mentioned
   below).
  
   SPEBSQSA run a week-long training camp in the first week of August in St.
   Joseph, Missouri called Harmony College, and run comptetitions extensively.

   You can contact them at:

           S.P.E.B.S.Q.S.A.
           6315 Third Avenue
           Kenosha, Wisconsin  53140-5199
           Phone: 1-800 876-SING
                 or (414) 653-8440
           Email: brian-lynch@genie.gis.com

   There are affiliated (but independent) organizations in several countries,
   including:

           Australian Association of Men Barbershop Singers (AAMBS)
           Mell McMichael, President,
           16 Booral Street
           Buderim, Queensland 4556, Australia

           Barbershop in Germany (BinG!)
           Hans-Jurgen Wieneke, President
           Muhlgasse 8-12,
           6000 Frankfurt am Main 90, Germany
           [mit umlauts over the u's in Jurgen and Muhlgasse]

           British Association of Barbershop Singers (BABS)
           Bob Walker, Chairman
           "St. Catherines", Highfield Road,
           East Grinstead, Sussex RH19 2DX, England

           Dutch Association of Barbershop Singers (DABS)
           Herman Feitsma, President,
           Klavermeen #1
           Harderwyk 3844 BR, The Netherlands

           New Zealand Association of Barbershop Singers (NZABS)
           Ross Gainsford, President
           25 Gordon Street
           Avalon, Lower Hutt, New Zealand

           Society of Nordic Barbershop Singers (SNOBS)
           Kjell Lindberg, President
           Norrangsvagen 54 (two dots over both a's)
           S-141 43 Huddinge, Sweden

           Southern Part of Africa Tonsorial Singers (SPATS)
           Chris Molyneux, President
           P.O. Box 242, Rondebosch 7700
           Cape Province, South Africa

 o Sweet Adelines International
   ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

   The Sweet Adelines are the female counterpart to SPEBSQSA, with around
   29,000 members around the world. Although they also emphasize the
   barbershop style of harmonizing, they don't make as much of an effort to
   "preserve the style" as SPEBSQSA.

           Sweet Adelines International
           PO Box 470168
           Tulsa, Oklahoma  74147
           Phone: 1-800 992-SING

 o Harmony Inc.
   ++++++++++++

   Another women's barbershop singing organization. We're not sure of the
   permanent address, but here's the address of the editor of their publication,
   "Keynote":

           Joanne Rohrer, 
           RFD-1 Box 142,
           East Calais, VT, 05650.

 o Sydney Acappella Association (Australia)
   ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

   Run a newsletter ("Oral Majority"), support local & touring groups, promote
   and sponsor workshops, singing classes and performances. Too bad they can't
   spell a cappella properly...

   They may be contacted through:

           Sydney Acappella Association
           PO Box 40
           Broadway NSW 2007
           AUSTRALIA
           Phone: +61 2 692-0969 (Ann Babinard, Secretary)

 o Harmony Sweepstakes
   +++++++++++++++++++

   An annual a cappella competition throughout the US. Heats are held in
   various parts of the country. They also join forces with CASA to present the
   annual A Cappella Summit in San Francisco.

   For information contact:

           John Neal
           PO Box D
           San Anselmo, CA, 94979
           Phone: (415) 459-3955
           e-mail: harmonys@netcom.com

 o Ken Purchase's List
   +++++++++++++++++++

   Ken Purchase, <purchase@uiuc.edu>, is compiling a list of a cappella
   groups, with their contact address, group details and e-mail address. He will
   post it to the newsgroup when he's finished. Please mail him for more details.

 o A Cappella's
   ++++++++++++

   (An all-a cappella club) 

           1336 E 17th Ave.
           Denver, CO 80218
           (303) 832-1479

 o Associated Male Choruses of America
   +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

           1204 South First St.
           Stillwater, MN 55082

 o Chorus America
   ++++++++++++++

           2111 Sansom Street
           Philadelphia, PA 19103
           (215) 563-2430

 o 4-Part Harmony Newsletter
   +++++++++++++++++++++++++

           c/o Becky McDuffee
           PO Box 11432
           Champaign, IL 61826-1432
           (217) 356-0531
           e-mail: mcduffbe@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu

 o Michigan Vocal Jazz Society
   +++++++++++++++++++++++++++

           63360 Dequindre Rd.
           Washington, MI 48095

 o Southern California Doo Wop Society
   +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

           1077 Pacific Coast Highway #153
           Seal Beach, CA 90740
           (818) 331-4399

 o United in Group Harmony Association
   +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

   (An East Coast doo-wop club) 

           PO Box 185
           Clifton, NJ 07011

A Cappella Workshops
====================

Q. Does anyone give a cappella workshops?

Yes, several people (and groups) do.

 o Phil Mattson/Steve Zegree
   +++++++++++++++++++++++++

   Phil Mattson (of the Phil Mattson Singers) and Steve Zegree (who arranges
   vocal jazz music for Hal Leonard and other publishers) give week-long
   summer workshops on vocal jazz singing and education. This information was
   posted by Richard Hsu, and is apparently a couple of years old:

           Phil Mattson
           Southwestern Community College
           1501 West Townline Road
           Creston, IA 50801
           Phone: (515) 782-7081

           Steve Zegree
           School of Music
           Western Michigan University
           Kalamazoo, Mich 49008
           Phone: (616) 387-4689
           School: (616) 387-4667

 o Western Wind
   ++++++++++++

   [ from Dave Damouth: ] 

   Western Wind, an a cappella group based in New York City, runs workshops
   several times a year. You can enrol as a group. You get coaching for your
   group by real experts, and a chance to prepare and perform several works
   (with the rest of the attendees as audience). The summer workshops are
   typically a week, and perhaps they've done some that are just a long weekend
   during the school year.

   It is also (or at least was) possible to arrange a private coaching session
   with them, but this starts to get expensive - they are busy professionals
   trying to make a living.

   Several of my friends have attended the summer workshops, and gone back
   year after year, sometimes individually and sometimes as a quartet.
   Madrigalia arranged a private workshop with them a few years ago. We got a
   lot of benefit, individually and as a group.

   Their performing repertoire spans just about everything - renaissance, folk,
   jazz, ...

   They announce their concerts, recordings, workshops, etc, in a sporadic but
   free newsletter. call 1-800-788-2187. (disclaimer - I've no connection with
   Western Wind other than as a satisfied customer)

 o Acappella Christian Music Seminar
   +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

   [From Tammy Heinsohn]

   Keith Lancaster, Acappella and AVB host the Acappella Christian Music
   Seminar (ACMS) in July each year. It is a week long (Sunday through Friday
   night) series of workshops and concerts capped by Acappella's and AVB's
   annual homecoming concert on Friday night. (Murray KY is about 30 miles
   from their homebase in Paris, TN.) There are "classes in song-writing,
   theory, voice, song leading, youth, sound engineering, worship committees
   plus nightly concerts featuring a cappella groups from all over the U.S."

   Classes cover topics including music theory, sound engineering,
   incorporating multimedia, and life on the road. Different members of
   Acappella and AVB also lead discussions of various topics including using
   music in the worship service and sharing memorable experiences they've had
   on the road.

   Groups attending the seminar are given a chance to sing during the
   mini-concerts. In addition, each evening there is a concert of different
   singing groups that are invited to perform for us.

   This year's ACMS was in Paris TN, from July 9-15.

   For more information and schedules, contact:

           Acappella Music Company
           PO Box 15
           Paris TN 38242
           Phone: (901) 644 1771
              or  1-800 233 2031

 o CASA A Cappella Summit
   ++++++++++++++++++++++

   There are also several workshops, performances and talks given at the A
   Cappella Summit in San Francisco, organized by CASA. Present at the first,
   in October 1993, were Gene Puerling (genius arranger with the Singers
   Unlimited), Sean Altman (Rockapella), Jimmy Hayes (Persuasions), Todd
   Rundgren, and Gerard Brown (Do It A Cappella co-producer).

   This year's Summit is on the 15th & 16th of October, and will include
   sessions such as "Behind the Scenes with the Bobs", "Legal issues and a
   cappella", "Making a Living as an A Cappella Group", "Advanced A Cappella
   Arranging", an a cappella jam, and more... E-mail Deke at 
   <casa@netcom.com> for details.

 o Melbourne A Cappella Festival
   +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

   The Melbourne A Cappella Festival (in Australia) is held annually, and the
   first was during October 1993 as well. It included many workshops, on topics
   from doo wop singing to Bulgarian choral harmonies to sea shanties. This
   year's was on for two weeks leading up to the weekend of August 5-7.

A Cappella Mail Order Sources
=============================

Q. Do any mail order catalogues exist for a cappella music and/or recordings?

Recorded Music Sources
++++++++++++++++++++++

 o Primarily A Cappella Catalog 

   The major source for a cappella recordings is the Primarily A Cappella
   Catalog, which is run by Don Gooding from United Singers International in
   New Jersey, and John Neal from Harmony Sweepstakes in California. Their
   Master Catalogue has just been compiled and distributed, and you can now
   order products and obtain information from their net address, 
   <harmonys@netcom.com> To join their snail-mail mailing list, e-mail
   John Neal at <harmonys@netcom.com>

           United Singers International
           PO Box 583, Dept S-2
           Princeton, NJ 08540
           USA
           Phone: (609) 730-1200
           e-mail: dgooding@accel.com (Don Gooding, album reviewer)
                   harmonys@netcom.com (John Neal, administrator)

 o DJ Records 

           DJ Records
           Doug Anderson
           PO Box 95
           McMinnville, OR 97128
           Phone: (503) 472-6971

   Official King's Singers album distributors in the US, who also specialize in
   scholastic choral recordings.

 o Hall of Records 

           Hall of Records
           Dan Jordan
           PO Box 11244
           Glendale, CA 91206-7244
           Phone: (818) 240-4868

   Will send out a catalogue for $5 ($7.50 for Canada and Europe). Apparently
   they have a large range of music, including hard-to-find selections.

Sheet Music Sources
+++++++++++++++++++

 o CASA Arrangement Library 

   A (nearly) current list of the arrangements in the library is stored at the 
   princeton.edu FTP site.

 o SPEBSQSA archives. 

 o Hal Leonard music publishers: 

           Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation
           7777 West Bluemound Road
           PO Box 13819
           Milwaukee WI 53213
           Phone: (414) 774-3630

   Paul Bartholomew <pdb059@ipl.jpl.nasa.gov> has typed out a list
   of all the titles listed as a cappella in their catalogue. The list is
   posted to the newsgroup at irregular intervals and is kept at the
   princeton.edu archive (see Part Three) as
.pub/rec.music.a-cappella/info/Hal.Leonard.list 

   Here's one hint on a book of King's Singers Arrangements: 

           The King's Singers 
           25th Anniversary Jubilee!
           Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation
           HL08602135
           ISBN 0-7935-2135-1
           US $12.95

   Contents: I'm a Train, You Are the New Day, Can't Buy Me Love, Short
   People, Le Baylere. Musik der Nacht (Schlummerlied), Greensleeves, Loch
   Lommond, Eriskay Love Lilt, That Lonesome Road, And So It Goes,
   Shenandoah

   The songs have been (re-)arranged for SATB.

 o Voices Music Publishing 

   Tammy Heinsohn <tammyh@cats.ucsc.edu> posted about an a
   cappella arrangement service called "Voices Music Publishing":

           Voices
           PO Box 8178
           Tyler, TX 75711-8178
           Phone: (903) 597-3622

   Their brochure claims "our library of simple SATB arrangements is written
   for your group's performance during worship, devotionals, special events or
   weddings." According to Tammy, they have a variety of contemporary
   Christian and pop music in their catalogue.

 o A Cappella Junction 

   From Tammy again, another religious-service type catalogue is:

           A Cappella Junction
           PO Box 48464
           Fort Worth, TX 76148

   This catalog provides praise, worship and ministry oriented items. The
   catalog is billed as "your one-stop A Cappella Shoppe" with Cassettes,
   Compact Discs, Choral Octavos, Videos, Song Books, T-Shirts, Tote Bags,
   Research Reports, Children's Music, Caps and more. 

   A new version of the catalogue will be published in early 1994.

 o Ken Purchase 

   Ken Purchase <purchase@uiuc.edu>, of the University of Illinois
   Xtension Chords, can e-mail or regular mail a list of arrangements to anyone
   interested. He has men's, women's and mixed music, and sends it out for
   either a small copying fee or a trade:

           Ken Purchase
           705 E Colorado #207
           Urbana, IL 61801-6372

 o Voices of Liberty - Derric Johnson 

   Paul Sabourin <paslll@next02wor.wam.umd.edu> kindly posted
   information about arrangements by Derric Johnson for Voices of Liberty, a
   great mixed a cappella group who perform many times a day at EPCOT
   centre in Orlando, Florida and who cause many an a cappella visitor to drool
   on the spot at their arrangements (so I'm told :-)

   Paul's friend Kevin, in VoL, "mentioned this to Derric, and he responded
   that he would be more than willing to make his arrangements available to any
   interested parties. If you are interested, write to him at the following
   address:

           Derric Johnson
           P.O. Box 22605
           Orlando, FL  32830

   "Now, he made no mention of $$$, but can only assume that there would be
   some sort of fee involved, although I would not begin to guess at the
   amount.  It seems (from what Kevin said) that he would deal with this
   individually.

   "These arrangements are SATB (and more complicated iterations of that, like
   SAATBB, etc.), but I know from experience that they can translate pretty
   well to other voicings when done right (my old group did his National
   Anthem TTTBBB, and it still kicked butt). You might wish to discuss this
   with him; he might be willing to revoice a chart himself, or at least make
   suggestions."

 o Max Ziff's Early A Cappella Collections list 

   Max Ziff <ziff@cs.uchicago.edu> posts "Basic Collections for A
   Cappella Singing" to the rec.music.early, rec.music.classical.performing and 
   rec.music.music.a-cappella newsgroups periodically - this lists sources for
   madrigals, motets, chansons, etc. around the world. It is kept on the 
   princeton.edu archive.

 o Hampton Institute Press 

   Ruth Cross posted information about a book published by Hampton Institute
   Press called "Religious Folk-Songs of the Negro", edited by R. Nathaniel
   Dett. It is available from:

           University Store
           Hampton University
           Hampton, Virginia 23668

   "The book is a hymnal-size hard-cover, containing over 200 spirituals
   collected in the late 1800's at the Hampton Institute, one of the first
   colleges for former slaves. The songs were transcribed as sung by the
   students, with some harmonies added, and are meant to be sung a cappella.
   Almost all are 4-part, often with solo parts; some are solo/tutti. The
   current book is a reprint of the 1927 edition, edited by Nathaniel Dett, and
   includes a new introduction with a history of the music, and copies of
   prefaces from the previous editions.  
   "The last time we ordered copies, less than a year ago, the price was $10,
   including postage. I have heard they may have other books of black music
   available."

Questions on Copyright Issues
=============================

Q. Questions about Copyright & Legal Issues

[ Much of the following was learned from the Copyright FAQ , maintained by
Terry Carroll <tjc50@ccc.amdahl.com>, posted to the misc.legal newsgroup (and
others) monthly and available for ftp from rtfm.mit.edu under 
pub/usenet/Copyright-FAQ/part[1-6]. Other info came from postings, especially
those from Jed Hartman.

There are many detailed facts to be understood about copyright, especially in a
field such as ours where (for example) arrangements of other people's
copyrighted works are used frequently. This section will not attempt to address
all possible factors relevant to us, but rather an overview of the laws
governing copyright. Perhaps this will evolve into a more detailed section, or
even a separate FAQ. 

An interesting essay about the copyright law pertaining to a college a cappella
group was written by Mark Tavern of the St. Lawrence University Singing Saints
and posted to the newsgroup by Ken Purchase. It is available at the Princeton
archive site ]

 1. The Berne Convention
 +++++++++++++++++++++++

   Created by a group of countries in 1886 and joined by the US on March 1,
   1988, the most recent document specifying the law is the Paris, 1971 text.
   The main parts of the Berne Convention are as follows:

   National treatment
      An author's rights are respected in another country as though the
      author were a citizen of that country. Eg for me, in Australia, to use
      material copyrighted in the US, I must adhere to Australian copyright
      law, not American. This is only true if both countries are signatories
      to the Convention. (Most Western countries seem to be signatories;
      check out the list in the Copyright FAQ if you're not sure)
   Preclusion of formalities
      The copyright cannot depend upon formalities (such as copyright
      notices or registration) for a copyright to hold; this is why all material
      since 1988 is implicitly copyright, even without a copyright message.
   Minimum terms of protection
      The minimum duration for copyright protection is the life of the
      author plus 50 years, but signatory nations may choose to provide
      longer durations.
   Minimum exclusive rights
      A nation must provide for protection of six rights: translation,
      reproduction, public performance, adaptation, attribution (paternity)
      and integrity. Apparently US law differs from this by not covering
      translation but covering display and distribution, but translation is
      protected by other laws (trademark, patent etc).

 2. Public Domain material
 +++++++++++++++++++++++++

   A work in the public domain is one that can be freely used by anyone for any
   purpose. A work is public domain if:

    o the copyright has expired 
    o the work is a work of the US Government 
    o the work can't be copyrighted (short names, slogans etc. - however,
      these can be trademarked) 
    o the copyright has been forfeited. This includes publishing without
      copyright notice prior to March 1, 1988 (in the US) 
    o the copyright has been abandoned, ie the copyright holder has made an
      unambiguous statement of his or her intent to dedicate the work to the
      public domain, like what I did for this FAQ list. 

 3. Registering a Copyright
 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++

   First of all, you don't need to register your work for it to be copyrighted;
   since the Berne Convention, all works are copyright from the moment of their
   creation. In fact, you don't even need a copyright notice (as mentioned
   above), but it is a good idea: you should include a c-in-a-circle,
   "Copyright", or "Copr.", the year, and your name on the work to make an
   official copyright notice. There have been rulings in the past that (c) is
   not an official copyright symbol, so watch out!

   If you do want to formalize your copyright by registering it, which helps in
   court, you do it by filing the appropriate form with the US Copyright Office,
   with payment of $20. If you call the Copyright Office Information Hotline,
   and leave your name, address and form number on the voicemail, they will
   send you an information package on copyrighting a particular type of work.
   The number is 202-707-9100, and the packages most readers of this group
   will be interested in are:

   Music (sheet or lyrics): Form PA, Package 105 and
   Music (sound recording): Form SR, Package 121

   You can also write to them at:

           Copyright Office
           LM 455
           Library of Congress
           Washington, DC 20559

   [ From here on, the info starts to come less from the Copyright FAQ and
   more from varied sources and, shock horror, *opinion* :-)

   But don't worry, wherever an opinion creeps in, I'll warn you... ]

 4. Derivative Works - the Legality of an Arrangement
 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

   Apparently an a cappella arrangement is legally a derivative work of the
   original song. The definition of a copyright infringement is for the work
   itself to have actually been copied from (either wholly or to create a
   derivative work), (etc.) so [from what I can gather,] as far as the law is
   concerned, an arrangement is the same as the original song, and thus has the
   same copyright protection as the original song.

   However, one can copyright an arrangement of a song, as long as the arranger
   has been given permission to arrange the song in the first place.

   It is true that many people arrange songs without getting permission, and
   noone has (to our knowledge) been prosecuted, but do you want your group to
   be the first?

 5. Legalities of Performance, Distribution, etc.
 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

   Andy Isbell, <isbell@osiris.cso.uiuc.edu>, says about transcribing a song:

   If you can all learn your parts just from listening to the album, that is
   legal. If you start writing it down, you are in violation of the composer's
   copyright.

   You are allowed to make one archival copy of any performance without
   paying any fee. An interesting quirk to this rule is that if you have several
   people with tape recorders record you singing a song, all of those tapes are
   legal. If you make one recording and copy it for all the people, you have to
   pay the licensing fee.

   Dan Wilson, <ATDYW@ASUACAD.BITNET>, from the Phoenix chapter of
   the SPEBSQSA, says:

   Serious Barbershop arrangers (not the backroom ones) get written permission
   from the copyright holder to arrange a song. Our International Office in
   Kenosha, WI handles the paperwork and gets clearnaces for us. The fee is $10,
   and this allows you to arrange the song and make 4 copies - typically for a
   quartet. More copies may be made up to 200 at $.20 per copy. If you want
   more than 200, you need to get extended permission. We went to this
   formality years ago as the result of a number not-for-profit groups
   (churches, schools, etc.) being sued for copyright infringement. The law
   allows a fine of $50,000 per TITLE, as I recall. I'd rather spend the ten
   bucks and avoid the hassle.

   Performace rights are handled by the performing rights groups such as
   ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, etc. These groups usually work out licenses with
   clubs, theaters, auditoriums, radio stations, etc., and the revenue from the
   license fees is divided among the members of the performing rights groups.

   Mechanical license is required to make copies of audio tapes/records, and
   Synchronization Rights license is required for making videos and movies. The
   Harry Fox Agency (212-370-5330) handles the audio tapes and records, I'm
   not sure about the videos. You send FOX a letter telling them the titles and
   the number of copies you expect to make (not sell), and they'll send you a
   bill.

   Deke Sharon, <casa@netcom.com>, says "the rate is 6.25 cents per title
   per recording for a song up to 5 minutes long (the price has gone up in
   1993) & 1.2 cents for each additional minute (I feel like a long distance
   operator!)"

   Dan again:

   PERFORMANCE FOR FEE OR FOR FREE is irrelevant when it comes to
   copyright infringement. Money is not the primary issue - control of
   intellectual property is. Irving Berlin was always very careful about
   allowing people to perform, or arrange his music - whether or not it was for
   profit. He felt some groups just didn't do his music justice and refused
   permission to them. It is a common misconception that songs performed or
   arranged without compensation do not need permission from the copyright
   holder. The misconception is a result of assuming MONEY is the issue rather
   than CONTROL.

   After speaking to a "knowledgable copyright attorney", Deke posted the
   following:

   Yes, it's legal to transcribe a song off an album for your own use. No you
   don't need permission to arrange a song, perform an arrangement, or record
   an arrangement (that doesn't have altered lyrics or melody), though you will
   need to pay mechanicals on recordings.

   Yes, you can arrange for money, but you're selling a service & not music.
   You can make copies of an arrangement for fair use - study purposes within
   your group. CASA can give out a few arrangements for rehearsal &
   performance purposes, but they can't be published in any way - that right
   belongs to the composer.

 6. Fair use
 +++++++++++

   This is a very tricky matter. Fair use governs the extent to which the
   copyright rules may be "bent" if their purpose includes "criticism, comment,
   news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research." (from Section 107 of
   the Copyright Act, as quoted in the Copyright FAQ).

   Four factors are used in determining whether something counts as fair use:

    1. Purpose of the use - commercial or nonprofit and educational. 
    2. Nature of the work being copied. 
    3. How much of the work is copied. 
    4. The effect of copying on the potential market for the work. 

   Things that have been considered fair use in the past by courts include:
   quotations of brief excerpts of works in reviews and criticism; use in a
   parody; summary with brief quotations; a teacher copying part of a work to
   use in class; and so on.

   Our interest in this area is mainly to see whether we can establish an a
   cappella arrangement archive at the FTP site. This is still being looked
   into.

---------------------------------------------------------
Please send comments, corrections, info to Brendan Quinn, 
<svlad@yoyo.cc.monash.edu.au> 
-- 
Brendan Quinn...| "Music is the expression of emotion,
svlad@yoyo.cc.monash.edu.au.| and politics is merely the decoy of
Monash University, Australia.| perception." - Disposable Heroes
<a href="http://yoyo.cc.monash.edu.au/~svlad/Brendan.html">Home Page</a>
