Tag: public domain

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The (almost) complete Hymns of the Spirit

As I wrote yesterday, I’ve restarted my Hymns of the Spirit site, a “resource site for the joint 1937 Unitarian-Universalist hymnal and service book” because I have more need of it now. Careful observers will note the site is all about the service material and not at all about the actual hymns. From my perspective this makes a lot of sense. I have two or three copies of the actual hymnal, I’m not a musician and I really wanted a way to search the liturgical material.

Besides, Hymnary.org is a better resource for hymnals, hymns, tunes and making links between all of them; if you don’t already have an account there, I encourage you to do so. Years ago, I participated in identifying hymns in Hymns of the Spirit on Hymnary.org by number, first line, tune and sources. It was a slog, but I did not finish, so earlier this week went over to pick up where I left off. No need, though, as others had finished the work in the meantime.

It has what I don’t have and vice verse. So between that site and HymnsOfTheSpirit.org, you have the contents of the whole book, even page images. (Hymnary.org has the hymnal indicies.) Almost.

I’ve loved this hymnal for decades, but it’s been old as long as I’ve known it. It turns ninety next year. But what’s changed since my youth is that more and more of its contents have entered the public domain, including everything published in 1930 or before. Because Hymnary.org won’t show material in copyright, we have a good (not flawless) indication of what’s not in the public domain by what doesn’t have a page image. Sometimes the copyrighted element is the text, sometimes the tune. In at least two cases (280, 300), a public domain text is shown on one page with two tunes, but one tune is still in copyright, so you get to see neither. Some are ambiguously dated and Hymnary.org sides with caution. As you sweep down the listings, keep your eye on the camera icon. If it’s there, you can see the page; if not, you’ve probably hit something in copyright.

Those chestnuts “Morning has broken” (97) and “Wonders still the world shall witness” are in that list. One of my favorite Advent hymns, “Heir of all the waiting ages” (178) is too. “O bold, O foolish peasants” (183) should be in the public domain by Palm Sunday 2031, but I think I’ll stick to the same-tuned “All Honor, Laud and Glory” (not in Hymns of the Spirit.) Henry Wilder Foote’s “Thou whose love didst give us birth” (193) deserves a place at Easter or All Souls, or both, and will be in the public domain in 2030. (Sing it at my funeral, too.) But most of the book is in the public domain.

You can see the whole book by “borrowing” it from the Internet Archive. They have three copies, but I think this is the best. You will need an account to login.

But I’m not done with the Hymnary.org site; more about that later.

Cross-posted to HymnsOfTheSpirit.org

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Public Domain Day, 2026

Happy New Year, and with January 1, 2026 a whole bunch of works from 1930 have entered the public domain in the United States. (Recorded music has its own rules.)

For a few years now, I’ve looked to see what Universalist works are now in the public domain. Nothing denominational apart from the main denominational magazine, and they’ve been freely available (but under copyright) for some time. A few references here and there in other books, but slim pickings and I’m not sure how many I’ll run down, if any.

But there are a number of valuable cultural works that are now in the public domain, including the sheet music of the well-loved “Georgia on My Mind” (especially if you’re from Georgia like I am) but clergy beware of Agatha Christie’s The Murder an the Vicarage.

You can read a more detailed review at the Internet Archive.

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Sometimes a complaint works!

I was disappointed to see the 1927 issues of the Christian Leader (the Universalist denominational magazine) unavailable at the Hathi Trust site. They fell into the public domain on January 1, but since they had been misdated as 1930, they were not available.

A small (but nicely worded) email of complaint to the people at the Hathi Trust got a reply. The original scanner would have to examine and re-date the files to open them up. And they did.

Enjoy a Universalist window into 1927. (Hathi Trust)

(Now, who do I have to write at Harvard to get the issues from the 1930s to the mid 1950s included in their scanning program? They did the later ones.)

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Happy Public Domain, 1923!

The District of Columbia is mainly laid out in a grid pattern, with streets running north and south, and east and west. Avenues, named for the states, cross these at odd angles, so that throughout the city (and especially downtown) the intersections carve out small triangular plots. They’re too small to build on, but if you’re lucky, you might get a parklet.

Near my apartment is one such parklet, but it’s a sad sight. It’s dedicated to Sonny Bono (1935-1998), singer, style icon and member of Congress. There was a piece of legislation named in his honor after his death that has been a more enduring legacy than the parklet, and far uglier.

Bono memorial plaque

Bare parklet from the south
Images available under license, CC-BY (Scott Wells)

Copyright law is complex and confusing, so I won’t try to unlock that here. (Neither do I recommend confusing that which is publicly available with the public domain, as some church people fall into.) But extending copyright so long benefits the few who own those rare evergreen properties, and effectively locks down useful but mostly forgotten works. Works about Universalism, say.

Under the law, works published before 1978 went from having a 75-year copyright term to 95 years. The yearly pipeline of new works entering the public domain was cut off for twenty years. And the old term was pretty darn long. For this reason, it’s easier to get books about Universalists (and much besides) from 1840 than 1940. (The issue of “orphan works” is problem, but past the purpose of this article.)

Twenty years! I remember thinking “That’ll be forever from now.”

Forever as it happens, is next week.

On January 1, 2019, new works will enter the public domain, namely works copyrighted in 1923. And each year, we’ll get another year’s works.

As a Universalist, I’m looking forward to these entering the public domain. I hope Google or some other scanning project has them in the wings to share on New Year’s Day.

If you want to read more about the works entering the public domain, Smithsonian magazine as a nice treatment.