anyone know this about oh helga natt

[Jorn Lavoll]

o holy night in swedish. the melody is public domain, but is the swedish translation (that jussi björling sings) public domain also???

[RonOnGuitar]

Hej Jorn!



"Silent Night" in any language should be a traditional, public domain song. But there is a catch if you're using sheet music of (or copying) someone else's unique arrangement of it.



In the US, at least, the credit would appears something like:

Traditional. Arrangement copyright 2004 XYZ Corp.

(or a like wording.)



Jussi Björling's particular musical arrangement would be copyrighted, I'm sure. But if Swedes have been singing it before he recorded it, it's a traditional-public domain song.



If my memory is right this song goes back to Germany in the 1600 or 1700s when a church organ wasn't working for Christmas Eve, so the church was "more silent" that night! I believe there was a guitar to accompany that first singing of "Stille Nacht".



The only other thing that can be copyrighted is if lyrics are added changed or rearranged. For example - you might know the traditional American folk tune "The Rising Sun" as the pop40 tune "The House Of The Rising Sun". Artists have recorded their own arrangements of it and sometimes changed the wording in it, so each recording is an original version and nobody is infringing on anybody else.



But if you wanted to specifically record the Animal's 1960s classic rock-blues arrangement of it, then technically you'd have to license it from their publisher.



But I'm sure a Swede could give you a better answer on this. In Swedish, I like "När juldagsmorgon glimmar" more than "Stilla Natt, Heliga Natt" as a Yul song.



Oh yeah - Jorn, I saw you mention Minneapolis in the "It's beginning to look alot like" thread and responded to it.



(An odd thing - the familiar song "Happy Birthday To You" is not in the public domain, it has a copyright owner! English- speaking people everywhere must owe billions for perfomance rights at kid's birthday parties after all these years, lol!)

[Galmin]

'O Holy Night' Adolphe-Charles Adam (1803-1856)

'O Helga Natt' in Swedish (also called Adam's Julsång)

(Not 'Silent Night')





As you point out, Jörn, the original is PD.

The translation (as recorded by Jussi in 1959) is just that: a translation. The credits on the record are all to Adam. So it's safe to say the swedish text is PD aswell.

[RonOnGuitar]

DOH - that's right, Gal! Fy på mig!



I didn't have that song in mind as an Swedish Yul tune, though it's one of my English X-mas faves. Easy song to play (arpeggio), but a tough challenge to sing - I'd cause the local dogs to howl along.



I think the rules are the same, though. Anybody can do the tune since it's in the public domain, but a paticular arrangement can be copyrighted. But even then, publishers don't really care enough to complain. It's just not a big deal.

[Galmin]