Image:Numa rimur extract.ogg

An extract from Núma rímur by Sigurður Breiðfjörð (1798 – 1846). Sung by Þuríður Friðriksdóttir (1887-1954) who introduced this tune to Kvæðamannafélagið Iðunn. The tune is believed to originate from Sveinn Jóhannesson, "Hnausa-Sveinn" (1836 - 1890). The recording dates from the 1930s but was first published in 2004.

[edit] Source

The recording was made sometime between 1934 and 1939, most likely in 1934, 1935 or 1936. It was first published in 2004 on Silfurplötur Iðunnar by Kvæðamannafélagið Iðunn and Bad Taste. This is the 18th track on the first CD of that compilation and the file uploaded is derived from that track with conversion to MP3 by some built in Windows XP software and conversion from MP3 to OGG with Audacity.

[edit] Copyright

The CD has a note that all rights are reserved and a "(C) & (P) 2004" claim to copyright and producer's right. The accompanying book, however, makes clear that the recordings were made in the 1930s so the producer's right claim is not well founded and is most likely standard boilerplate by a label used to releasing new recordings. By Icelandic copyright law (articles 46 and 47), the producer's and performer's rights expire 50 years after the original recording is made if it is not published in the meantime. This is the case here. Copyright in the underlying musical composition and lyrics are also long expired and were already long expired in 1996 (the URAA restoration date).

I sent a letter to the label asking if they did claim producer's rights on some grounds and noted that I was interested in using material from the compilation on Wikipedia. They replied with a short letter saying that they saw no impediment to the use of musical examples from the compilation on Wikipedia. That's good, of course, but it didn't answer the question I was asking. I cannot see any grounds for why they would have rights to individual tracks to give or withhold and their response to my query on that is consistent with the view that they can't either (or, more simply, that they haven't given the issue much thought). They (or Iðunn) may have a compilation copyright in the 4 CDs as a whole but that would not prevent individual tracks from being in the public domain.

[edit] Lyrics

These are strophes 17-20 of the 12th cycle of Núma rímur. The text is as follows.

Dýrin víða vakna fá

varpa hýði nætur

grænar hlíðar glóir á

grösin skríða á fætur.

Hreiðrum ganga fuglar frá

flökta um dranga bjarga

sólarvanga syngja hjá

sálma langa og marga.

Á allar lundir laga klið

lofts í bláu rúmi.

Létta blundi lætin við

Leó þá og Númi.

Blundur nætur nægir sá

njóta mætu vinir

skunda fætur frægir á

fljótaglætu hlynir.

The singer has 'drangann' instead of 'dranga' in the second strophe and 'blundinn' instead of 'blundi' in the third strophe.

[edit] References

• Gunnsteinn Ólafsson (editor) (2004). Silfurplötur Iðunnar. Kvæðamannafélagið Iðunn, Smekkleysa, Reykjavík. No apparent ISBN.

This image (or other media file) is in the public domain because its copyright has expired. This applies to the United States, Canada, the European Union and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 70 years. Note that a few countries have copyright terms longer than 70 years: Mexico has 100 years, Colombia has 80 years, and Guatemala and Samoa have 75 years. This image may not be in the public domain in these countries, which moreover do not implement the rule of the shorter term. Côte d'Ivoire has a general copyright term of 99 years and Honduras has 75 years, but they do implement that rule of the shorter term. العربية | Asturianu | Български | Català | Česky | Dansk | Deutsch | English | Ελληνικά | Esperanto | Español | Euskara | فارسی | Français | Gaeilge | Galego | עברית | हिन्दी | Bahasa Indonesia | Italiano | 日本語 | 한국어 | Kurdî / كوردی | Lietuvių | Magyar | Nederlands | ‪Norsk (nynorsk)‬ | Bahasa Melayu | Polski | Português | Română | Русский | Slovenčina | Slovenščina | Shqip | Suomi | Sámegiella | Türkçe | ‪中文(简体)‬ | ‪中文(繁體)‬ | 粵語 | +/-

United States copyright law does not protect sound recordings fixed before February 15, 1972. Some U.S. states may retain the common law copyright to these recordings, but this principle has so far only been applied regarding copyright in New York. Common law copyright for recordings from New York do not enter the public domain until February 15, 2047. (see Capitol Records vs. Naxos). Recordings of copyrighted musical compositions etc., cannot be freely used, but it is asserted that this sound recording not based on copyrighted material can be considered public domain in the United States generally, except in New York, and in other countries where it has not been separately copyrighted.

• Rímur
• Sigurður Breiðfjörð