Yo Yo Ma

I have always wanted to create a post with that subject and I finally have a topic that works.

Many of you probably watched the inauguration and heard “Air and Simple Gifts” performed by Yo-Yo Ma (cello), Itzhak Perlman (violin), Anthony McGill (clarinet), and Gabriela Montero (piano).  The piece was composed by John Williams famous for his Darth Vader march.

The piece was commissioned by the Presidential Inaugural Committee.  I think that means John Williams was acting as an agent of the federal government when he composed the work.  Does that make it automatically in the public domain?  Actually this is more complicated.  Williams used another source as inspiration for this work.  One of Obama’s favorite classical composers is Aaron Copland.  Copland’s 1944 ballet “Appalachian Spring” contains the source work, “Simple Gifts” with was written in 1848.  The copyright on the piece from the 1800’s has long expired, but it certainly has not for “Appalachian Spring.”

Here is something else that I find mind-blowing.  Take a look at the Wikipedia entry for Air and Simple Gifts.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_and_Simple_Gifts

The article was created shortly after the piece was performed at the inauguration on Jan. 20.  Within 24 hours of “Air and Simple Gifts” original performance, dozens of people have collaborated to create an informative and well referenced article available to the whole world for free.  When “W” was sworn in as the 43rd President in 2000, Wikipedia had not been invented.  Imagine what the next eight years will bring us.