7/23/2019 Ethics in Music Composition

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/ethics-in-music-composition 1/1

Subject: Ethics of music representation and identityThe saying 'when you borrow from one, its called plagiarism, but when you borrow

from many its research' – only when the piece is obviously recognisable is it necessary

to acknowledge it, but it is really up to the opinion of the composer really - and ifsomeone wins a lawsuit against that composer for plagiarism, than that was the choice

of the composer who cant really complain.

As for copying, its not physically possible. The often repeated idea that you are neverable to listen to a piece of music in the same way again !conte"t, influences, gained

knowledge, maturity etc# in the same way you are never really able to  play a piece of

music in the same way again, even if you originally composed the piece !difference in

dynamics, nuances in the music, feelings of the composer at the time of playing etc# because there are too many factors. $n which case it could be argued that every piece of

music that is played over again belongs to the musician that played it. That said, the

copyright laws are very restrictive now and limiting to cover artists' creativity. %ut even

though each music creation is an e"pression of the composers soul, part of the point ofcomposing is to share that e"pression and e"perience with others so that the audience

may add new meaning to the piece - and whos to argue that a person who was touched by a part of that soul is forbidden from touching it, and possibly making it a part of

themselves and reshaping it and appropriating the music to create for themselves an

e"pression of who they are& $ do not believe there is anything ethically wrong with that,no matter what culture or composer it may or may not have come from, as long as the

 proper respect is shown or acknowledgement given.