Editor’s Message


Thomas A. Mosher tmosher@njmea.org


Website: http://www.njmea.org


Let’s Give Credit To All The Composers And Arrangers!


increasingly aware of band, chorus and orchestra directors who consistently ignore the arranger or composer of the compositions they are listing. Directors will simply state “arranged by” and not list the composer, or they will list the composer and not give credit to the arranger of an arranged composition. It is really unfair to the artists who have composed and arranged these compositions to not give credit for their accomplishments.


A I see this occuring in three primary instances. One


is where the director is listing the composer by the full name, such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The name is so long next to the title of the composition that there is little room for anything else. However, only listing the composer’s last name or first initials and last name will certainly shorten the line and leave room for the arranger’s last name as well. For example:


Symphony #1 ...................W.A. Mozart, arr. Kreitzer The above example gives both the composer and the


arranger credit with room to spare. Avoid writing out “arranged by” and just use “arr.” instead.


The second instance of omitting the arranger’s name seems to be one of snobbery. The director desires to show that he/she is performing music by a great composer such as Mozart and wants to give the impression to the audience that it is the original and not an arrangement.


TEMPO 4 MARCH 2018


s I have programs sent to me to be published in the convention booklet or for programs to be printed for concerts, I have become


The third instance involves a different form of


snobbery when it involves popular music. All too often, I see popular music listed, for example as: From A Distance arr. Mac Huff The proper listing should be: From A Distance Julie Gold, arr. Mac Huff


There are too many cases where we, as directors, tend


to view popular music as not as important as serious music, thus we do not name the composers or take the time to find out who they really are.


It is not fair, or legal, to copy music to avoid paying composers and arrangers for their hard work and artistic abilities. It is also not fair to exclude them from receiving credit for having written or arranged the music for which they are responsible.


We are very quick to put our name in the program


when we arrange or compose a composition. Let’s be just as fast to include the names of EVERYONE responsible for writing and arranging the music we perform.


Editors Note: “Let’s Give Credit To All The Composers


And Arrangers!” was originally published in the May 2002 issue of TEMPO Magazine. MENC published it in their issue of “Spotlight On Copyright” a short while later.


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