Copyright Information
The contents of this website are protected by the Copyright Law of the United States. The author gives permission to any user to download the printed excerpts from this site for personal and educational purposes only - commercial use is prohibited. The streaming audio should not be downloaded for any reason. Publishing a similar compilation of collected opera-specific excerpts by utilizing the content on this site is copyright infringement; this excludes common opera overture and prelude excerpts such as those from Fidelio, Der Freischütz, or Semiramide.
Compilation
This website is a compilation, defined as such under US Copyright Law, section 101:
A “compilation” is a work formed by the collection and assembling of preexisting materials or of data that are selected, coordinated, or arranged in such a way that the resulting work as a whole constitutes an original work of authorship. The term “compilation” includes collective works.
Derivative Work
The edited excerpts and sound files are derivative works, defined as such under US Copyright Law, section 101:
A “derivative work” is a work based upon one or more preexisting works, such as a translation, musical arrangement, dramatization, fictionalization, motion picture version, sound recording, art reproduction, abridgment, condensation, or any other form in which a work may be recast, transformed, or adapted. A work consisting of editorial revisions, annotations, elaborations, or other modifications, which, as a whole, represent an original work of authorship, is a “derivative work”.
Fair Use
Some elements of this website fall under the umbrella of Fair Use, defined as such under US Copyright Law, Section 107:
Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright. In determining whether the use made of a work in any particular case is a fair use the factors to be considered shall include— (1) the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes; (2) the nature of the copyrighted work; (3) the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and (4) the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.
Public Domain means a work is no longer protected by copyright and can be freely distributed. All artwork on this website is public domain. All printed music excerpts are taken from parts and/or scores of music in the public domain, but the excerpts themselves are edited by the author and therefore are derivative work protected by US Copyright law. The streaming sound clips are also derivative work, edited from larger works and posted here legally under the fair use doctrine.