Please does anyone know an easy way to check whether a song is out of copyright. As well as performing folk music, I run a Music Hall group. The other day on a site called Traditional Music Library, (which is a mine of information as well as sheet music of Trad, and anon songs, plus songs from the folk revivial,) I was interested to see that Stephen Foster's songs are in the public domain. What happens in the case where the writer of a song sold his copyright to a music publisher? How long do you have to wait before that song is copyright-free?

Also, I have a collection of sheet music from the 1880s, including some little-heard or long-forgotten music hall songs and presumably most of these songs would be in the public domain. Would there be anything to stop me re-printing them? (I appreciate that I am possibly the only person in the world who would be interested in such a project.) And does the copyright which exists in the arrangement of a song, exist for a certain time after a publishing house has ceased to trade, or whatever.

Appreciate any thoughts.

Deni