Origins: Happy Birthday to Handel's Messiah

Subject: Origins: Happy Birthday to Handel's Messiah
From: GUEST
Date: 13 Oct 06 - 10:57 PM

We used to sing a different version of Happy Birthday. It was set to the tune of Handel's Messiah (Hallelujah Chorus). We'd sing it acapella in 4 part harmony when I was in choir. Now, I'm wondering if the reason we did this in choir was to avoid the copyright issues with the more widely known Happy Birthday song. I asked some of the people who went to the high school if they remembered anything about it, and some of them remembered the custom, but no one seemed to remember where it started or whether this version was in the public domain. The version our choir did used the following lyrics: Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday, For this is your birthday today, (add person's name here)

and then went on to repeat the Happy Birthday part in place of the Hallelujah's. I was just wondering if anyone knew anything about the origins of this version of Happy Birthday. The tune would be in the public domain, but would the words be as well or is this version copyrighted or attributed to someone? Anyone have any further info on this particular version of Happy Birthday? Thanks.

Subject: RE: Origins: Happy Birthday to Handel's Messiah
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 14 Oct 06 - 06:59 AM

The Hallelujah chorus is a pretty ambitious work for most choirs, and generally requires intensive and prolonged rehearsal, and "musically educated" members in the choir, for an impressive performance. The tune tends to get deeply imbedded in the minds of the singers, with the result that I've heard individuals "spin into" random lyrics, some fairly extensive, to the tune. I have heard numerous "alternative" applications of the tune, although few that were particularly memorable.

(A number of the "near classics" definitely were not suitable for performance in sacred places.)

The Olivet to Calvary (with Hosanna chorus) is another to which I've heard "alternate lyrics," although it's a more complex tune that would seem to require some actual "development" to fit a narrative to it. A choir member of my acquaintance claimed an original lyric in the folk "37 versus with choruses" tradition, set to the OtoC tune, although I suspected some partial plagiarization from other sources.

Bottom line - someone may have published a "Hallelujah Happy Birthday" in which case there could be a question of copyright; but unless it's been "marketed" it's unlikely that you'd run into an "assertion of rights" for casual performances. Someone with access to the numerous choral music publishers might have a better chance of finding whether there has been a publication.

(The Hallelujah sounds a lot better than the "alternates" used by a number of franchise kid food restaurants - i.e. MacD and BKing etc.)

John

Subject: RE: Origins: Happy Birthday to Handel's Messiah
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 14 Oct 06 - 09:35 AM

If you want to sing the Happy Birthday song in public and get away with it, come to the UK where we can sing it wherever we like with no copyright issues at all!

LTS

Subject: RE: Origins: Happy Birthday to Handel's Messiah
From: Tootler
Date: 15 Oct 06 - 07:02 AM

It may even be in copyright here (in the UK), but somehow I doubt anyone would ever dare try to enforce it.

It has become part of the tradition :-)

Subject: RE: Origins: Happy Birthday to Handel's Messiah
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 15 Oct 06 - 11:08 PM

There have been a couple of threads, I believe, on the popular "Happy Birthday to You" song, and my impression has been that the original sisters who "composed" it allowed it to be used freely, and never made an issue of the ©. It was only when their heirs took over that it became an issue. (It has also been suggested that they were "assisted" in asserting their copyright when the became elderly and needed some income.)

Regardless of the accuracy of this all, it is apparent that "they" now have lawyers and have sued a number of people to obtain royalty payments. Most suits I've heard of were against "commercial uses" if one stretches the definitions a bit. This has led to a proliferation of "even worse than ..." substitute "traditions," most notably at food franchise places that cater to "family swill-trough" feeding of the multitudes.

The "alternate songs" I've heard recently at places like MacD's and Pizza Hut are especially annoying, despite their "teams" being apparently (sometimes) well coached and mostly knowing the words. (One "Italian Franchise" place even brought out a banjo for some poor kid. Quite possibly bugle salutes and drum rolls will appear somewhere soon, if not already.)

A couple of suits that received some publicity seemed to hing on whether the employees performed, and/or on whether it was permissible for the employees to "suggest" that the patron group might sing. It still probably is safe to sing that song for non-profit/non-commercial enjoyment(?) almost anywhere, although the odds shrink when the legal hawks circle about.

Of course, the same ambiguities arise with the "Hallelujah Chorus" corruption, if someone chooses to make a claim and assert a demand for royalties.

John

Subject: RE: Origins: Happy Birthday to Handel's Messiah
From: My guru always said
Date: 16 Oct 06 - 09:42 AM

Always loved singing the Messiah, done it so many times I rarely need to look at the score, it's just Fab!

Never tried the Hallelujah Happy Birthday version though, hmmm....

Subject: RE: Origins: Happy Birthday to Handel's Messiah
From: Wilfried Schaum
Date: 16 Oct 06 - 10:25 AM

In another of Handel's oratories about the Levantine Scotsman Judah McCabee we find a wonderful march. When I met in my student days with my fags we sang [in German]: "family, enjoy, a new round is prepared! Where the fags are running it is nice to stay, and the old houses sing together: family, enjoy, a new round is prepared!" [rough translation] and devoured horrendous masses of beer afterwards.

Subject: RE: Origins: Happy Birthday to Handel's Messiah
From: Little Robyn
Date: 16 Oct 06 - 02:52 PM

Wilfried was that sung to "See the conquering haro comes"?
That tune is also used for a hymn "Thine be the glory".
Robyn