In what will hopefully become a trend in the industry, a team of musicians has recently undertaken a project to create a new, free edition of Bach’s Goldberg Variations. The project, called Open Goldberg Variations, hopes to make Bach’s masterwork available to the public by releasing both a score and recording in the public domain—that is, without copyright. The name “Open Goldberg Variations” comes from the “open source” ideology of the tech world. Just as open-source software makes the code for its programs available to the public, Open Goldberg Variations plans to create an edition of the Goldbergs that will be available for anyone to download, view, or edit without the copyright restrictions enforced by conventional publishers.
While creating a copyright-free release of both a score and recording is already exciting, the philosophy behind the project encompasses a bigger issue than simply “free Bach.” It represents a movement away from expensive, designer editions of works which amateur, or even some professional musicians, might be less inclined to purchase. This could potentially curb the frequently discouraging discovery that a desired work is either scarce, unaffordable, or both. However, like many benevolent efforts, the project must first raise enough funds to pay expenses prior to the release.
Open Goldberg Variations has been campaigning primarily on Kickstarter.com—a website dedicated to helping creative projects acquire funding. The campaign has 15 days remaining, and while it has already met its goal, further donations will ensure the project not only succeeds but continues to inspire similar efforts within the musical world. And, if you need some inspiration, there are rewards for pledges at all levels. While $25 will earn you a complimentary CD of the recording, a $300 pledge allows you to claim a dedication for one of the variations.
The project’s own website, www.opengoldbergvariations.org, contains detailed information about the project and its partners. Spearheading the project are Executive Director Robert Douglass and German pianist Kimiko Ishizaka, who will record the piece. The pair have partnered with MuseScore, an open-source music notation software, as well as other giants in the online music world such as IMSLP. The collaboration will hopefully lead to a more open community for both recordings and sheet music. As described on opengoldbergvariations.org:
It's really hard to find truly good scores and recordings of the Goldbergs that are just free; free to download, listen to, perform, share, arrange, or mash up. And almost none of them are gratis.
The Open Goldberg Project is solving this problem, at least in the case of the Goldberg Variations, while exploring the intersection between open source software, public domain, crowd sourced funding, and emergent web technologies for music. The primary goal of the project is to create a new edition of the score of the Goldbergs, as well as a new studio recording, played on the piano by Kimiko Ishizaka. Both the score and the recording will use the Creative Commons Zero tool to place them into the public domain, assuring that they'll both be free (gratis and libre) forevermore.