ABSTRACT
Legal historians consider the Prussian ‘Gesetz zum Schutze des Eigenthums an Werken der Wissenschaft und der Kunst gegen Nachdruck und Nachbildung’ of 11 June 1837 to be the most influential copyright act in nineteenth-century Germany. But what insight into nineteenth-century music can we expect to gain from studying copyright law? There appear to be at least five approaches to the discussion of music and copyright law: economics, legal philosophy, legal practice, aesthetics and sociology. The economic relationship between copyright and music can be explored in terms of the financial interests of composers, performers, publishers and concert promoters. What did they expect from copyright amendments? What legislative initiative did they take? And, conversely, what repercussions did the new copyright amendment then have on their terms of business?
