This page is provided for informal guidance only and is E.&O.E. No liability is accepted in respect of any issues arising from the use of this information. In the event of any doubt independent expert advice should be sought.

Copyright Issues

Creative works such as hymns are subject to copyright from the time they are written until 70 years after the death of the author or composer. During that period it is illegal to reproduce the work without the permission of the copyright holder or his/her appointed agent. Many hymns, however, were written so long ago that they are no longer covered by copyright.

Some of the hymns suggested in this website are still copyright and therefore the words themselves cannot be included. To look at these words you should consult a hymn book, the source of each hymn is referenced at the bottom of the page with a book code and the number. The book codes are:

AMNS: Hymns Ancient and Modern New Standard
MP: Mission Praise (Complete Edition, 2005)
HON: Hymns Old and New (New Anglican Edition, 1996)

The church subscribes to a ‘Christian Copyright Licence’ (CCL) from Christian Copyright Licencing International (CCLI). The CCL enables you to legally reproduce hymn words in your order of service, with a few exceptions, for use in the church of St. Peter and St. Paul, Tring only. Please refer to the CCLI website at www.ccli.co.uk for a list of publishers included in the CCL scheme.

Reproducing hymn words in your order of service

Hymns that are no longer in copyright
The words of hymns that are no longer copyright may be freely reproduced in your order of service. You may copy the words from this website or any other source. You should always acknowledge the author at the end of the words as illustrated on each suggested hymn page.

Hymns that are in copyright and covered by the CCL licence
The words of hymns that are copyright and covered by the CCL licence will need to be transcribed from a hymn book (photocopying, scanning etc are not permitted) and you need to include an acknowledgement of the author, the copyright holder and the CCL Licence. Note that the copyright holder is rarely the original author because authors sell their rights to a publisher. The format of this acknowledgement is very important and must be included exactly as illustrated on each suggested hymn page.

Our CCL Licence number is not shown on this website but is available on request.

Hymns that are in copyright but not covered by the CCL licence
If any hymn you want to include is not covered by the CCL licence then it is necessary to write directly to the copyright holder for permission. Such permission is normally readily available and although a fee will usually be charged these are generally very reasonable for a single-use order of service. The copyright holder will normally specify the exact form of acknowledgement to include. If not, then the following general form should suffice:

[author], © [year, owner], Reproduced by permission

for example:

Fred Smiley, © 2007 Happy Music Ltd., Reproduced by permission

Singing the hymns and performance of other music

Because weddings are classed as private functions you do not need any permission to sing the hymns or for other music, e.g. entrance and exit music, to be performed.

Video and Audio Recordings

If any recording will be made of any of the music used in your wedding ceremony then you may need a Wedding Video Recording Licence (WVRL). These licences are available directly from www.wvrl.co.uk where further details may also be found. If you are using a professional videographer then he/she may also be able to offer advice on this.