International Conference organized by
Centro Studi Opera Omnia Luigi Boccherini
Research Group GRAE-MUSC, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Research Group ERASMUSH, Universidad de Oviedo
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Barcelona, Institut d’Estudis Catalans
13-15 May 2026
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CALL FOR PAPERS
The Centro Studi Opera Omnia Luigi Boccherini, the Research Groups GRAE-MUSC of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and ERASMUSH of the Universidad de Oviedo are pleased to promote the international conference «Intellectual Property and Music in the Theatre», to be held in Barcelona, Institut d’Estudis Catalans, from 13 until 15 May 2026.
In the nineteenth century, the intellectual property of composers of music for the stage and their librettists was protected by various means, but with significant differences between the various countries on the continent. Regulation of intellectual property evolved over the course of the century. Many countries, for example, lacked legislation that protected creators uniformly. While some librettists and composers were very sensitive to the issue of copyright, they rarely managed to obtain ownership of their works and incidents of appropriation were commonplace.
One difference between production systems in the long nineteenth-century and the eighteenth-century was the role of publishers. In the early decades of the nineteenth century in Italy, for example, opera scores still circulated in manuscript form, and belonged to impresarios, who rented them to theatres. Elsewhere, in Paris for example, theatres owned their own performance material, and much was published commercially. The public and their role in the evolution of copyright law was clearly of primary importance: unlike impresarios, who interpreted public taste, publishers attempted to influence it. One of the tools used in these campaigns was the music journal and daily newspaper, of which there were an increasing number in the nineteenth century. From 1810 onwards, almost every daily newspaper had a music or theatre column. These columns became more technical over time, reflecting the importance of opera in society at that period.
The nineteenth century therefore saw a greater awareness of the need to protect intellectual property and to exploit its economic potential, thanks to the increasing complexity of production systems in the world of music and theatre. The modern concept of copyright gradually began to take shape as a system to protect authors’ rights over their work, but collecting societies were needed to manage this complexity.
We take a broad view of music in the theatre that encompasses not only opera and related genres but also vaudeville, Posse, comic opera in English and Melodrama / mélodrame, music to accompany stage plays, as well as ballet and other genres involving the choreographic impulse.
We similarly take a broad view of intellectual property, ranging from questions of formal copyright legislation to much less formal issues around the moral and ethical issues of appropriation and re-use.
Scholars are invited to submit contributions on topics such as:
- Copyright and droits d’auteur
- Intellectual property rights for music and lyrics
- Economic and commercial aspects of reproducing works
- Adaptation, traduction, recasting and paraphrase: permissions, rights and other arising issues
- Transcriptions and arrangements of works
- Performance aspects of different versions and textual issues like translations and adaptations
- Rights management entities
- From dramatic galleries to publishing companies and their efforts to influence public taste
- Orchestral parts: rentals and loans
- Disposizioni sceniche and livrets de mise en scène: the establishment of a stage canon and the derivation of its rights
- Repertoire formation and changes related to rights management: the role of the press
- Publishers, composers and authors: rights in conflict?
- The circulation of music in Europe in relation to the development of copyright and its management
Scholarly Committee:
- Francesc Cortès (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona)
- María Encina Cortizo (Universidad de Oviedo)
- Roberto Illiano (Centro Studi Opera Omnia Luigi Boccherini)
- Fulvia Morabito (Centro Studi Opera Omnia Luigi Boccherini)
- Massimiliano Sala (Centro Studi Opera Omnia Luigi Boccherini)
- Ramón Sobrino (Universidad de Oviedo)
Keynote Speakers:
- Francesc Cortès (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona)
- Mark Everist (University of Southampton)
The official languages of the conference are English, French, Italian and Spanish. Papers selected at the conference will be published in a miscellaneous volume.
Papers are limited to twenty minutes in length, allowing time for questions and discussion. Please submit an abstract of no more than 500 words and one page of biographical information.
All proposals should be submitted by email no later than Monday ***16 February 2026*** to <conferences@luigiboccherini.org>. Please include your name, contact details (postal address, e-mail and telephone number) and (if applicable) your affiliation with your proposal.
The committee will make its final decision on the abstracts by the end of February, and contributors will be informed immediately thereafter. Further information about the programme and registration will be announced after that date.
For any additional information, please contact:
Dr. Massimiliano Sala
conferences@luigiboccherini.org
www.luigiboccherini.org
