Copyright violation ?

[Aroche]

Hi, Is the song Maitia, nun zira? (José Uruñuela) a copyright violation ? it has been published in 1951 and the composer died in 1963. Thanks.

[carlos]

Hi, from what I read in a couple of biographies of Uruñuela, it seems he had some own compositions, but for the most part, he would collect popular Basque melodies and create harmonizations for them, as was the case with "Maitia, nun zira", the lyrics and melody of which seem to be anonymous. He created such arrangements in order to spread the Basque culture, so I'd find it weird if he had applied any copyright license to them (but it's just my opinion). The large amount of sites hosting his arrangements (scores, midis, sources etc.) even inside Spain seem to confirm that his works are clear of copyright restrictions.