Hymns Entering Public Domain in 2025

 

When copyright runs for 70 years after a creator’s death (the usual rule in many countries), works by those who died in 1954 become free to use in 2025. Below are notable hymns meeting that criterion – each with a lyricist or composer who died in 1954 – along with their authors, death years, and historical significance.

• “Lift Every Voice and Sing” – Lyrics by James Weldon Johnson (1871–1938); music by his brother J. Rosamond Johnson (1873–1954)1. Written in 1900 by African American brothers in Florida, this hymn became known as the “Black national anthem.” In 1919 the NAACP adopted it as the “Negro national anthem,” and it has since appeared in dozens of hymnals2. (Composer J. Rosamond Johnson’s 1954 death means the music enters the public domain in 2025.)

• “O Valiant Hearts” – Lyrics from Sir John Stanhope Arkwright’s poem (1872–1954); set to music (“Harris” or “The Supreme Sacrifice”) by Charles Harris (1865–1936)en.wikipedia.org. This hymn (first published 1925) remembers the British and Commonwealth soldiers who fell in World War I. It is traditionally sung at Remembrance Day services in the UK and Commonwealth3. (Arkwright died in 1954, so the words will enter the public domain.)

• “Calon Lân” (“A Pure Heart”) – Welsh hymn with words by Daniel James (1843–1920) and melody by John Hughes (1873–1932). Its English version, “I Seek Not Life’s Ease and Pleasures,” was translated by Rees Harris (1874–1954)4. This late-19th-century hymn is beloved in Wales (often sung at national events like rugby matches) and speaks of dedicating one’s “pure heart” to God5. (The translator Harris died in 1954, so his English lyrics become public domain in 2025.)

• “O Sabbath Rest of Galilee” – Lyrics from John Greenleaf Whittier’s hymn “Dear Lord and Father of Mankind” (1807–1892); set to the tune “Serenity” by Charles Ives (1874–1954). The opening line “O Sabbath rest by Galilee!” invokes the calm after Jesus stilled the storm6. Composer Charles Ives died in 19547, so his 1909 tune enters the public domain in 2025. (This serene melody complements Whittier’s text about peace and reflection8.)

Each of the above hymns has a lyricist or composer who died in 1954, thus its text or music (or both) becomes public domain in 2025 under life+70 rules. These hymns remain historically and devotionally significant: “Lift Every Voice” for its role in African American history9, “O Valiant Hearts” for WWI remembrance10, “Calon Lân” as a Welsh national hymn11, and “O Sabbath Rest of Galilee” for its comforting imagery of Christ’s peace12.

Sources: Hymn histories and composer biographiesen.wikipedia.orgen.wikipedia.orgen.wikipedia.orgen.wikipedia.orgen.wikipedia.orgen.wikipedia.orgen.wikipedia.org (years of death from cited sources).