Lyrebird Music: the Franck edition
11 November 2026
Lyrebird Music’s edition of César Franck’s complete organ and harmonium works, the Intégrale de l’œuvre d’orgue, edited by Richard Lee Brasier, is back on sale from today. It was withdrawn from sale this summer as a precaution against the manner in which Brasier has conducted himself in recent months, and I owe our customers, retailers and colleagues an explanation.
In July 2026 Brasier, through his lawyer, purported to terminate his publishing agreements with Lyrebird Music. Lyrebird Music disputes that termination. No court has ruled on it, and the agreements remain in force.
Some of you received messages from Brasier, or a copy of his lawyer’s letter, stating that the rights in the edition had reverted to him, that Lyrebird Music was closing or insolvent, and that it had diverted business revenue. Those claims are not correct. Lyrebird Music has not closed. It continues to trade and to publish its catalogue, and no bankruptcy or debt enforcement proceedings are registered against it. It is a sole proprietorship, so its revenue is mine, and nothing was diverted. Brasier’s royalties continue to be accounted to him under the agreements.
Brasier’s conduct has been referred to solicitors in England, and a decision on further action will be made in due course.
In addition to its rights under the agreements, which remain in force, Lyrebird Music holds the following rights, which are unaffected by the dispute:
- Andante et Prière. Lyrebird Music first published César Franck’s Andante et Prière (CFF 39bis) in 2024, in Volume V of the edition, and holds the first-publication right in it until 31 December 2049 (UK Copyright and Related Rights Regulations 1996, reg. 16; Norwegian Copyright Act 2018, § 13). No one may publish it, in any form, including a facsimile of the manuscript, without Lyrebird Music’s consent.
- Engravings and images. The engraving files and the image files in the edition, including the facsimiles, are Lyrebird Music’s property. They may not be used, in whole or in part, for any other edition. Any other edition of these works must therefore be engraved afresh, from a blank page, with images obtained and prepared independently.
- Typographical arrangement. Lyrebird Music owns the copyright in the typographical arrangement of every published volume (Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988), which may not be reproduced.
Until the dispute over the agreements is resolved, Lyrebird Music regards any competing edition of these works by Brasier as a breach of them; printers are asked not to produce an edition of Franck’s organ or harmonium works for him, and retailers are asked not to list any such edition. Even if the dispute were resolved in his favour, any printer asked to produce such an edition should be mindful of Lyrebird Music’s rights, and ensure that it does not include Andante et Prière and/or a facsimile of its manuscript, or reproduce Lyrebird Music’s engravings, image files or typographical arrangement. Lyrebird Music will gladly help any printer who wishes to check.
Because of the manner in which Brasier has presented a recent award from the Société Académique Arts-Sciences-Lettres in Paris, Lyrebird Music feels it must distinguish between the qualifications of its editors and the medal that Brasier has publicised in connection with the edition. Brasier has publicly announced a “Médaille de Platine”, which, he said, recognised his work on Franck, and has added it to his email signature. The work he submitted for it was the Lyrebird Music edition, which Lyrebird Music had published before the award was made, so the award may be taken to reflect on Lyrebird Music and its editions. Lyrebird Music therefore wishes to make it clear that it dissociates itself from that honour. The society is a private association, whose published address, on its own website and correspondence, is in a residential apartment building in the 15th arrondissement of Paris, and it holds no academic accreditation. Under its published rules for 2026, only members who have paid the annual membership fee of €75 are eligible; candidates prepare, sign and submit their own application, with a fee of €70; and the medal itself is sold by a Paris supplier, at €115 for the Platinum grade. An award obtained in this way is, in effect, self-nominated. Presenting it as recognition of the edition does the edition no favours: the careful work that went into it, including Brasier’s own, deserves to be judged on its merits, and a medal obtained in this way can only cheapen it and, by association, Lyrebird Music’s other editors and its publisher. Its recipients are free to display it, but it is not to be confused with recognition of academic standards, and Lyrebird Music does not regard it as an academic or professional qualification. Lyrebird Music has never referred to it in its publicity. To the best of my knowledge, none of Lyrebird Music’s other editors lists such an award among their credentials; they rely only on qualifications awarded by universities, conservatoires and other recognised bodies.
Put simply: the medal is Brasier’s own, in every sense. He applied for it, under rules that require the payment of fees, and announced it himself. It is not an award to Lyrebird Music, it says nothing about the quality of Lyrebird Music’s editions, and retailers and others are asked not to cite it in connection with them.
Lyrebird Music will make no further comment while the matter is ongoing. I am grateful to those who have already forwarded Brasier’s messages to me. As some of you know, if you have received, or receive in future, any communication from Brasier concerning Lyrebird Music or the Franck edition, I would be grateful if you would forward it to post@lyrebirdmusic.com.
Jon Baxendale
Lyrebird Music
Note: the legal provisions referred to
First-publication right: Norway. Copyright Act of 15 June 2018 No. 40 (åndsverkloven), section 13 (Lovdata):
«Den som første gang rettmessig gjør tilgjengelig for allmennheten et åndsverk som ikke er blitt offentliggjort innen utløpet av vernetiden etter §§ 11 og 12, får samme rett som en opphaver etter § 3. Denne rett varer i 25 år etter utløpet av det året verket første gang ble gjort tilgjengelig for allmennheten.»
In English: Anyone who for the first time lawfully makes available to the public a work that was not made public before the term of protection under sections 11 and 12 expired acquires the same rights as an author under section 3. This right lasts for 25 years from the end of the year in which the work was first made available to the public.
First-publication right: United Kingdom. Copyright and Related Rights Regulations 1996, regulation 16 (legislation.gov.uk):
“(1) A person who after the expiry of copyright protection, publishes for the first time a previously unpublished work has, in accordance with the following provisions, a property right (‘publication right’) equivalent to copyright. … (6) Publication right expires at the end of the period of 25 years from the end of the calendar year in which the work was first published.”
Throughout the European Economic Area. Both provisions implement Article 4 of Directive 2006/116/EC, which requires every EEA state to give the first lawful publisher of a previously unpublished work protection equivalent to the author’s economic rights for 25 years. The right therefore applies wherever in the EEA, or in the United Kingdom, the work might be published or sold.
Typographical arrangement: United Kingdom. Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (legislation.gov.uk): copyright subsists in the typographical arrangement of published editions (s. 1(1)(c)); a “published edition” is a published edition of the whole or any part of one or more literary, dramatic or musical works (s. 8); the author, and so the first owner, of the typographical arrangement is the publisher (s. 9(2)(d)); and the copyright lasts for 25 years from the end of the year in which the edition was first published (s. 15). Copying a published edition includes making a facsimile copy of its typographical arrangement (s. 17(5)).