[ot] copyrights of compositions

["e.g" <glere@xxxxxxxxx>]

I know it's not the right place to ask this, but I don't know where to 
find the info and you are the nearest and most reacheable people I know :)

1. suppose that I want to play live (or to use in a video) some music 
composed by some living classical composer (in my case is Arvo Part). 
Should I contact the composer asking permission to play his music?

2. I remeber that with "old" music (i.e. bach, mozart, etc) the 
composition itself has no copyright, right? Is there a time from which 
the music composed previous to that time is free of copyright? (for 
example the music composed previous of 1903 is free of copyright?)

thanx and forgive me

enrico

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