This past summer (July 2024 to be precise), I found myself on a personal/professional roller coaster the likes of which I never would have imagined when I discovered that several of my compositions had been plagiarized by a teenage scam artist halfway across the world. Not only plagiarized, but passed off as his own compositions, to the point where he had them performed *in concert* by prominent, talented professional musicians in his home country.
This kid plagiarized my music by copying it off of my scrolling-score YouTube videos, admittedly an arduous task that could prove he has the necessary work ethic to write his own music. But here’s the kicker: in spite of the fact that he could have just copied my music without me ever knowing of his existence, the whole time that he was plagiarizing me, he was also writing me lengthy emails, kicked off by an anonymous, out-of-the-blue fan letter:
The story has several more unlikely (and frankly, insane) twists and turns. I’ve recounted it in full detail to several friends and colleagues in private, but now it’s very much a matter of public record, as it’s been voluminously chronicled by Hugh Morris in VAN Magazine.
Because my plagiarist was/is a minor, the editorial team at VAN decided to redact his name and any identifying details, and I’m honoring that same policy here on my website. If you’re a composer who read my story on VAN and you’ve gotten an email similar to the one above, please do send me a (non-anonymous) message, because I’m not the only one who got plagiarized. (For more on that, you’ll have to read the article.)
Also unmentioned in the article — and rather unfortunately, in my view — were the specific works of mine that got caught up in this whole affair, and for the benefit of readers who have navigated their way to willcwhite.com in the hopes of finding out more, I’m happy to assemble them below:
My piano sonata, a huge, dissonant, virtuosic work, is the piece that I first discovered had been performed under false pretenses. I don’t think I can convey my level of shock when I watched the video of this work being performed in No one’s home country. As is mentioned in the article, the most galling thing was when No one bounded on stage, handed the pianist a floral bouquet, and took several bows. (That’s not even counting his speech!) It was the first time I had ever even seen what he looked like.
This next one was actually kind of funny. No one changed the title from “The Seafarers” to “The Mariners,” quite unaware, I’m sure, of the additional layer of irony: the Mariners is the name of Seattle’s professional baseball team.
As far as I know, there was no public performance of the Bagatelles, but after No one had been exposed, he admitted to having plagiarized them, and I can only presume he was trying to pawn them off as his own and arrange a performance.
Lest anyone feel sympathy for me, let me assure you: I’m not the victim here. For me, this has wound up as a wild, unforgettable story. The victims are No one’s friends and family, not to mention the musicians he duped into playing my music under false pretenses.
Anyway, that’s the story of my insane summer!