The Polish Composers’ Union Becomes a Partner in the Polish Music Publishing House Project

The Polish Composers’ Union Becomes a Partner in the Third Stage of a Comprehensive Digitization Program Led by the Polish Music Publishing House

The Polish Composers’ Union (ZKP) has become a partner in the third stage of the comprehensive digitization program of the unique resources of the Polish Music Publishing House (PWM), ongoing since 2017. As part of the project "Digitization and Sharing of the Digital Resources of the Polish Music Publishing House and the Polish Composers’ Union", co-funded under Measure FERC.02.03, the Polish Music Library collection will be enriched with, among others, the ZKP's collection of materials related to the “Warsaw Autumn” Festival. Thanks to this collaboration, the unique heritage of Polish contemporary music will gain greater durability and accessibility.

The Polish Composers’ Union, founded in 1945, is the successor of the Polish Composers’ Association, which had been active since 1925. Among the first post-war leaders of the Union were such distinguished figures as Piotr Perkowski, Stanisław Wiechowicz, and Witold Lutosławski. One of its most important undertakings is the Warsaw Autumn International Festival of Contemporary Music, organized since 1956 on the initiative of Tadeusz Baird and Kazimierz Serocki.

Since the beginning of its post-war activity, the ZKP has operated alongside PWM, sharing common goals and a mission: to promote musical culture, especially Polish music, to disseminate musicological knowledge, and to conduct scientific and educational activities. These objectives remain relevant to this day. The collaboration under this project will enable the digitization and public sharing of invaluable collections related to the “Warsaw Autumn” Festival, including concert recordings, program books, bulletins, and other materials from the Union’s Scientific Library. Among the resources selected for the project, special attention should be given to unique phonographic recordings documenting performances of 20th- and 21st-century Polish music, as well as other unpublished materials—often the only surviving copies—which highlights the importance and value of this initiative.

"The digitization of the Polish Composers’ Union’s resources marks another step in strengthening the collaboration between our institutions, which has been ongoing since 1945. I am glad that this exceptional collection, often directly tied to composers associated with the Polish Music Publishing House, will not only be preserved but also made available on the Polish Music Library portal. This will allow users to access materials related to Polish music of the past century, originating from a wide range of sources, in one place,” emphasizes Daniel Cichy, Editor-in-Chief and Director of the Polish Music Publishing House.

This is the third edition of the digitization project carried out by PWM with the financial support of the European Funds. The 2025–2028 activities aim to create digital representations for 13,950 items, forming a unique part of the national musical heritage, of which nearly 6,000 will be made available through the portal. The digital score catalogue and the encyclopedic entry collection will be expanded. In addition to the ZKP collections, the PBM portal will be enriched with digital audio versions of previously available sheet music, educational videos and materials, and a collection of articles from the Ruch Muzyczny magazine. The website itself will also be improved to meet user needs, including optimization and the implementation of AI-based tools for personalized content delivery.

The project’s outcomes will significantly expand the possibilities for both institutions to fulfill their educational and cultural missions, offering wide audiences exceptional tools and resources in a modern, accessible form. The initiative will also contribute to the lasting preservation of invaluable cultural heritage and support the promotion and development of Polish music both in Poland and abroad.

The project "Digitization and Sharing of the Digital Resources of the Polish Music Publishing House and the Polish Composers’ Union” is co-funded under Measure FERC.02.03 "Digital Accessibility and Reuse of Information” as part of Priority II of the European Funds for Digital Development 2021–2027 program.

Press release

More on digitization: https://pwm.com.pl/pl/page/digitalizacja.html