The database NEW POLISH MUSIC is an electronic collection of data related to 20th and 21st-century Polish music. The principal source of information for this database are the publications and other collections of the Polish Composers’ Union’s Library - Recording Archive: the world’s largest, unique stock of books on Polish contemporary music (more than 5,000 vols.), a collection of scores (over 20,000 vols.), and recordings of works by Polish contemporary composers (13,900 LPs and over 1,200 CDs). The Polish Composers’ Union archives also include information about more than 500 music authors, derived exclusively from the composers themselves. This information was the basis for the Card Catalogue of Contemporary Polish Composers’ Works (developed in the 1950s and later), which in turn served as the starting point for the formation of the present database.

The database of NEW POLISH MUSIC has been developed since 1995 in co-operation with Arka, an IT company. In 2003 its internet version was made available at http://www.polmic.pl/. It includes only the basic data concerning the composers and their works. The full database may be accessed in the Polish Music Information Centre in Warsaw’s Old Town, and it includes notes on first performances, publications, dedications, scoring, and other detailed information.

Last updated in: January 2010

Content: data on 862 composers and 39080 works.

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