The Warsaw Autumn International Festival of Contemporary Music, 1956-1961: Its goals, structures, programs, and people

The Warsaw Autumn Festival was an invaluable component of cultural life in Poland between 1956 and 1961. The program of each Festival was influenced to a large degree by extra-musical considerations that limited the actions of the Festival's organizers: the Polish Composers Union and Poland's Ministry of Culture and Art. Nevertheless, the Festival was acclaimed in many countries for its unique ability to present the prevailing styles of music from Europe, the Soviet Union, and the United States, the latest works by Polish composers, and pieces considered to be the classics of the twentieth century. In addition, these gatherings offered participants and observers from East and West an opportunity unprecedented in post-World War II history--to discuss issues of contemporary music with colleagues from throughout Europe and the Soviet Union.;The establishment of the Warsaw Autumn Festival was not without its problems. Difficulties in negotiations arose because of the administrative structure of the Polish government. In the case of Eastern European and Soviet performers, decisions concerning their participation and programs frequently were made by governmental agencies in their home country rather than by the Festival's Polish organizers. Political maneuverings by Eastern European countries occasionally affected the selection of performers and repertoire from the West. Financial constraints and late planning by the organizers also impeded the successful conclusion of negotiations with Western performers.;The historic breakthrough accomplished by the first Festival in 1956 signaled the end of the era of socialist realism in Polish music. Furthermore, the shift in compositional styles apparent in the output of many Polish composers between 1956 and 1961 and the international fame accorded to Bacewicz, Lutoslawski, and Penderecki must be attributed to a great degree to the existence of the Warsaw Autumn Festival.