Union of the Romanian Composers and Musicologists

The Union of the Romanian Composers and Musicologists (Romanian: Uniunea Compozitorilor și Muzicologilor din România, UCMR) is the professional guild of Romanian music creators. It was founded on 2 November 1920 in Bucharest on the initiative of Constantin Brăiloiu and with the support of George Enescu, originally as the Society of Romanian Composers. The organisation's first president was George Enescu. It has since evolved into a union that represents composers and musicologists, administers authors' rights, and runs publishing, archival, and festival activities. Its headquarters are in the Cantacuzino Palace in Bucharest, and it maintains branches in Cluj-Napoca, Iași, and Timișoara. As of March 2021 it had 424 members, including many ethnic Hungarian composers and musicologists from Romania. The union continues to be active, organising events such as the UCMR Awards Gala (55th edition held in 2026) and research projects documenting Romanian musical heritage.

The Union of the Romanian Composers and Musicologists traces its origins to the Society of Romanian Composers, founded on 2 November 1920 in Bucharest on the initiative of Constantin Brăiloiu and with the support of George Enescu. The first signatories included prominent figures such as Alfred Alessandrescu, Mihail Andricu, Alfonso Castaldi, Dimitrie Cuclin, George Enacovici, George Enescu, Mihail Jora, Dumitru Georgescu Kiriac, Filip Lazăr, Constantin C. Nottara, and Ion Nonna Otescu. George Enescu served as the society's first president. The organisation's early success was marked by the passage of a copyright law in 1923 and the establishment of a folklore archive in 1928. Initially it supported the publication of musical works, and in 1941 it founded a publishing company. In 1948 the society was renamed the Union of Romanian Composers (Uniunea Compozitorilor din România). On 27 October 1949, following the national conference of the Romanian Workers' Party, the organisation was reorganised, adopted new statutes, and elected a new leadership headed by Matei Socor. Several notable former members were excluded from the new union, either because they were abroad (George Enescu, Constantin Brăiloiu, Ionel Perlea, Stan Golestan, Dinu Lipatti) or because they were considered representatives of a "bourgeois, retrograde" outlook (Mihail Jora, Tiberiu Brediceanu, Dimitrie Cuclin). After George Enescu's death in 1955, an Enescu memorial museum was established in the Cantacuzino Palace in Bucharest, which also became the union's headquarters. In 1977 the union was relocated to the Romanian Athenaeum. After the fall of the communist regime, the union held its first general assembly from 29 to 31 January 1990. New statutes were adopted and a new leadership elected. Pascal Bentoiu became president, with Adrian Iorgulescu and Cornel Țăranu as vice-presidents. Subsequent presidents after 1990 were Pascal Bentoiu (1990–1992), Adrian Iorgulescu (1992–2005), Octavian Lazăr Cosma (2005–2010), and Adrian Iorgulescu again from 2010. As of March 2021 the union had 424 members. It continues to operate with headquarters in the Cantacuzino Palace and branches in Cluj-Napoca, Iași, and Timișoara, and remains active in rights management, publishing, and cultural events.

• 2026

  55th UCMR Awards Gala held; call for works for acquisition evaluation opened.

• 2021

  Union had 424 members as of March.

• 1990

  First general assembly after the fall of communism held 29–31 January; new statutes and leadership elected.

• 1977

  Union relocated to the Romanian Athenaeum.

• 1955

  After George Enescu's death, Enescu memorial museum established in Cantacuzino Palace, which became the union's headquarters.

• 1949

  Reorganised on 27 October with new statutes and leadership under Matei Socor.

• 1948

  Renamed Union of Romanian Composers (Uniunea Compozitorilor din România).

• 1941

  Publishing company founded.

• 1928

  Folklore archive established.

• 1923

  Copyright law regulating authors' rights enacted.

• 1920

  Society of Romanian Composers founded in Bucharest on 2 November.

Professional guild and rights management organisation for Romanian composers and musicologists.

• Authors' rights administration

  The union protects the copyright of composers.

• Publishing (Editura)

  Publishing house for musical works.

• Journals (Reviste)

  Publications related to music.

• Festivals (Festivaluri)

  Organisation of music festivals.

• Research and documentation projects

  Projects documenting Romanian musical heritage.

1. 1Uniunea Compozitorilor și Muzicologilor din Româniaucmr.org.ro
2. 2Union of the Romanian Composers and Musicologistswikidata.org
3. 3Romániai Zeneszerzők és Muzikológusok Szövetségehu.wikipedia.org