Juan París (

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

, 1759 – Santiago de Cuba, 10 July 1845) was a priest and composer in Spanish Cuba. He followed

Esteban Salas y Castro Esteban Salas y Castro (December 25, 1725 – July 14, 1803) was a Cuban composer of religious music.Hernández Balaguer, Pablo 1987. ''Los villacicos, cantadas y pastorelas de Esteban Salas''. La Habana. His compositions focused chiefly on voca ...

in the Cathedral of Santiago de Cuba. His election as ''Maestro de Capilla'' (

choirmaster A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...

), after the death of Salas in 1803, was an extraordinary event. It had been a foregone conclusion that ''Francisco José Hierrezuelo'', long-time assistant of Salas, would be elected. Came the day, and Hierrezuelo spotted a well-qualified German priest in the choir. Blind with rage, and fearing the bishop had planned a conspiracy to thwart him, Hierrezuelo refused to take the examination, picked up his pen and wrote infuriated letters. The bishop persuaded the German,

Juan Nepomucino Goetz Juan Nepomucino Goetz (german: Johannes Nepomuk Goetz) was an Austrian Catholic priest whose arrival in Cuba led to two extraordinary controversies. When Toussaint-Louverture drove out the British, he rang the church bells and celebrated. However ...

, to renounce his candidacy, but Hierrezuelo had so offended the bishop and the town council by his irate letters that, despite grovelling apologies, he got only a minor position in the chapel. He was never to become maestro. Goetz moved on to Havana, where his arrival also had remarkable consequences. So Juan París took the exam, and was appointed as choirmaster. París was an exceptionally industrious man, and an important composer. Under his hand, the church became a library, an academy, a concert hall and a rehearsal space. It encouraged continuous and diverse musical events.Carpentier, Alejo 2001

945 Year 945 ( CMXLV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * January 27 – The co-emperors Stephen and Constantine are overthrown barely ...

''Music in Cuba''. Minneapolis MN. p132 et seq.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Paris, Juan 1759 births 1845 deaths Cuban composers Male composers 19th-century Cuban Roman Catholic priests People from Santiago de Cuba Cuban people of Spanish descent Cuban male musicians 19th-century Cuban musicians 19th-century male musicians 19th-century composers