Paul Marie-Adolphe Charles Paray () (24 May 1886 – 10 October 1979) was a French conductor,

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists. In addition, an organist may accompany congregational ...

and composer. He was the resident conductor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra from 1952 until 1963.

Early life and education

Paul Paray was born in

Le Tréport Le Tréport () is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in Normandy, France. Geography A small fishing port and light industrial town situated in the Pays de Caux, some northeast of Dieppe at the junction of the D 940, the D 78 and th ...

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

, on 10 October 1886. His father, Auguste, a sculptor, organist at St. Jacques church, and leader of an amateur musical society, put young Paray in the society's

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

as a drummer. Later, Paray went to Rouen to study music with the

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. Th ...

s Bourgeois and Bourdon, and

organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...

with Haelling, which prepared him to enter the Paris Conservatoire.

Career

In 1911, Paray won the Premier Grand Prix de Rome for his cantata ''Yanitza''. Deprived of paper while a prisoner of war during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, Paray composed his string quartet in E minor, and the piano suite ''D'une âme...'', both in his head, only writing them down from memory after the war. Once the war was over, Paray was invited to conduct the orchestra of the Casino de

Cauterets Cauterets (; in Occitan ''Cautarés'', in Catalan ''Cautarés'', in Aragonese ''Cautarès'') is a spa town, a ski resort and a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department and the region of Occitanie in south-western France. Geography Cauteret ...

in the

Pyrenees The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to ...

, which included players from the Lamoureux Orchestra. Casino de

was a springboard for him to conduct orchestras in Paris. Paray would later serve as music director of the Monte Carlo Orchestra. In 1922, Paray composed music for the

Ida Rubinstein Ida Lvovna Rubinstein (russian: И́да Льво́вна Рубинште́йн; – 20 September 1960) was a Russian dancer, actress, art patron and Belle Époque figure. She performed with Diaghilev's Ballets Russes from 1909 to 1911 an ...

ballet ''Artémis troublée''. That year he and the Spanish violinist

Manuel Quiroga Manuel López-Quiroga Miquel (January 30, 1899 – December 13, 1988), better known as Maestro Quiroga, was a Spaniards, Spanish composer especially known for his ''copla (music), coplas'', ''cuplés'', and ''zarzuelas''. He was also a pianist ...

premiered his Violin Sonata. In 1931, he wrote the ''Mass for the 500th Anniversary of the Death of Joan of Arc'', which was premiered at the cathedral in Rouen to commemorate the quincentenary of

Joan of Arc Joan of Arc (french: link=yes, Jeanne d'Arc, translit= �an daʁk} ; 1412 – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the coronat ...

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...

death. Paray became president of the Concerts Colonne, and in 1935, he wrote his Symphony No. 1 in C major, which premiered there. Paray made his American debut with the New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra in 1939. He composed his Symphony No. 2 in A major in 1941. In 1952, Paray was appointed music director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, going on to conduct them in numerous recordings for the

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it ...

' "Living Presence" series. Paray left Detroit in 1963. Paray returned to France and maintained a healthy international guest-conducting career. He was in his tenth decade when he made his last conducting appearance in the United States, leading the Orchestra of the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. A report in ''Musical America'' noted: "Now ninety-two, Paray brings to the podium not only a reputation as one of the great conductors of our time, but strength, energy, and a solid technique that have not diminished through the years."

Awards and recognition

He was a National Patron of Delta Omicron, an international professional music fraternity.Delta Omicron
The government of France awarded him its highest honor, the Grand-Croix de la Légion d'honneur, in 1975.

Personal life

Paray heeded the call to arms and joined the French Army in World War I. In 1914, he was taken

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of ...

and held in Darmstadt camp. Paray married Yolande Falck in Cassis, France, on 25 August 1942. He died in

Monte Carlo Monte Carlo (; ; french: Monte-Carlo , or colloquially ''Monte-Carl'' ; lij, Munte Carlu ; ) is officially an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco, specifically the ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is ...

in 1979, aged 93.

Selected works

;Stage * ''Yanitza'', Scène lyrique d'après une légende albanaise (1911); poem by * ''Artémis troublée'', ballet by

, costumes by Léon Bakst (1911–1912) ;Orchestral * ''Symphonie d'archets'' for string orchestra (1919); orchestration of the string quartet * ''Nocturne'' for chamber orchestra * Symphony No. 1 in C major (1934) * Symphony No. 2 in A major (1936) ;Concertante * ''Fantaisie'' for piano and orchestra (1909) * ''Humoresque'' for violin and chamber orchestra (1910) ;Chamber music * Piano Trio (1905) * ''Sérénade'' for violin (or flute) and piano (1908) * Sonata in C minor for violin and piano (1908) * ''Humoresque'' for violin and piano (or chamber orchestra) (1910) * ''Nocturne'' for violin (or cello) and piano (1910) * String Quartet in E minor (1919) * Sonata No. 1 in B major for cello and piano (1919) * Sonata No. 2 in C major for cello and piano ;Piano * ''Tarantelle'' * ''Scherzetto'' * ''Impromptu'' * ''Vertige'' * ''Incertitude'' * ''Entêtement'' * ''Berceuse'' * ''Valse-caprice'' (1906) * ''Romance'' (1909) * ''Portraits d'enfants'' (1910) * ''Valse sur un thème de Franz Schubert'' (1911) * ''Impressions'' (1912) :# Nostalgie :# Eclaircie :# Primesaut * ''Reflets romantiques'' (1912) :# Avec esprit et charme :# Ardemment :# En rêvant :# Avec fougue :# Souple :# Léger :# Tender :# Energique * Sept pièces (1913) * ''Presto'' (1913) * ''Prélude, scherzo et allegro'' * Thème et variations (1913) * Prélude in F major (1913) * ''Allegro'' (1913) * ''Scherzo'' (1913) * ''D'une âme...'' (1914) * Pieces for piano 4-hands (1914) * ''Éclaircie'' (1923) * ''Prélude'' (1930) * ''Allegretto'' * ''Prélude en mi bémol mineur'' * ''Prélude en fa mineur'' * ''Sur la mer'' * ''Valse en fa dièse mineur'' * ''Valse en fa mineur'' * ''Vertige'' * ''La vraie furlana'' ;Vocal * ''Nuit d'Italie'' for voice and piano; words by Paul Bourget * ''Laurette'' for voice and piano; words by

Alfred de Vigny Alfred Victor, Comte de Vigny (27 March 1797 – 17 September 1863) was a French poet and early French Romanticist. He also produced novels, plays, and translations of Shakespeare. Biography Vigny was born in Loches (a town to which he never r ...

* ''Sépulcre'' for voice and piano; words by Leon Volade * ''Paroles à la lune'' for voice and piano (1903); words by

Anna de Noailles Anna, Comtesse Mathieu de Noailles (Anna Elisabeth Bibesco-Bassaraba de Brancovan) (15 November 1876 – 30 April 1933) was a French writer of Romanian and Greek descent, a poet and a socialist feminist. Biography Personal life Born Princess ...

* ''Panis Angelicus'' for voice and cello (1904) * ''Dans les bois'' for voice and piano (1904); words by

Gérard de Nerval Gérard de Nerval (; 22 May 1808 – 26 January 1855) was the pen name of the French writer, poet, and translator Gérard Labrunie, a major figure of French romanticism, best known for his novellas and poems, especially the collection '' Les ...

* ''La Promesse'' for voice and piano or orchestra (1910); words by Gabriel Montoya * ''La Plainte'' for voice and piano or orchestra (1911); words by Lucien Paté * ''Le Papillon'' for voice and piano or orchestra (1911); words by Jean Aicard * ''Le Champ de bataille'' (1912); words by Théophile Gautier * ''Trois Mélodies'' for voice and piano or orchestra (1912); words by Théophile Gautier :# Infidélité :# La Dernière feuille :# Serment * ''Villanelle'' for voice and piano or orchestra (1912); words by Théophile Gautier * ''Chanson violette'' for voice and piano or orchestra (1913); words by Albert Samain * ''Le Chevrier'' for voice and piano or orchestra (1913); words by

José-Maria de Heredia José-Maria de Heredia (22 November 1842 – 3 October 1905) was a Cuban-born French Parnassian poet. He was the fifteenth member elected for seat 4 of the Académie française in 1894. Biography Early years Heredia was born at Fortuna ...

* ''Il est d'étranges soirs'' for voice and piano or orchestra (1913) words by Albert Samain * ''Viole'' for voice and piano (1913); words by Albert Samain * ''In manus tuas'' for voice, oboe and organ (1914) * ''Quatre poèmes de Jean Lahor'' for voice and piano or orchestra (1921) :# Après l'orage :# Adieux :# Après le bal :# Dèsir de mort * ''Vocalise-étude'' for medium voice and piano (1924) * ''Le Poèt et la muse'' for voice and piano; words by E. Thévenet * ''L'Embarquement pour l'idéal'' for voice and piano; words by

Catulle Mendès Catulle Mendès (22 May 1841 – 8 February 1909) was a French poet and man of letters. Early life and career Of Portuguese Jewish extraction, Mendès was born in Bordeaux. After childhood and adolescence in Toulouse, he arrived in Paris in 185 ...

* ''Mortes les fleurs'' for voice and piano; words by P. May * ''Chanson napolitaine'' for voice and piano; words by P. May ;Choral * ''Os Justi'', Offertorium for chorus and organ (1903) * ''Acis et Galatée'', Cantata (1910) * ''Jeanne d'Arc'', Oratorio (1913); words by Gabriel Montoya * ''Salve Regina'' for chorus a cappella (1929) * ''Messe du cinquième centenaire de la mort de Jeanne d'Arc'' (Mass for the Fifth Centenary of the Death of Joan of Arc) for soloists, chorus and orchestra (1931) * ''Nuit tombante'' for chorus and orchestra * ''Pastorale de Noël'' pour for soloists, chorus and orchestra * ''Soleils de septembre'' for chorus and orchestra

Notes

References

External links

"A Frenchman in Detroit"Cercle Paul Paray
* A principled man from Le Treport - bio, insight and photos here http://www.normandythenandnow.com/a-principled-man-from-le-treport/