Paul Marie-Adolphe Charles Paray (French: ɔl paʁɛ 24 May 1886 – 10 October 1979) was a French conductor, organist and composer. After winning France's top musical award, the

Prix de Rome The Prix de Rome () or Grand Prix de Rome was a French scholarship for arts students, initially for painters and sculptors, that was established in 1663 during the reign of Louis XIV of France. Winners were awarded a bursary that allowed them t ...

, he fought in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and was a prisoner of war for nearly four years. He held a succession of chief conductorships, including those of the Lamoureux and Colonne Orchestras in Paris and the

Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra The Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra (, OPMC) is an orchestra based in the Principality of Monaco. The orchestra gives concerts primarily in the Auditorium Rainier III, but also performs at the Salle des Princes in the Grimaldi Forum. History T ...

in Monaco. For ten years from 1952 he was chief conductor of the

Detroit Symphony Orchestra The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) is an American orchestra based in Detroit, Detroit, Michigan. Its primary performance venue is Orchestra Hall (Detroit, Michigan), Orchestra Hall at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit's Midtown, Detroit, ...

, with which he made a celebrated series of recordings for

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. Mercury Records released ...

' "Living Presence" series, many of which have been digitally released in the 21st century.

Life and career

Early years

Paul Paray was born in

Le Tréport Le Tréport () is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in Normandy, France. The three adjoining towns of Le Tréport, Eu and Mers-les-Bains are known locally as the "Three Sisters". Geography A small fishing port and light industri ...

, Normandy, on 10 October 1886,Goodwin, Noë
"Paray, Paul"
''Grove Music Online'', Oxford University Press, 2011 , the second son and youngest of three children of Auguste Paray and his wife Hortense Picard. Auguste's principal occupation was as an ivory sculptor, but he was also a working musician – organist of the church of Saint-Jacques au Tréport and musical director of the town’s municipal band and theatre.Patmore, David
"Paul Paray"
A–Z of Conductors, Naxos, 2007 He gave his three children their first music lessons. Both sons sang in the choir of

Rouen Cathedral Rouen Cathedral () is a Catholic church architecture, church in Rouen, Normandy, France. It is the Episcopal see, see of the Archbishop of Rouen, Primate of Normandy. It is famous for its three towers, each in a different style. The cathedral, b ...

, for which, aged fourteen, Paray composed his first

Magnificat The Magnificat (Latin for "y soulmagnifies he Lord) is a canticle, also known as the Song of Mary or Canticle of Mary, and in the Byzantine Rite as the Ode of the Theotokos (). Its Western name derives from the incipit of its Latin text. This ...

, which his biographer David Patmore writes has remained in the choir's repertoire ever since. With the help of

Henri Dallier Henri Édouard Dallier (20 March 1849 – 21 December 1934) was a French organist. Career Born in Reims, Dallier studied organ with César Franck at the Conservatoire de Paris and obtained First prize in organ and fugue in 1878. He became " ...

, organist of

La Madeleine, Paris The Church of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine (, ), or less formally, La Madeleine (), is a Catholic parish church on Place de la Madeleine in the 8th arrondissement of Paris. It was planned by Louis XV as the focal point of the new Rue Royal, leading t ...

, Paray entered the

Paris Conservatoire The Conservatoire de Paris (), or the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (; CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue Jean Ja ...

in 1904, where he studied harmony with

Xavier Leroux Xavier Henry Napoleón Leroux (; 11 October 1863 – 2 February 1919) was a French composer and a teacher at the Paris Conservatory. He was married to the famous soprano Meyrianne Héglon (1867–1942). Life Born in Italy at Velletri, 30 ...

and counterpoint and composition with Georges Caussade. He also studied with

Charles Lenepveu Charles-Ferdinand Lenepveu (4 October 1840 – 16 August 1910), was a French composer and teacher. Destined for a career as a lawyer, he defied his family and followed a musical career. He studied at the Paris Conservatoire, and won France's t ...

and

Paul Vidal Paul Antonin Vidal (16 June 1863 – 9 April 1931) was a French composer, conductor and music teacher mainly active in Paris.Charlton D. Paul Vidal. In: ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera.'' Macmillan, London and New York, 1997. Life and caree ...

. He played the piano, cello and timpani, but remained best known for his organ playing: in 1907 ''

L'Ouest-Éclair ''L'Ouest-Éclair'' was a regional daily newspaper published in France from 2 August 1899 to 1 August 1944, based in Rennes. It served a broad audience in western France, covering regions such as Brittany, Normandy, Anjou, Maine, and Poitou. The ...

'', reporting a

Saint Cecilia Saint Cecilia (), also spelled Cecelia, was a Roman Christian virgin martyr, who is venerated in Catholic, Eastern Orthodox Church, Orthodox, Anglican Communion, Anglican, and some Lutheran churches, such as the Church of Sweden. She became the ...

's Day concert, singled out Paray's organ playing for its perfection. After compulsory military service, not far from his home, in an infantry regiment in

Dieppe Dieppe (; ; or Old Norse ) is a coastal commune in the Seine-Maritime department, Normandy, northern France. Dieppe is a seaport on the English Channel at the mouth of the river Arques. A regular ferry service runs to Newhaven in England ...

, he accepted in 1909 the position of piano accompanist in the Parisian

Cabaret des Quat'z'Arts Cabaret des Quat'z'Arts ("cabaret of the four arts") was a venue at 62 Boulevard de Clichy, in Paris, France. The interdisciplinary mixture of the arts created avant-garde collaborative performances. Similar to Le Chat Noir, the Quat'z'Arts was a ...

an establishment directed by

Gabriel Montoya Gabriel Montoya (20 October 1868, in Alès – 7 October 1914, in Castres) was a French singer, chansonnier and lyricist. The son of a pharmacist, Joseph-Henri-Victor Montoya and Noémie- Victoire Coste, he studied medicine in Lyon. After a trip t ...

. There he met

Maurice Yvain Maurice Yvain (12 February 1891 – 27 July 1965) was a French composer noted for his operettas of the 1920s and 1930s. Some of which were written for Mistinguett, at one time the best-paid female entertainer in the world. In the 1930s and 1940s, ...

, and became friends with several famous chansonniers of the time.

Prix de Rome and First World War

In 1911 Paray competed for France's most prestigious musical prize, the

, and was awarded first prize for his cantata ''Yanitza'' by a jury that included

Gabriel Fauré Gabriel Urbain Fauré (12 May 1845 – 4 November 1924) was a French composer, organist, pianist and teacher. He was one of the foremost French composers of his generation, and his musical style influenced many 20th-century composers. ...

– director of the Conservatoire – and other composers including

Camille Saint-Saëns Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns (, , 9October 183516 December 1921) was a French composer, organist, conductor and pianist of the Romantic music, Romantic era. His best-known works include Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso (1863), the Piano ...

Charles-Marie Widor Charles-Marie-Jean-Albert Widor (21 February 1844 – 12 March 1937) was a French organist, composer and teacher of the late Romantic era. As a composer he is known for his ten organ symphonies, especially the toccata of his fifth organ sympho ...

and

Gabriel Pierné Henri Constant Gabriel Pierné (16 August 1863 – 17 July 1937) was a French composer, conductor, pianist and organist. Biography Gabriel Pierné was born in Metz. His family moved to Paris, after Metz and part of Lorraine were annexed to Germ ...

. Paray won the first prize with nineteen out of twenty votes. The Prix de Rome brought with it two years' residence and study at the

Villa Medici The Villa Medici () is a sixteenth-century Italian Mannerist villa and an architectural complex with 7-hectare Italian garden, contiguous with the more extensive Borghese gardens, on the Pincian Hill next to Trinità dei Monti in the historic ...

, the

French Academy in Rome The French Academy in Rome (, ) is an academy located in the Villa Medici, within the Villa Borghese, on the Pincio (Pincian Hill) in Rome, Italy. History The Academy was founded at the Palazzo Capranica in 1666 by Louis XIV under the dire ...

. Shortly after his return to Paris the

broke out and Paray was conscripted into the French army. He was taken prisoner after two months' fighting and held in an internment camp at

Darmstadt Darmstadt () is a city in the States of Germany, state of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Frankfurt Rhine Main Area, Rhine-Main-Area (Frankfurt Metropolitan Region). Darmstadt has around 160,000 inhabitants, making it the ...

until the end of the war in 1918. He refused any musical collaboration with the Germans and he had no instrument, except for the modest

harmonium The pump organ or reed organ is a type of organ that uses free reeds to generate sound, with air passing over vibrating thin metal strips mounted in a frame. Types include the pressure-based harmonium, the suction reed organ (which employs a va ...

he played on Sundays, to accompany the two religious services for Catholic and Protestant prisoners. Denied paper, he composed in his head, and after the war he transcribed the string quartet he had conceived while a prisoner.Cabon, Jean
"Paul Paray (1886-1979)"
Cercle Paul Paray. Retrieved 9 November 2024

Conductor

After his release, Paray conducted professionally for the first time at the Casino in

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. Toponymy Histor ...

, and shortly afterwards, on Pierné's recommendation, he made his début with the

Lamoureux Orchestra The Orchestre Lamoureux () officially known as the Société des Nouveaux-Concerts and also known as the Concerts Lamoureux) is an orchestral concert society which once gave weekly concerts by its own orchestra, founded in Paris by Charles Lamoure ...

in Paris and was appointed its assistant conductor in 1920.

Camille Chevillard Paul Alexandre Camille Chevillard (14 October 1859 – 30 May 1923) was a French composer and conductor. Biography According to ''Musiciens français d'Aujourd'hui'', Camille Chevillard was the son of the famous cellist and composer , who tau ...

, the orchestra's principal conductor since 1897, died in May 1923; Paray was elected to succeed him. He remained with the orchestra for five years, including in his programmes the works of many French composers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, such as Fauré,

Debussy Achille Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionism in music, Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influe ...

Ravel Joseph Maurice Ravel (7 March 1875 – 28 December 1937) was a French composer, pianist and conductor. He is often associated with Impressionism in music, Impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composer ...

and Ibert, whose he and the orchestra premiered in 1924, before it was taken up by better-known conductors including

Arturo Toscanini Arturo Toscanini (; ; March 25, 1867January 16, 1957) was an Italian conductor. He was one of the most acclaimed and influential musicians of the late 19th and early 20th century, renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orche ...

and

Leopold Stokowski Leopold Anthony Stokowski (18 April 1882 – 13 September 1977) was a British-born American conductor. One of the leading conductors of the early and mid-20th century, he is best known for his long association with the Philadelphia Orchestra. H ...

. They also performed with several well-known solo players who were making their Paris débuts, including

Jascha Heifetz Jascha Heifetz (; December 10, 1987) was a Russian-American violinist, widely regarded as one of the greatest violinists of all time. Born in Vilnius, he was soon recognized as a child prodigy and was trained in the Russian classical violin styl ...

Nathan Milstein Nathan Mironovich Milstein ( – December 21, 1992) was a Russian and American virtuoso violinist. Widely regarded as one of the greatest violinists of all time, Milstein was known for his interpretations of Bach's solo violin works and for wo ...

and

Yehudi Menuhin Yehudi Menuhin, Baron Menuhin (22 April 191612 March 1999), was an American-born British violinist and conductor who spent most of his performing career in Britain. He is widely considered one of the greatest violinists of the 20th century. ...

. In 1928 Paray accepted the post of chief conductor of the

and in the summer months he was also musical director at the Vichy Casino. In 1933 he moved to the

Colonne Orchestra The Colonne Orchestra is a French symphony orchestra, founded in 1873 by the violinist and conductor Édouard Colonne. History While leader of the Opéra de Paris orchestra, Édouard Colonne was engaged by the publisher Georges Hartmann to lead ...

in Paris, succeeding Pierné as its chief conductor. He also worked at the

Paris Opéra The Paris Opera ( ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be kn ...

, where he conducted several operas by

Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...

, including ''

Die Walküre (; ''The Valkyrie''), Wagner-Werk-Verzeichnis, WWV 86B, is the second of the four epic poetry, epic music dramas that constitute Richard Wagner's Literary cycle, cycle ''Der Ring des Nibelungen'' (English: ''The Ring of the Nibelung''). It was ...

'', ''

Siegfried Siegfried is a German-language male given name, composed from the Germanic elements ''sig'' "victory" and ''frithu'' "protection, peace". The German name has the Old Norse cognate ''Sigfriðr, Sigfrøðr'', which gives rise to Swedish ''Sigfrid' ...

'' and ''

Tristan und Isolde ''Tristan und Isolde'' (''Tristan and Isolde''), WWV 90, is a music drama in three acts by Richard Wagner set to a German libretto by the composer, loosely based on the medieval 12th-century romance ''Tristan and Iseult'' by Gottfried von Stras ...

''. While with the Colonne Orchestra, Paray engaged in a celebrated dispute with the music critic

Émile Vuillermoz Émile-Jean-Joseph Vuillermoz (23 May 1878 – 2 March 1960) was a French critic in the areas of music, film, drama and literature. He was also a composer, but abandoned this for criticism. Early life Émile Vuillermoz was born in Lyon in 1878. He ...

, who complained in print in 1935 about what he saw as the frequent inadequacy of the performances of new works at symphony concerts. From the Colonne platform Paray denounced Vuillermoz as hypocritical and venal.

1939–1952

The French government sent Paray to America to represent France at the 1939 World’s Fair, conducting the

New York Philharmonic Orchestra The New York Philharmonic is an American symphony orchestra based in New York City. Known officially as the ''Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc.'', and globally known as the ''New York Philharmonic Orchestra'' (NYPO) or the ''New Yo ...

. He made a sufficiently strong impression to be offered the post of co-conductor of the

NBC Symphony Orchestra The NBC Symphony Orchestra was a radio orchestra conceived by David Sarnoff, the president of the Radio Corporation of America, the parent corporation of the National Broadcasting Company especially for the conductor Arturo Toscanini. The NBC ...

with Toscanini, but chose to return to France, just as the Second World War was about to start. The Colonne and Lamoureux Orchestras had merged to form a single ensemble, and Paray agreed to share its musical direction jointly with

Eugène Bigot Eugène Bigot (28 February 1888 – 17 July 1965) was a French composer and conductor. Life Bigot was born in Rennes, Brittany. Initially trained as a violinist and later as a violist, he entered the Conservatoire de Paris in 1905 to continue h ...

. After the German invasion of France in 1940 the Nazi administration wished to drop the name Colonne because the orchestra's founder, Edouard Colonne, was of Jewish descent. Paray resigned and refused to appear again in occupied Paris. In

Limoges Limoges ( , , ; , locally ) is a city and Communes of France, commune, and the prefecture of the Haute-Vienne Departments of France, department in west-central France. It was the administrative capital of the former Limousin region. Situated o ...

and

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

Vichy France Vichy France (; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was a French rump state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II, established as a result of the French capitulation after the Battle of France, ...

he conducted French Radio’s Orchestre National. Asked to identify the Jewish members of the orchestra, he refused, resigned and moved to neutral

Monaco Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...

. According to Patmore, in Monte Carlo Paray helped many musicians and became an active member of the French resistance. He later criticised other musicians, most conspicuously Charles Munch and

Arthur Honegger Arthur Honegger (; 10 March 1892 – 27 November 1955) was a Swiss-French composer who was born in France and lived a large part of his life in Paris. Honegger was a member of Les Six. For Halbreich, '' Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher'' is "more even ...

, who remained in Paris; the biographer D. Kern Holoman gives a different angle on this, writing that Paray stayed safely in Monte Carlo while Munch and Honegger, despite impeccable and personally dangerous anti-Nazi credentials, had the more challenging time by remaining in Paris. After a lawsuit, Paray had to retract his defamations and apologise. Holoman attributes Paray's animus against Munch to "simple jealousy" of the latter's professional eminence, outstripping his own. Paray married his long-term partner, Yolande Falck in 1942. Returning to Paris after the

Liberation Liberation or liberate may refer to: Film and television * ''Liberation'' (film series), a 1970–1971 series about the Great Patriotic War * "Liberation" (''The Flash''), a TV episode * "Liberation" (''K-9''), an episode Gaming * '' Liberati ...

he once again directed the Colonne Orchestra between 1945 and 1952. He toured Europe with the

Vienna Philharmonic Vienna Philharmonic (VPO; ) is an orchestra that was founded in 1842 and is considered to be one of the finest in the world. The Vienna Philharmonic is based at the Musikverein in Vienna, Austria. Its members are selected from the orchestra of ...

. He conducted the

Israel Philharmonic Orchestra The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (abbreviation IPO; Hebrew: התזמורת הפילהרמונית הישראלית, ''ha-Tizmoret ha-Filharmonit ha-Yisra'elit'') is a major Israeli symphony orchestra based in Tel Aviv. Its principal concert ...

in 1949 and was invited back every year, continuing to appear with the orchestra until shortly before his death. Following a successful appearance in America in 1951 with the recently reconstituted

, he was appointed as the orchestra’s chief conductor with effect from 1952.

Detroit: 1952–1962

For his first three years at Detroit, Paray managed to divide his activities between the US and Europe, but from 1956 he made his home in Detroit. He left the Colonne Orchestra (succeeded by Munch) and restricted his returns to France to two annual series of concerts, mainly with the

Orchestre National de France The Orchestre National de France (; ; abbr. ONF) is a French symphony orchestra based in Paris, founded in 1934. Placed under the administration of the French national radio (named Radio France since 1975), the ONF performs mainly in the Grand ...

. In Detroit – and also in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

, New York and

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, where he was regularly invited – Paray took satisfaction in conducting, along with mainstream classical works, music by American and Canadian composers including

Aaron Copland Aaron Copland (, ; November 14, 1900December 2, 1990) was an American composer, critic, writer, teacher, pianist, and conductor of his own and other American music. Copland was referred to by his peers and critics as the "Dean of American Compos ...

Samuel Barber Samuel Osmond Barber II (March 9, 1910 – January 23, 1981) was an American composer, pianist, conductor (music), conductor, baritone, and music educator, and one of the most celebrated composers of the mid-20th century. Principally influenced ...

Ned Rorem Ned Miller Rorem (October 23, 1923 – November 18, 2022) was an American composer of contemporary classical music and a writer. Best known for his art songs, which number over 500, Rorem was considered the leading American of his time writing i ...

and

Walter Piston Walter Hamor Piston, Jr. (January 20, 1894 – November 12, 1976), was an American composer of classical music, music theorist, and professor of music at Harvard University. Life Piston was born in Rockland, Maine at 15 Ocean Street to Walter ...

. In Detroit, Paray made a series of recordings, served by the new "Living Presence" technique of the Mercury record company – developed by Robert Fine and Wilma Cozart Fine – which were bestsellers in the United States, and were soon distributed worldwide. In October 1956 he conducted the inaugural concert at the Ford Auditorium in Detroit, in a programme that included his own ''Mass for the 550th Anniversary of Joan of Arc''.Slonimsky and Kuhn, pp. 2712–2713 He retired from the chief conductorship at Detroit in 1962 and was given the title of Emeritus Conductor. He returned to the orchestra for four weeks each year, from his home in Monte Carlo.

Last years: 1962–1979

As a freelance, Paray was continually invited to conduct major symphony orchestras in France and mainland Europe and in North America. At the age of 80 he conducted the Orchestre National de l'Opéra de Monte-Carlo on a tour of 43 concerts throughout the United States and Canada, from February to April 1966. A year later, replacing Munch at short notice, he took the

Orchestre de Paris The Orchestre de Paris () is a French orchestra based in Paris. The orchestra currently performs most of its concerts at the Philharmonie de Paris. History In 1967, following the dissolution of the Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du ...

Kiev Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

, Moscow,

Leningrad Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

and

Riga Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...

. In July 1977, at the age of 91, Paray conducted an orchestral concert in honour of

Marc Chagall Marc Chagall (born Moishe Shagal; – 28 March 1985) was a Russian and French artist. An early modernism, modernist, he was associated with the School of Paris, École de Paris, as well as several major art movement, artistic styles and created ...

's 90th birthday celebrations in

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians ''Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians'' is a major reference work in the field of music, originally compiled by Theodore Baker, PhD, and published in 1900 by G. Schirmer, Inc. The ninth edition, the most recent edition, was published in ...

'' describes Paray as "the composer of several highly competent works" including ''Yanita'', the Mass, the Violin Sonata, a Cello Sonata (1919) a ballet – (1922), a Fantasie for piano and orchestra (1923) and two symphonies (1935 and 1940). ''

Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians. Along with the German-language '' Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart'', it is one of the largest reference works on the history and th ...

'' comments, "As a composer he tended towards academic propriety".

Conductor

According to ''Grove'', Paray gained a reputation as "a reliable conductor in a wide range of the classical repertory". The British magazine ''

Gramophone A phonograph, later called a gramophone, and since the 1940s a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogue reproduction of sound. The sound vibration waveforms are recorded as corresponding physic ...

'', reviewing the release of his Mercury recordings on 45 CDs, classed him as a great conductor and said that he created a magnificent ensemble during his ten years as the Detroit Symphony Orchestra's music director.Cowan, Rob and James Joll
"Paul Paray: The art of the great conductor"
''Gramophone'', 29 July 2022 ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' said of him, "He was credited with establishing the Detroit Symphony as a thoroughly professional ensemble of national stature, and within two years after taking it over, he brought it to New York for its first concert here"."Paul Paray"
''The New York Times'', 13 October 1979, p. 34 The same paper remarked "Mr Paray limited his conducting of 20th‐century works to those of a conservative stamp".

Honours

Paray was elected to the

Académie des Beaux-Arts The (; ) is a French learned society based in Paris. It is one of the five academies of the . The current president of the academy (2021) is Alain-Charles Perrot, a French architect. Background The academy was created in 1816 in Paris as a me ...

in 1950. His awards included a doctorate of law from

Wayne University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public research university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 375 programs. It is Michigan's third-largest university w ...

, the City Medal from

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...

, and honorary citizenships of Detroit,

Diemeringen Diemeringen () is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. See also * Communes of the Bas-Rhin department The following is a list of the 514 communes of the Bas-Rhin department of France. The communes c ...

, Le Tréport and Monaco. He was named a Grand Officer of the

Order of Grimaldi The Order of Grimaldi (usually called but officially according to the Ordonnance) is an Order established in Monaco on 18 November 1954. Award It is awarded to people who have contributed to the prestige of the Principality with distinction. ...

in 1967, and awarded the Grand Cross of the National Order of Merit in 1971. In the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

, like Saint-Saëns and Fauré before him, he was promoted to the highest rank, Grand Cross.

Selected works

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

Ida Rubinstein Ida Lvovna Rubinstein (; – 20 September 1960) was a dancer, actress, art patron and Belle Époque figure from the Russian Empire. She performed with Diaghilev's Ballets Russes from 1909 to 1911 and later formed her own company. ''Bolero (Rave ...

, costumes by

Léon Bakst Léon (Lev) Samoylovich Bakst (), born Leyb-Khaim Izrailevich Rosenberg (; – 27 December 1924),

(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 Paul Charles Joseph Bourget (; 2 September 185225 December 1935) was a French poet, novelist and critic. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature five times. Paul Bourget was born in Amiens, France. He initially abandoned Catholicism ...

* ''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 Romanticism, Romanticist. He also produced novels, plays, and translations of Shakespeare. Biography Vigny was born in Loches (a town to wh ...

* ''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, Greek and Bulgarian descent, a poet and a socialist feminist. She was the only female poet ...

* ''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), the pen name of the French writer, poet, and translator Gérard Labrunie, was a French essayist, poet, translator, and travel writer. He was a major figure during the era of French romantici ...

* ''La Promesse'' for voice and piano or orchestra (1910); words by

* ''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 Jean François Victor Aicard (4 February 1848 – 13 May 1921) was a French poet, dramatist, and novelist. Biography He was born in Toulon. His father, Jean Aicard, was a journalist of some distinction, and the son began his career in 1867 w ...

* ''Le Champ de bataille'' (1912); words by

Théophile Gautier Pierre Jules Théophile Gautier ( , ; 30 August 1811 – 23 October 1872) was a French poet, dramatist, novelist, journalist, and art and literary critic. While an ardent defender of Romanticism, Gautier's work is difficult to classify and rema ...

* ''Trois Mélodies'' for voice and piano or orchestra (1912); words by

:# Infidélité :# La Dernière feuille :# Serment * ''Villanelle'' for voice and piano or orchestra (1912); words by

* ''Chanson violette'' for voice and piano or orchestra (1913); words by

Albert Samain Albert Victor Samain (3 April 185818 August 1900) was a French poet and writer of the Symbolist school. Life and works Born in Lille, his family were Flemish and had long lived in the town or its suburbs. At the time of the poet's birth, his ...

* ''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 Ca ...

* ''Il est d'étranges soirs'' for voice and piano or orchestra (1913) words by

* ''Viole'' for voice and piano (1913); words by Albert Samain * ''In manus tuas'' for voice, oboe and organ (1914) * ''Quatre poèmes de

Jean Lahor Henri Cazalis (; 9 March 1840, Cormeilles-en-Parisis, Val-d'Oise – 1 July 1909, Geneva) was a French physician who was a symbolist poet and man of letters and wrote under the pseudonyms of Jean Caselli and Jean Lahor. His works include: *''Chan ...

'' 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 1 ...

* ''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

* ''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 ::Source: Cercle Paul Paray.

References

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Paray, Paul 1886 births 1979 deaths French male conductors (music) French expatriates in Israel French expatriates in the United States Prix de Rome for composition Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour People from Seine-Maritime 20th-century French conductors (music) 20th-century French male musicians Conductors of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra Music directors of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra Principal conductors of the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra