Vidal, Paul (EN)

Vidal Paul Antonin, *16 June 1863 Toulouse, †9 April 1931 Paris, French composer, conductor, and teacher. He studied at the conservatory in Toulouse, then in Paris – music theory and composition in J. Massenet’s class (first prize in harmony in 1879, in counterpoint and fugue in 1881). In 1883, he won the Grand Prix de Rome for his cantata Le gladiateur. During his scholarship at the Villa Medici in Rome, he became friends with C. Debussy. In 1889, he joined the Opéra de Paris, initially as choir conductor, then as soloist conductor, and from 1906 as principal conductor. From 1914 to 1919, he was music director of the Opéra-Comique in Paris. He was also intensely involved in teaching: at the Paris Conservatory, where he taught solfège (from 1894), piano accompaniment (from 1896), and composition (from 1909). He became known as a supporter of avant-garde trends in the music of his time; he also ran evening music courses in the working-class districts of Paris on a voluntary basis.

Vidal’s compositional work remains overshadowed by his achievements as a conductor and teacher. His operas, which constitute the main body of his work, were met with harsh criticism; Vidal was considered an epigone of Massenet. His most popular work was the ballet La maladetta, which had almost 200 performances by 1930. The style of Vidal’s stage works shows the influence of R. Wagner and French grand opera.

Literature: A. Hoérée Nécrologie. Hommage à Paul Vidal, “Le Revue Musicale” XII, 1931.