Classical Composers A-Z: Paul Dukas
Peter Wintersgill introduces us to Paul Dukas, composer of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.
Born
1st October, 1865, in Paris.
Adolescence
Studied at Paris Conservatoire with Giraud 1881 – 1889.
Adult Life
His best known orchestral work was The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (1897) based on Goethe’s poem. Another is the Symphony in C (1896). His finest work of all, though, is his opera Ariane et Barbe Bleu (1907), often compared with Debussy’s Pelleas et Melisande.
He was a very meticulous and self critical composer, often destroying his works, especially the later ones, before publication. He was also critical of the works of others in his position as a music critic.
He was made Professor of Composition at the Paris Conservatoire in 1909, during which time he wrote a ballet La Peri (1912) and a piano sonata in B Flat Minor and edited the works of Beethoven and Rameau.
He died 17th May, 1935, in Paris, aged 69.
