Paul Wachs


Paul Étienne Victor Wachs was a French composer who played predominantly the organ and piano. He is most remembered for his salon compositions for piano.

Biography

Wachs was the son of the French composer Frédéric Wachs.
He was a student at the Conservatoire de Paris, where he was taught by multiple teachers, including Victor Massé, Antoine François Marmontel and César Franck. After his days of study, he became the second organist at the Church of Saint-Sulpice. In 1874, he left this position to be the choirmaster at the Church of Saint-Merri. This position had been held by famous composer Camille Saint-Saëns. He held this position until 1896. In 1908, Wachs bought a large property, which he named Les Myrtles after one of his pieces. He lived here with his family until he died on 6 July 1915.
Among his pieces for piano, the most famous is 'Promenade à Âne'.

List of Compositions

Here is a list of compositions with their original titles by Paul Wachs: