Charles Paul (composer)

Charles Paul (August 23, 1902, New York City – September 18, 1990, Milford, Connecticut) was an American composer and organist, most known for his musical accompaniment on radio and television.

Originally providing musical accompaniment to such old-time radio programs as The Adventures of Ellery Queen and Young Doctor Malone, he transitioned to television in the 1950s. His music accentuated the TV version of Martin Kane, Private Eye with an organ and horn combo. His first known soap opera was Love of Life which he began accompanying in 1953. In 1954 he added The Secret Storm and the short-lived The Road of Life to his duties. By this time Paul had perfected a style that favored the organ, but was often coupled with piano for more intense scenes.

On The Secret Storm Paul began his practice of using "leitmotif" themes to underscore specific characters, such as his tune for matriarch Grace Tyrell (Marjorie Gateson) and his lament for her daughter Pauline Harris (Haila Stoddard). Paul continued this practice on Love of Life and his successive soaps.

It was in 1956 that Charles Paul began the stint for which he was probably most notable, as organist for television's first thirty-minute soap opera As the World Turns. Viewers still recall fondly his character themes for Nancy Hughes (Helen Wagner), Pa Hughes (Santos Ortega) and the devilishly charming Lisa (Eileen Fulton). Paul even had motifs for opening scene shots that identified settings, such as Memorial Hospital and the Lowell, Barnes, Lowell & Hughes law firm. Paul also wrote the first theme song for NBC's Another World which was handled by other organists. Though he was not named in the credits, Paul provided the original scores to headwriter Agnes Nixon's ABC hits One Life to Live and All My Children under the auspices of Aeolus Productions.

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