Paul Scudo

Born in Venice on June 8, 1806, and later active in France, Paul Scudo was a music critic, musicologist, and composer of Italian origin. He spent part of his childhood in Germany, studied in Paris at Alexandre-Étienne Choron’s music school, and also worked as a singing teacher and musician before turning to criticism.

From the 1840s onward, he wrote for several major French periodicals, including Revue des deux mondes, Revue de Paris, and Revue et gazette musicale de Paris. He became known for forceful, sometimes combative judgments on the music of his day, especially in his opposition to Hector Berlioz and Richard Wagner.

Scudo also published books that gathered his criticism and reflections on music, including Critique et littérature musicale, L'Art ancien et l'Art moderne, and L'Année musicale. He died at Blois on October 14, 1864.