Charles Paul

Who was Charles Paul?

Charles Paul 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 and his lament for her daughter Pauline Harris. 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.