Frédéric Hubert Paulin

Frédéric Hubert Paulin (Paris, 1678 – Paris, 1761) was a French composer whose entire life was bound up with the religious musical life of the capital. The son of a Parisian furrier, he was orphaned at the age of ten, which did not prevent him from training within the ecclesiastical sphere. Between 1688 and June 1693 he sang as a choirboy at the church of the Cimetière des Innocents, under the direction of Pierre Ferrier, and later studied composition with André Campra.

His career as an instrumentalist began in 1698, when he took up a post as serpent player at Notre Dame de Paris. Shortly afterwards, in August of that same year, he moved to a similar position at Saint-Honoré, where in 1715 he was appointed maître des enfants de choeur and remained until his death. He achieved a certain success with his compositions, particularly at the Concert Spirituel, although only a part of his output survives.

His motets display a distinctly French style, somewhat conservative, with occasional Italian influences. His son, Nicolas Hubert Paulin (Paris, 1713 – Versailles, 1785), followed the family tradition as an organist in several Parisian churches and at Notre Dame de Versailles, and in 1755 became one of the four organists of the royal chapel.