Paul Dessau, born on December 19, 1894, in Hamburg, Germany, was a composer and conductor. Born into a musical family, Dessau's early exposure to music included singing the prologue from Bajazzo at age three and debuting as a violinist at eleven. He began his formal training at the Klindworth-Scharwenka-Konservatorium in Berlin in 1909, studying under Florián Zajíc and Eduard Behm. Dessau's career took off with his appointment as Korrepetitor at the Hamburger Stadttheater in 1912, where he worked with notable figures like Felix Weingartner and Arthur Nikisch. His early compositions included the opera Giuditta (1910–1912). After serving in World War I, Dessau held positions at various theaters, including the Kölner Oper under Otto Klemperer and the Städtische Oper Berlin under Bruno Walter. Dessau's collaborations with Bertolt Brecht resulted in significant compositions like Herr Puntila und sein Knecht Matti (1956-1959) and Saint Joan of the Stockyards (1961). Dessau passed away on June 28, 1979, in Königs Wusterhausen near Berlin.
