Opera Singer. She was one of the most important dramatic sopranos of the 20th century in the Wagner/Strauss repertoire. Her repertoire also encompassed the great roles of Verdi and Puccini as well as a number of roles from contemporary opera. After performing the title role in the German premiere of Janácek's Kàta Kabanová in Cologne, she created a stir as Jenùfa at the Berlin Staatsoper. The roles of Agave in Egon Wellesz's Die Bakchantinnen (a role she created) and Maria in Ernst Krenek's Der Diktator provided their own special moments and further acclamation followed her performances in works by Berg, Schilling, Hindemith, Schrecker, and d'Albert (Tiefland). The role for which she is most remembered is Strauss' Elektra, of which she was the nonpareil embodiment; the eminent critic Ernest Newman called her "unsurpassable." Both in Vienna and at the Salzburg Festival, her interpretation was regarded as overwhelming. At the former institution, she was appointed Kammersängerin. In Italy, Pauly became known as "La Duse tedesca (the German Eleonora) Duse), and her portrait was hung next to Duse's in Trieste's Teatro Verdi. After Hilter's rise to power, she was no longer allowed to sing in German-speaking counties, so she fled to America. Pauly made her first American appearance in a March 18, 1937 New York Philharmonic concert performance of Elektra. This led to an immediate engagement at the Metropolitan Opera, as well as appearances with San Francisco Opera and Covent Garden. After her retirement, she moved to Palestine with her husband where she become a well-known pedagogue. Among her students was the soprano Hilde Zadek. Although her recordings were limited, her performance of Elektra at Carnegie Hall was documented for posterity.