Pauline Viardot
Aug 3rd, 2011 by houghtonmodern
This post was kindly contributed by Andrea Cawelti, Ward Project Music Cataloger at Houghton:
Pauline Garcia Viardot (1821-1910) was one of the 19th century’s most versatile and influential opera stars. Born into an operatic family (her father Manuel Garcia created the role of Almaviva in Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia, later becoming a renowned voice teacher; her sister Maria Malibran created the title role in Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda among others, and was famous for her temperament on and off the stage; her brother Manuel taught singing at the Paris Conservatory and went on to found his own school of singing based on his father’s, producing such pupils as Jenny Lind, Charles Santley, and Mathilde Marchesi) Viardot herself became a celebrated mezzo-soprano, composer, and voice teacher. Fervently admired by many composers including Meyerbeer and Gounod, Berlioz described her as one of the greatest artists in the history of music. Viardot’s collaboration with Berlioz in revising Gluck’s Orphée for her voice was only one of many milestones in her singing career. She was also a gifted composer, producing songs, chamber music, and operettas throughout her life. Like her brother, Viardot also taught singing to great success.
Viardot was particularly interested in Russian music and from 1843 she sang regularly in St. Petersburg, where she met the writer Ivan Turgenev. Turgenev fell in love with her and followed her to Paris, remaining close to her for the rest of his life. Viardot’s long friendship with Turgenev had a profound influence on his literary development, and he in turn wrote the librettos for and collaborated on many of her vocal works.
Combining funds from the Amy Lowell Trust, the Bayard Livingston Kilgour and Kate Gray Kilgour Fund, the Frank E. Chase Bequest, and the John M. Kasden Fund, and with a major gift from John Milton Ward, William Powell Mason Professor of Music emeritus at Harvard University, the Modern Books and Manuscripts department at Houghton has purchased a spectacular collection of Viardot and Turgenev materials. Highlights include manuscripts of Turgenev/Viardot collaborations, many of which are unknown to scholars today; correspondence; notebooks of Viardot’s early study with her father; manuscripts of her own compositions; journals; many pencil sketches, watercolors, and elaborate costume designs; cadenzas from Viardot’s most famous roles; autograph manuscripts of works by her father, her sister Maria, and Gounod; a scrapbook of fan letters regarding her characterization of Orphée, and more. In the context of the Turgenev and Viardot collections already held at Houghton (see bMS Mus 264, bMS Mus 232, bMS Mus 265, and fMS Mus 266 for Viardot collections, and see HOLLIS for a list Turgenev manuscript material) this new purchase provides additional breadth to already rich holdings, and should not be missed by devotees of either artist.
*2011M-3. Pauline Garcia Viardot and Ivan Turgenev papers. Purchased with funds from the Ruth N. and John M. Ward Fund, the Amy Lowell Trust, the Frank E. Chase Bequest, the John M. Kasdan Fund, and the Bayard Livingston and Kate Gray Kilgour Fund, 2011.
Images:
Top: Undated self-portrait.
Middle: Viardot’s manuscript of “Les filles de Cadise.” (sic)
Bottom: Portrait of Ivan Turgenev on his deathbed by Claudie Viardot, Pauline Viardot’s daughter. Pencil, 1883.
Thanks for bringing these people back to life after 100 years. It was interesting that Pauline’s sister had the “temperament”, but Pauline was the noted performer, composer, artist and teacher.
Thanks for the posting. I just have a little comment: as someone acquinted with XIX century hand writing (and Viardot’s writing as well), I can assure you that she did not misspelled “Les filles de Cadix”as you suggest: her x in Cadix might look like “es”, but it is indeed an x.
By the way, Viardot wrote regularly in French, Spanish, Germany, Italian & some Russian… and it is known for sure that, being French her first language, her orthograph was perfect.
This isn’t really for posting, it’s just a note to the library: the manner in which Viardot wrote her title is, actually, intended to read Cadix. That symbol that looks like an “s” pushed up against an “e” is actually an old-fashioned French style of writing “x.” I live in France & have seen it written this way, even today, by older people. If you check with some (older) French natives at the library I believe they’ll verify this for you.
By the way, thank you for all of your work on Viardot!!!
Ich suche die Noten von “Faust-Szenen” von Pauline Viardot. Text von Johann Wolfgang Goethe.
[…] Viardot was particularly interested in Russian music and from 1843 she sang regularly in St. Petersburg, where she met the writer Ivan Turgenev. Turgenev fell in love with her and followed her to Paris, remaining close to her for the rest of his life. Viardot’s long friendship with Turgenev had a profound influence on his literary development, and he in turn wrote the librettos for and collaborated on many of her vocal works. —Andrea Cawelti, Ward Project Music Cataloger at Houghton Library, Harvard University, published at the Houghton Library website […]