Pauline Viardot-Garcia in Großbritannien und Irland

Pauline Viardot-Garcia (1821–1910) was one of the most versatile and remarkable European musical artists of her time. Beyond her singing talents, she composed a large number of songs, salon operas, and instrumental music. She directed opera productions, worked as an opera manager and promoted many young composers who were then unknown, such as Charles Gounod. She was an advocate of both contemporary compositions and music from previous centuries.

Yet today, her name has lost some of its popularity. This is in part because of the definition of music historiography that prevailed in the 19th century, which centred upon the Romantic cult of the genius. This resulted in both the contributions of women to musical and cultural life and the artist model of the multi-talented musician being ignored.

This book stakes Pauline Viardot's rightful claim to a place in music historiography. It examines the diverse facets of Pauline Viardot’s activities in Great Britain and Ireland and their impact on local musical and cultural life. The study is based upon rich, mostly unpublished source material such as concert programmes, reviews, letters and the diary of Queen Victoria.