Pauline Viardot was a French dramatic mezzo-soprano, composer and pedagogue of Spanish descent. Born Michelle Ferdinande Pauline García, she came from a musical family and took up music at a young age. She began performing as a teenager and had a long and illustrious career as a star performer.
Viardot in c. 1845
Viardot as Valentina and Marietta Alboni as Urbano in Act 1 of Meyerbeer's Gli Ugonotti. Royal Italian Opera (Covent Garden) (1848) (lithograph by John Brandard)
Pauline Viardot at the piano listening to Frédéric Chopin. Sketch.
Pauline Viardot
Manuel del Pópulo Vicente Rodriguez García was a Spanish opera singer, composer, impresario, and singing teacher.
Manuel García
García in the title role in Rossini's Otello