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Before Pauline
Viardot, opera singers were considered to be barely above music
boxes -- uneducated creatures capable of producing a "pretty
sound.” But contralto Viardot was a sage, she was Turgyenyef's lover, she
advised composers and writers, and she was the first ever to sing
Meyerbeer's Fidès and Gounod's Sapho. Pauline Viardot and Maria
Malibran were sisters, and daughters of Manuel Garcia, a very
important tenor (Rossini composed his Otello with Garcia in
mind), and to this day the "Garcia method" is used to refer to the
correct technique for singing. Talk about talent running
in the family line! |
