Pauline Viardot, a famous French singer, is often called "the ugly beauty". She was stooped, and, according to the artist Repin, it was impossible to look at her face from the front. But the singer's charming voice immediately made me forget about all her external flaws.
Childhood and family
Pauline Viardot was born in 1821 into a family of musicians. Her father was a famous vocal teacher, and her mother was a sought-after singer. Since childhood, the girl grew up in a musical environment, it is natural that the father decided to introduce his daughter to music. He gave her to study the piano, and Franz Liszt himself spoke more than once about the girl's wonderful abilities. It should be noted that Polina carried her love for the piano through her whole life. But fate decreed that singing became her musical specialization.
I must say that the girl was talented not only musically. By the age of six, Polina spoke five languages. was interested in literature and other arts.
Career
Polina's father died unexpectedly, and her mother insisted that her daughter give up her piano exercises and devote herself to singing. And soon the whole world learned about Pauline Viardot. About her first major performance, contemporaries wrote that there were some shortcomings in it, but they were more than covered by her masterful voice and passionate performance.
Pauline Viardot was known throughout Europe, including Russia. She has performed in the best theaters in the world. They wrote about her that her voice was so charming that it literally beckoned and called for her.
At the end of her life, Polina took up teaching and even wrote music, which many famous composers regarded as talented.
Personal life
Pauline Viardot was officially married to writer and literary critic Louis Viardot. The husband was twenty-one years older than the singer. Outwardly, the marriage seemed perfect, but there were devils in this still pool.
Pauline Viardot once said that for a woman to be popular she needs a herd of fans to follow her. And this herd followed her. Moreover, according to unofficial data, some fans gently grew into lovers.
A famous admirer of Pauline Viardot was the Russian writer Ivan Turgenev. He followed Polina like a dog all his life, and died in her arms. Moreover, the young Russian master was also favored by Polina's husband, so Turgenev often lived in Viardot's house. In the Viardot family, the illegitimate daughter of Turgenev was brought up, whom she also called Polina.
What kind of relationship was between the Russian writer and the French singer, we will never know. But contemporaries often hinted that not everything there was purely platonic.
Pauline Viardot had four children. The paternity of one of them is also attributed to Turgenev. However, this fact has not been confirmed, especially since it is known for certain that the singer had other lovers (including famous composers, writers and musicians).
