Complete Spanish Songs and Duets

This volume contains all the songs and duets by Pauline Viardot-García with original Spanish texts. It includes her original songs, songs based on (anonymus) popular music and arrangements of instrumental works by other composers and involving a substantial change of the piece: instrumental works turned into songs and were added with Spanish text. Within her output of songs, her Spanish songs have special status, since Spanish music formed part of her personal and family universe, and constituted an essential part of her identity. Therefore, this group of pieces in Spanish takes us to her deepest cultural roots and show Viardot’s extraordinary ability to transfer these roots to other cultural contexts and to adapt her artistical proposal to the different demands of the audience and to the different abilities of the singers. The arrangements of Chopin’s mazurkas, with French text are surely the most well-known pieces by Viardot. However, the original versions in Spanish have remained unpublished until now. These songs are of great pedagogical as well as artistic interest, and are examples of the belcanto school developed by the García family.