Abstract

Pauline Viardot-García (1821–1910), a celebrated French mezzo-soprano of Spanish descent, with a career that spanned over almost 24 years, devoted every effort to vocal music education. Daughter of Manuel del Pópulo Vicente Rodriguez García (1775-1832), founder of the García school, Pauline inherited and fine-tuned her parents’ teaching methods to promote the art of singing and reached the peak of her career.

In this paper, we used the following four art songs by Pauline Viardot-García, a nineteenth century composer, to analyze the interpretation of these songs: Haï luli!, Canción de la Infanta, Les Filles de Cadix, and Morirò. In addition to her outstanding work in performance and composition, Pauline Viardot-García as a key female composer during the Romantic Period is extremely influential and inspiring with her contribution in vocal music education. However, no Taiwanese study have examined this composer in depth.

This study is divided into five chapters: Chapter 1 is an introduction; Chapter 2 investigates the life of Pauline Viardot-García and how she established her style; in Chapter 3, Garcia family influence on vocal music education; Chapter 4 we examine the background, conduct song analysis, and deliver an interpretation of the four songs selected; Chapter 5 offers a conclusion. By introducing the works of Pauline Viardot-García, a female composer, we intend to show Taiwanese listeners the beauty of her works and her unique life.

Keywords: Pauline Viardot-García, romance