Pauline Viardot: Mazourke (1868) - Piano with Sheet Music

A charming mazurka by the French mezzo-soprano, pianist and composer Pauline Viardot (1821-1910). Viardot came from a musical family and received piano and singing lessons from her father starting from a young age. She excelled at the piano and wanted to become a concert pianist, even taking piano lessons from a young Franz Liszt. After her father’s death in 1832 however, her mother forced Viardot to focus her attention on her voice and away from the piano. Viardot remained an outstanding pianist all her life and was well-known in the highest of circles, she often played duets with her friend Frédéric Chopin, and received praise from the likes of Liszt, Moscheles and Saint-Saëns, even while her main occupation was as an equally exceptional and world-famous professional singer. Viardot also composed some music, mostly after her retirement from the stage in 1863, and arranged many instrumental works from famous composers such as Haydn, Schubert, Brahms and Chopin as songs. Her wo