Finding Pauline Viardot-García in Montmartre

If you wondered about the dearth of posts these past two weeks, I can supply the answer: I have been in Paris.

While visiting the City of Lights, Itook time to trace the presence of the García family, which is very much part of  the city's history. First on my list was the resting place of Pauline Viardot-García, which is in Montmartre Cemetery, located a few blocks away from the famous Moulin Rouge. 

Viardot-García's grave was not hard to find, if only because it is clearly marked on a sign at the entrance with other famous inhabitants. A short walk up the hill and to the left, and there she was, right in the middle of 20th division, her name clearly marked on the grave stone, which stands almost nine feet tall, and contains a niche in which I found a long dead pot of flowers. The niche itself being designed to house a light, I imagined finding her in the dusk of evening among the other tombs, many of which would also have been alight, an experience which would be quite evocative, and brought to mind Samuel Barber's song The Desire for Hermitage, which sang silently throughout my visit. 

With Mme. Viardot-García is her husband Louis Viardot (d. 1883),  Jenny Viardot (d. 1849), Mme. Viardot (d. 1831), and J. Ruiz García (d. 1912). 

Pauline Viardot-García once said that the measure of a teacher could be found in his/her students. When I consider that her student Anna E. Schoen-René was highly successful as a teacher of voice and taught my own teacher Margaret Harshaw, I count myself very lucky indeed.

It was a honor to pay homage to The Oracle of Paris.