To Better Perform My Duties as a Dame Patronesse

Pauline Viardot-García remains one of the most recognised female musicians, commensurate with her talents as a singer, composer, pianist, teacher, and member of the European sociocultural elite of the time. Less well-known, however, is her philanthropic role as a dame patronesse. Working outward from a close study of her unpublished letters to include other selected correspondence, periodicals, and secondary sources, this article first offers a closer understanding of Viardot-García's connection to the Association de Secours mutuels entre les artistes dramatiques. Likewise, it explores the relationship between Viardot-García and a musician forgotten by history—known only by his surname, Desmarets. Finally, the work of the dames patronesses in the mid-nineteenth century is addressed

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