Tchaikovsky
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Désirée Artôt-Padilla

Marguerite-Joséphin-Désirée Montagney Artôt, was a Belgian mezzo-soprano, born on 21 July 1835. On stage she used the names Désirée Artôt or Désirée Artôt de Padilla.

She was the daughter of Jean Désiré Montagney Artôt, horn player and professor at the Brussels Conservatory. She studied with Pauline Viardot-Garcia and Francesco Lamperti in London and Paris, making her debut at the Paris Opéra in 1858, Specialising in the Italian repertory, she toured throughout Europe, including Moscow in 1868-70 and 1875-76, and Saint Petersburg in the 1871-72 and 1876-77 seasons.

Tchaikovsky was introduced to Artôt in 1868 during her Moscow tour, and was immediately captivated by her artistic talent and charm. His Romance in F minor, for piano, Op. 5 (1868) was dedicated to her, and Tchaikovsky also wrote additional music for a production of Auber's opera Le Domino Noir, due to be staged for the singer's benefit in October 1868.

His proposal of marriage was apparently accepted immediately, in spite of the objections of some of the composer's friends (and in particular Nikolai Rubinstein, who believed that being the husband of a foreign singing celebrity would irrevocably damage Tchaikovsky's own musical career. However, it seems that Artôt's attentions were quickly diverted elsewhere (possibly as a result of Rubinstein's intervention), and in 1869 she married the Spanish baritone Mariano Padilla y Ramos (1842-1906), and sang with him throughout Europe until his retirement. Their daughter, the soprano Lola Artôt de Padilla (1876-1933) also proved to have a highly successful operatic career.

At the end of 1887 Tchaikovsky met her again in Berlin, for the first time since their engagement had ended in 1869. As a result of this meeting the Six French Songs, Op. 65 (1888) were written and dedicated to the singer.

Désirée Artôt-Padilla died in Berlin on 3 April 1907, aged 71.