Winnaretta Singer [1] (8 January 1865-26 November 1943), Princess Edmond de Polignac, was an important musical patron, lesbian, and heir to the Singer sewing machine fortune. She was the 18th of the more than 20 children of Isaac Singer. Her mother was his second wife, Isabelle Eugenie Boyer Summerville. January 8 is the 8th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1865 (MDCCCLXV) is a common year starting on Sunday. ... November 26 is the 330th day (331st on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1943 calendar). ... Generally, patronage is the act of supporting or favoring some person, group, or institution. ... A lesbian is a female who is exclusively emotionally, sexually, and romantically attracted to other females. ... A Singers sewing machine // History Singer Corporation was established as I.M. Singer & Co. ... Isaac Merritt Singer (portrait of Edward Harrison May, cortecy of National Portrait Gallery) Isaac Merritt Singer (October 26, 1811 - July 23, 1875) was an inventor, actor, and entrepreneur. ...

Marriages and Relationships

Although known within private social circles to be lesbian, Winnaretta married at the age of 22 to Prince Louis de Scey-Montbéliard. The marriage was annulled in 1892 by the Catholic church, five years after a wedding night that reportedly included the bride's climbing atop an armoire and threatening to kill the groom if he came near her. The marriage was alleged to have never been consummated. Annulment is a legal procedure for declaring a marriage null and void. ... The name Catholic Church can mean a visible organization that refers to itself as Catholic, or the invisible Christian Church, viz. ...

In 1893, at the age of 29, she stepped companionably into an equally chaste marriage with the 59 year-old Prince Edmond de Polignac (1843-1901), a gay amateur composer: he died in 1901. The marriage was mutually beneficial, and (like her first marriage) reportedly was never consummated. 1893 (MDCCCXCIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Prince Edmond Melchior Jean Marie de Polignac (19 April 1834 - 8 August 1901) was a French composer. ... For other articles with similar names, see Gay (disambiguation). ...

She was involved in numerous affairs during both of her marriages and afterward with other women, some married, others not. She maintained lesbian affairs with numerous women, never making attempts to conceal them, and never going for any great length of time without a female lover. Composer and conductor Ethel Smyth fell deeply in love with her during their affair. It has been suggested (but is really only conjecture) that she enjoyed breaking a woman, enjoying the seduction and excitement of taking a woman who belongs to someone else. The affronted husband of one of her married female lovers once stood outside the princess's Paris house declaring, "If you are half the man I think you are, you will come out here and fight me." John Singer Sargent: Ethel Smyth, 1901 Dame Ethel Mary Smyth [1] (April 23, 1858 - May 8, 1944) was an English composer and a leader of the womens suffrage movement. ...

From 1923-1933 her partner was the British socialite and novelist Violet Trefusis [2], with whom she had a very settled and loving relationship. Despite their age difference, the two seemed to have had a strong bond. Trefusis, when she and Singer met, was just coming off a very stormy relationship with writer Vita Sackville-West, which had ended badly. Trefusis was also the daughter of courtesan Alice Keppel, one of the last mistresses of Edward VII of the United Kingdom. Singer continued to take other women occasionally as lovers, as did Trefusis, but both were ultimately devoted to their relationship, and never caused undue stress on one another. Violet Trefusis [1] (June 6, 1894 – February 29, 1972) was an English writer and socialite. ... Vita Sackville-West Vita Sackville-West (March 9, 1892 – June 2, 1962) was an English poet, novelist and gardener. ... A courtesan of mid-16th century usage referred to a high-class prostitute or mistress, especially one associated with rich, powerful, or upper-class men who provided luxuries and status in exchange for her services. ... Alice Frederica Edmonstone Keppel (14 October 1869 – 22 November 1947) was a British socialite and the most famous mistress of Edward VII of the United Kingdom, the eldest son of Queen Victoria. ... Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, King of the Commonwealth Realms, and the Emperor of India. ...

Patron of arts

In 1894 the Prince and Princess de Polignac established a salon in Paris that came to be known as a haven for avant-garde music. After her husband's death, Winnaretta Singer-Polignac decided to honor his memory by commissioning several works of the young composers of her time, amongst others Igor Stravinsky's Renard, Erik Satie's Socrate (by her intercession Satie was kept out of jail when he was composing this work), Darius Milhaud's Les Malheurs d'Orphée, Francis Poulenc's Two-Piano and Organ Concertos (The Organ Concerto being initially a commission to the young Jean Françaix, who didn't have the time and passed the commission to Poulenc) and Germaine Tailleferre's First Concerto for Piano and Orchestra. Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (Russian: Игорь Фёдорович Стравинский, Igor Fëdorovič Stravinskij) (June 17, 1882 – April 6, 1971) was a Russian-born composer. ... Michail Larionov: The sketch of the costume of Renard in the nuns black gown for the 1922 performance Renard, Histoire burlesque chantée et jouée (The Fox: burlesque tale sung and played) is a one-act chamber opera-ballet by Igor Stravinsky, written in 1916. ... Eric Alfred Leslie Satie (Honfleur, 17 May 1866 – Paris, 1 July 1925) was a French composer, pianist and writer. ... Socrate is a work for voice and small orchestra (or piano) by Erik Satie. ... Francis Jean Marcel Poulenc (January 7, 1899 - January 30, 1963) was a French composer. ... Germaine Tailleferre (April 19, 1892 - November 7, 1983) was a French composer and the only female member of the famous Group Les Six. ...

Her salon in Paris was frequented, amongst others, by Marcel Proust, Antonio de La Gandara, Jean Cocteau, Monet, Diaghilev, and Colette. Manuel de Falla's El retablo de Maese Pedro was premiered there, with the harpsichord part performed by Wanda Landowska. (Kahan 2003) City flag City coat of arms Motto: Fluctuat nec mergitur (Latin: Tossed by the waves, she does not sink) Location Coordinates Time Zone CET (GMT +1) Administration Country France Région ÃŽle-de-France Département Paris (75) Subdivisions 20 arrondissements Mayor Bertrand Delanoë  (PS) (since 2001) City Statistics Land... Proust redirects here. ... Antonio de La Gandara (December 16, 1861 - June 30, 1917) was a painter, pastellist and draughtsman. ... Jean Cocteau Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau (July 5, 1889 – October 11, 1963) was a French poet, novelist, dramatist, designer, boxing manager and filmmaker. ... Oscar-Claude Monet (November 14, 1840 - December 5, 1926), French impressionist painter. ... Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev (Сергей Павлович Дягилев) (March 19, 1872 – August 19, 1929), often known as Serge, was a Russian ballet impresario and founder of the Ballets Russes from which many famous... Colette Colette [1] was the pen name of the French novelist Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (January 28, 1873 – August 3, 1954). ... Manuel de Falla y Matheu (November 23, 1876 – November 14, 1946) was a Spanish composer of classical music. ... Master Peters Puppet Show (El retablo de Maese Pedro) is a puppet-opera composed by Manuel de Falla to a Spanish libretto he based on an episode from Don Quixote by Cervantes. ... Harpsichord in Flemish style; for more info, click the image. ... Wanda Landowska (July 5, 1879 – August 16, 1959), harpsichordist whose performances, teaching, recordings and writings played a large role in reviving the popularity of that instrument in the early 20th century. ...

She also acted as patron for many others, like Nadia Boulanger, Clara Haskil, Arthur Rubinstein, Vladimir Horowitz, Ethel Smyth, Adela Maddison, the Ballets Russes, l'Opéra de Paris, and l'Orchestre Symphonique de Paris. In addition to performing as pianist and organist in her own salon, she was an accomplished painter who exhibited in the Salon de Beaux-Arts. Generally, patronage is the act of supporting or favoring some person, group, or institution. ... Nadia Boulanger (September 16, 1887 – October 22, 1979) was an influential composer, conductor, and music professor. ... Clara Haskil (January 7, 1895 - December 7, 1960) was a classical pianist. ... Arthur Rubinstein photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1937 Arthur Rubinstein (January 28, 1887 – December 20, 1982) was a Polish pianist who is widely considered as one of the greatest piano virtuosos of the 20th Century. ... Portrait of Vladimir Horowitz, captured from the documentary The Last Romantic. ... John Singer Sargent: Ethel Smyth, 1901 Dame Ethel Mary Smyth [1] (April 23, 1858 - May 8, 1944) was an English composer and a leader of the womens suffrage movement. ... Léon Bakst: Firebird, Ballerina, 1910 The Ballets Russes was a ballet company established in 1909 by the Russian impresario Serge Diaghilev and resident first in Paris and then in Monte Carlo. ... Opéra National de Paris is the leading opera company of France. ...

The Singer relatives

She had some part in the raising of her equally famous niece Daisy Fellowes, a noted socialite, fashion plate, magazine editor, and novelist. Her brother Paris Singer was a lover of Isadora Duncan and a developer of Palm Beach, Florida. Marguerite Séverine Philippine Decazes de Glücksbierg (April 29, 1890-December 13, 1962), better known as Daisy Fellowes, was a celebrated 20th-century society figure, acclaimed beauty, minor novelist and poet, erstwhile editor of Harpers Bazaar, fashion icon, and an heiress to the Singer sewing machine fortune. ... This article or section may be confusing or unclear for some readers, and should be edited to rectify this. ... Palm Beach is the name of several places: Palm Beach, New South Wales is a suburb of Sydney, Australia. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Personal characteristics

Winnaretta de Polignac is described (amongst others by Violet Trefusis) to have few physical charms, though generally she was considered to have a formidable character and was both appealing and attractive, and described as difficult to resist sexually. As a patron she used to keep some distance from her protégés (e.g. when a work dedicated and she used to sit in front on a separate fauteuil, other selected guests, often not including the composer, behind her) - in style this was very different from the more relaxed kind of patronage exerted by individuals such as Count Etienne de Beaumont and his wife, Edith. Violet Trefusis [1] (June 6, 1894 – February 29, 1972) was an English writer and socialite. ... Generally, patronage is the act of supporting or favoring some person, group, or institution. ... Dedication (Lat. ...

Despite rumors and gossip about her personal life, she appeared to have been too strong for scandal to stick, due to her powerful social status and great wealth. It is said that this was one of the major reasons why Alice Keppel did not object her daughter carrying on a lesbian relationship with her, since to confront Singer could easily mean social suicide. Plus, it is most definite that after Keppel's uncomfortable encounters with Sackville-West, and her up and down battle to squelch that affair, Singer was likely a great relief, since she and Trefusis seemed to have had a healthy and happy relationship. Alice Frederica Edmonstone Keppel (14 October 1869 – 22 November 1947) was a British socialite and the most famous mistress of Edward VII of the United Kingdom, the eldest son of Queen Victoria. ... Violet Trefusis [1] (June 6, 1894 – February 29, 1972) was an English writer and socialite. ...

Shortly before her death, Polignac summarized: "I think with such great emotion of all that music has done for me, and of the immense consolation, the marvelous refuge that it was for me at all times.'"

Further reading

• Sylvia Kahan (2003). Music's Modern Muse: A Life of Winnaretta Singer, Princesse de Polignac, Eastman Studies in Music. University of Rochester Press. ISBN 1-58046-133-6.
• Michael de Cossart, Food of Love: Princesse Edmond de Polignac (1865-1943) and her Salon, Hamish Hamilton, 1978. ISBN 0-241-89785-8