Armande de Polignac (1876 - 1962)

Born in Paris on 8 January 1876, into a privileged environment where the arts were practiced, Armande de Polignac demonstrated a passion for piano improvisation from early childhood. She started studying music in London, where her family had settled shortly after her birth. German music, particularly Bach, constituted her first training; in her adolescence, Russian music was a revelation. At 17, she returned to Paris and continued her training with the composer and organist Eugène Gigout, then with Gabriel Fauré. She then spent two years at the Schola Cantorum, studying composition and conducting with Vincent d’Indy. A violinist since childhood, she played the viola in the orchestra of the Schola, thus being able to experience the symphonic sound from the inside, something few women were able to do at the time.

She also took wind instrument lessons to perfect her knowledge of instrumentation, a typical composer’s approach. An excellent pianist, she refined her skills with the virtuoso Wilhelmine Clauss-Szarvardy.