Irene Wieniawska
Irene Wieniawska was an English composer of Polish origin and the daughter of Henryk Wieniawski. Born Régine Wieniawski, she also used the name Poldowski; her works were performed chiefly under the pseudonym Paul Poldowski.
From the age of 12, she studied at the Brussels Conservatory, first as a pianist and later in François Gevaert’s composition class. While in London in 1901, she married the baronet Aubrey Dean Paul. After the birth of their son in 1902, she returned to music studies in 1903, completing her education at the Schola Cantorum in Paris with Vincent d’Indy.
Her music was first performed by a London orchestra conducted by Henry Wood in 1912. In the years before the First World War, she organized concert series in Brussels, appearing as a singer and pianist and performing some of her own works. She held similar concerts in New York during the 1920s. Her husband also took part, singing baritone under the pseudonym Edward Ramsey. The couple later separated, and Wieniawska died alone and in poverty.
Her works include the five-act symphonic drama Silence and other orchestral pieces, many of which have been lost. She is best known for her vocal works, most of them settings of poems by Paul Verlaine.
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