Mathilde De Rothschild - Mathilde de Rothschild: Les Papillons (Th�ophile Gautier)

Rothschild�s international lifestyle results in a rich and varied collection of songs; the genre of song provided the ideal vehicle for Rothschild�s thorough understanding of languages with sympathetic yet astute settings of French, German and English texts. In 1867 the esteemed musician Sir Charles Hall� told Louisa de Rothschild that �no-one can have any idea of your cousin�s rare and delightful talent; her compositions are charming, full of tender grace and sparkling originality.� She was asked by many leading singers to compose for them, including Christine Nillson, Selma Kurz and Adelina Patti. Her most famous song Si vous n�avez rien � me dire, was written for her friend Adelina Patti, who often sang this as an encore and made a recording of it in 1905.