Désirée Artôt was an opera singer, niece of the Belgian violinist and composer Joseph Artôt. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky described her vocal timbre as follows:

He also noted the singer’s dramatic talent.

Artôt came to Russia in 1868, having already gained wide European fame. With great success, she performed in concerts of the Moscow and St. Petersburg Italian Opera.

Tchaikovsky’s acquaintance with Désirée Artôt took place in the spring of 1868, by autumn it grew into admiration and mutual affection. The composer not only highly appreciated Artôt’s vocals, but also intended to marry her. Tchaikovsky dedicated to her his Romance for piano, Op. 5. At the beginning of 1869, he was preparing for their engagement.

However, the composer’s friends, especially Nikolay Rubinstein, opposed the marriage. The situation was resolved in an unexpected way: Désirée Artôt went on tour and a month later married a singer from her company, the Spanish baritone Mariano Padilla y Ramos. Tchaikovsky suffered from this wound for a long time.

Désirée Artôt asked Tchaikovsky to compose a romance for her and an opera based on the libretto of the famous tenor Joseph Capoul “The Black Prince”. Tchaikovsky wrote 6 French Songs, Op.65 based on the original texts of the French poets Turquety, Collin and Blanchecotte: two Serenades, “Deception”, “It doesn’t matter that the winter puts out the lights…”, “Tears”, “Grace” (“It hides in your grace: a sweet enchantment”). He refused to work on the opera.