Tekla Bądarzewska | ms

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Tekla Bądarczewska-Baranowska (1834 -September 29, 1861) was a female Polish composer.

She became world-famous for her piece Modlitwa dziewicy, or A Maiden's Prayer which was composed in 1856 and first published as a supplement to the Paris Revue et Gazette Musicale in 1859.

Possibly one of the biggest selling pieces of piano music of all time, the piece, which is still recorded, is a medium difficulty short piano piece for intermediate pianists. Some have liked it for its charming and romantic melody: others have described it as "sentimental salon tosh". Arthur Loesser described it as ‘this dowdy product of ineptitude’.

Most of the time, waste collection vehicles in Taiwan broadcast "The Maiden's Prayer" (sometimes "Für Elise") over roof-mounted loudspeakers to announce their presence to the local residents.

The English language lyrics were written by John Stowell Adams.

Her date of birth is not clear. There are also references to her being born in 1838.

Taken from Wikipedia .