She was born as María Joaquina Sitches y Irisarri to Martín Sitches and Lorenza Irisarri.

Joaquina Sitches was the second wife of the tenor, composer and impresario Manuel García, and the mother of the pedagogue Manuel García the younger, of the mezzo Maria Malibran, and of the mezzo and composer Pauline Viardot.

[1] All three children were gifted and benefited from the early training by their father.

On her husband's death, when Pauline was not yet 11 years old, Sitches took charge of her vocal training.

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