Tekla Badarzewska-Baranowska (1834-September 29, 1861) was a Polish woman 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?.
Garbage collection trucks in Tainan, Taiwan broadcast "The Maiden's Prayer" 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.
