Florence Foster Jenkins
In her time, Florence Foster Jenkins was a unique novelty in the history of music, an operatic coloratura who had all of the requisite charms and trappings worthy of a diva, minus the voice. Married to a wealthy industrialist and well entrenched in upper-crust New York society by 1912, "Madame" Jenkins obtained a divorce that year. The resulting settlement was handsome enough to set Jenkins up in style and to pursue her extensive charitable interests. She had already been studying voice for some time, and her charity fundraisers included such gala events as "The Ball of the Silver Skylarks," involving special costumes made at her request, and usually culminating in a sample of her singing. Jenkins' voice was high, scrawny, and seemed to have a mind of its own, warbling its way through difficult coloratura arias with the grace and control of an upright piano plunging down through a spiral staircase. Well-heeled society types would attend Jenkins' recitals and patiently endure her auditory assault, along with enjoying a well-concealed chuckle or two at her expense. Jenkins' annual gala would remain a popular fixture in New York society for decades.
In 1938, Jenkins made her only recordings at the Melotone studio in New York, which were pressed up and sold privately. On this occasion, and most others by this time, Jenkins employed the services of accompanist Cosme McMoon, a flamboyant and eccentric character well known in New York's underground gay community. McMoon proved an excellent foil for Jenkins, waiting for her entrances at key points in arias and writing special material to best show off her vocal "assets." At age 76, Jenkins finally achieved her lifelong dream of performing at Carnegie Hall's Recital Hall on October 25, 1944, but this may have backfired, as rumor has it that afterward she discovered what her audiences really thought about her music-making. Jenkins collapsed and died a month later in Schirmer's Music Store, her last words allegedly being "It must've been the creamed chicken."
Rumors about Jenkins' highly eccentric behavior are legion, and it is hard to know now which ones are true. The only way one could obtain a ticket to her high-priced galas was to buy one from Jenkins in person. Jenkins is said to have ordered flowers to be delivered to her concerts, and genuinely forgot that she'd done so, thinking the celebratory bouquet was from her admirers. She also once paid, according to legend, a handsome gift to a New York taxicab driver, as after she was knocked down by him in the street she could "sing a higher F than ever before." Although known only to her immediate social circle during her lifetime, the legend of Florence Foster Jenkins has grown since her passing, and two different musical shows about her life debuted in late 2005, likewise a film in 2016.
© Uncle Dave Lewis /TiVo
Discography
13 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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The Glory ??? Of The Human Voice
Klassiek - Released by RCA Gold Seal on 14 apr. 1992
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Unbelievable Glory Of The Human Voice
Pop - Released by Perennial on 1 jan. 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Glory - (????) Of The Human Voice (Remastered)
Klassiek - Released by RCA Red Seal on 22 nov. 2013
24-Bit 88.2 kHz - Stereo -
A Florence Foster Jenkins Recital
Internationaal variété - Released by Trunk Records on 1 mei 2014
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Le legs intégral (1937-1951)
Operafragmenten - Released by Naxos on 4 sep. 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Nightingale
Originele soundtracks - Released by MW Music on 9 sep. 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Glory (????) of the Human Voice
Opera - Released by Unchained Melody on 1 mei 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The World's Worst Singer
Originele soundtracks - Released by Music Manager on 11 apr. 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Complete Recordings
Vocale muziek (wereldlijk en religieus) - Released by ACROBAT on 11 mrt. 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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The Glory (????) Of The Human Voice
Vocale muziek (wereldlijk en religieus) - Released by PnR on 1 jan. 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Les grandes sopranos de la musique classique : Florence Foster Jenkins, Vol. 1
Florence Foster Jenkins, Cosmé McMoon
Pop - Released by Mon patrimoine musical on 14 apr. 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo