Florence Foster Jenkins

There has been a lot of interest lately about this legendary amateur (very amateur) coloratura singer who made her Carnegie Hall debut to a packed hall on October 25, 1944. The results were mixed, to say the least.

A wonderful movie was released about Florence Foster Jenkins staring Meryl Streep in the title role. I highly recommend the movie for the story it tells and the superb performances in the lead and supporting roles.

Here is the trailer for the movie, to tempt you . . .

Florence Foster Jenkins was a wealthy socialite who seems to have had a tin ear but loads of enthusiasm, which ultimately captivated her audiences. She privately recorded several warhorse arias which have become cult classics. In fact, these recordings have never gone out of print!

I think it is a marvelous lesson for students to hear the Florence Foster Jenkins (mangled) versions of these classics compared with the best performances available of the same arias, as sung by better performers. There are many lessons to learn from her imperfections. But, one can also learn from her amateur zeal and confidence which are just as important (once you are singing the works correctly!). At the very least, Florence Foster Jenkins, or “Madame Florence” as she liked to be called, gave us the gift of laughter. Now, how can that be bad?

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Here is Madame Florence singing Adele’s Laughing Song from Die Fledermaus, by, Johann Strauss. In places, this performance is almost acceptable.

Here is a much better version, also in English, sung by, Patrice Munsel.

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Here is Madame Florence singing the Queen of the Night’s aria, “Der Hölle Rache,” from The Magic Flute by, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Is it possible she bit off more than she could chew?

Here is a crystal-clear, note-perfect Queen of the Night sung by, Rita Streich.

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Brace yourselves. This is Madame Florence absolutely butchering “The Bell Song” from, Lakmé by, Léo Delibes. (I like the cats making comments in this video– what a visual!). Ready? Here goes . . .

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Whew! That’s over . . .

Here is the absolute perfection of Lily Pons singing “The Bell Song.” You can relax now. Enjoy the show!

Interestingly enough, Lily Pons was in the audience at Carnegie Hall the night Madame Florence performed. According to reports, Miss Pons wore an enormous hat with a plume that evening—comme il faut!