Stars Florence Jenkins. Her singing was called cackling, but the halls were always full

In 1868, the daughter of a rich factory owner, Florence, was born. At that time, all girls from rich families learned the piano, and she was no exception. For most, these classes seemed like a boring duty, but not for Florence – she decided at the age of 17 that music would become her life’s work.

True, the girl’s father, Charles Foster, was categorically against her daughter’s decision and stopped paying for music lessons. Foster asked his daughter to reconsider and choose a different career. But Florence was not going to back down. The girl met the respected doctor Frank Thornton Jenkins and went with him to Philadelphia, where they got married.

Florence hoped that her husband would sponsor her musical ambitions, but she miscalculated – she had to earn money by giving private music lessons. But thanks to Frank, she came into her own in Philadelphia. However, everything was overshadowed by the fact that her husband infected her with syphilis and they divorced in 1902. In 1909, after the death of her father, Florence inherited a large sum, which she immediately used to create the starting capital for her career.

Florence no longer shined with her singing talent, and when she started taking a syphilis medicine that contained mercury, she completely lost her hearing for music. It seems that Mrs. Jenkins’ brain has also been affected by the disease. This is how many explain the singer’s disarming self-confidence. Others attribute it all to the psychological “Dunning-Kruger effect”, which is that people with insufficient qualifications simply cannot rationally adequately assess their talent.

Intending to become a pianist, Florence gave up after breaking her arm. She then moved to New York and began taking singing lessons from a famous opera singer whose name was unknown to anyone except Florence herself and her lover Bayfield. Despite the lack of hearing and a voice that did not differ in strength or range, she wanted to perform in the opera genre.

In 1912, Florence had her first solo concert. She herself paid for the hall and indeed the audience, most of whom were members of the Verdi Club, and Mrs. Jenkins made a generous contribution towards it. After her singing debut, Florence did become famous, but such fame did not equal admiration at all. The audience laughed, critics called her singing cackling, and even the accompanist couldn’t help but laugh. But Mrs. Jenkins was sure they were just jealous. She had no doubts about her genius.

Florence’s vocals were hardly brilliant, but definitely unique. She didn’t play the notes, scream or wheeze, even though the accompanist tried to mitigate her shortcomings and adjust to a slower tempo. Jenkins’ repertoire included works by Mozart, Verdi, Brahms, Strauss and songs co-written by Florence and her pianist. Ignorance of foreign languages ​​did not prevent the artist from singing in Italian or French and shamelessly mumbling words.

The indelible impression of Florence’s concerts was complemented by costumes created according to her sketches. The most famous was the “Angel of Inspiration” outfit – a dress with sequins and cardboard wings behind the back. Still, her shows were sold out and tickets were selling like hotcakes.

In 1937, Meloton Recording offered the already elderly singer to record an album. Work on the record was completed in record time, because Florence did not conduct a single rehearsal and recorded all the songs from the first moment. She obviously felt that she didn’t need to improve on such a flawless performance. These recordings later became the subject of a hunt for collectors who are willing to pay a decent amount for them.

In 1944, Florence had a concert at Carnegie Hall – the Mecca of all music lovers in New York. The benefit turned out to be a farewell performance, and shortly after that, the 76-year-old singer died, having fulfilled all her dreams at the end of her life.

Photo: Getty images, Legion media