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FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS (QUIRKY OPERA SINGER) 1868-1944 Biography
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FLORENCe FOSTER JENKINS
(QUIRKY OPERA SINGER)

1868-1944

I had heard of Florence Foster Jenkins long before the recent film release with Merryl Streep playing the part of Florence. My friends & associates had often spoken of her somewhat 'unusual talent', so I developed an interest in finding out about her career.

​Narcissa Florence Foster was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, on July 19, 1868, to Charles Dorrance Foster (a Wilkes-Barre banker & lawyer) and Mary Jane Hoagland. As was customary during the Victorian era, Narcissa (Florence) received music lessons as a child & was said to be quite gifted. She was introduced to Society, with her first piano recital at 8 years of age, in Pennsylvania. 


At 17, she expressed a desire to go abroad to study opera, but her wealthy father refused to fund Florence's dream, so she eloped to Philadelphia instead & married physician, Frank Thornton Jenkins. They married in 1885, but ended with a sour divorce in 1902. After her divorce, Florence (now back to Jenkins), being almost destitute, earned a living in Philadelphia as a music teacher and often performed as a pianist at society luncheons. She supported herself for 6 years until meeting a stage actor named St. Clair Bayfield & in 1908 they began living together. Bayfield later became her manager and this relationship would last the rest of her life. The following year in 1909, her father died & he had left Florence a considerable sum, enough for her to finance her life long dream of a singing career. She took voice lessons from a maestro with the Metropolitan Opera named Carlo Edwards and became involved in the musical social circles of Philadelphia, then on to New York City, where she founded and funded the Verdi Club. 

Although Jenkins was said to be quite talented as a pianist, her singing ability left a lot to be desired, but she obviously had enough faith in her own talent & also being supported by Bayfield, that she began funding her own recitals in 1912, as well as becoming chairperson of the Euterpe Club's tableaux vivants. This was to be the beginning of her 'bizarre' career as an Opera singer.  

Her mother died in 1928 giving her extra resources to pursue her dream, also that same year, she hired pianist Edwin McArthur. They worked together in concert for six years until he was fired for laughing during a performance. Jenkins hired Cosme McMoon, a talented pianist and composer, who would continue to play for her until her death, as he could keep a straight face. To add to the eccentricities of her voice, Jenkins performed in costume, wearing such clothing as a shepherdess outfit, a 19th century hoopskirt & her favourite, a long silvery gown complete with a pair of very large wings. She would make her way through 
potted palms to the curve of the grand piano, to tackle pieces like, 'Vissi d'arte' (Tosca), 'Mein herr, Marquis' (Adele's Laughing Song) and Lakmé's 'Bell song'. Her signature number however, was Mozart's 'Der Hölle Rache' or 'The Queen of the Night' aria and 
as the winged inspiration of a great American composer when re-enacting Howard Chandler Christy's painting 'Stephen Foster and the Angel of Inspiration'. 

Audiences found it almost impossible to keep composure. Most would stuff handkerchiefs into their mouths or cough quietly as she sang. Upon finishing, the audience would let loose with a roar of applause, finally being able to laugh. The audience would cheer for an encore & her favourite choice was 'Clavelitos'. Quickly changing backstage, she would emerge as a Spanish señorita, with a shawl covering her shoulders & carnations in her hair. During the piece she would throw roses at the audience (one time, even the basket as well) & afterward McMoon would gather them up, ready to be tossed again at the next performance.

Jenkins was a very charitable person with most of her father's fortune still left, she gave the majority of her concert earnings to young artists, or those in need. 

Later in her career, she went to Melotone Recording Studios in Manhattan to record her voice, intending to sell the record to her friends for $2.50 per copy. Following her recording session, Jenkins called the studio feeling worried about a note at the end of her recording, but the director of the studio told her that "she need not feel any anxiety about any single note". She told a Melotone executive that she had listened to a certain aria from "The Magic Flute" as recorded by famed prima donnas Hempel & Tetrazzini and that her own rendition was "beyond doubt the most outstanding of the three.

Florence had a faithful following who were continually urging her to sing at Carnegie Hall. At first, she refused, but at 76 years of age &  with the money to hire out the hall for herself, she sang at what must have been the highlight of her career 'Carnegie Hall'. With the concert being booked out in only two hours of ticket release, on Oct. 25th 1944, the concert took place, with 2,000 disappointed fans turned away.  As Florence sang, the audience was not as kind as in smaller venues & laughed openly. Critics were invited to her concert & reviews were scathing & she was to become known as 'The Diva of din', as well as "the first lady of the sliding scale". Some were tactful, Robert Bager of the New York World Telegram observed: "She was exceedingly  happy in her work. It is a pity so few artists are & her happiness was communicated 
as if by magic to her listeners . . . who were stimulated to the point of audible cheering, even joyous laughter and ecstasy by the inimitable singing." The applause was enjoyably real.  


Her Carnegie Hall performance, was to be her last, as a few weeks later, Florence suffered a heart attack from which she never recovered. Some said that it was a broken heart, from the terrible reviews, which caused the attack, but her true friends knew better. Close friend Francis Robinson, claimed she died with a "happy heart," on November 26, 1944, also dying with her dear St. Clair Bayfield by her side in their Manhattan apartment.

Florence Forster Jenkins may not have been able to correctly interpret the notes that she was singing, but there was no doubt that she was a real star, with a bit of glitz & glamour & a true love for what she did. She was a woman of many talents, including great organisational skills & a big heart, unfortunately, singing was not one of them. 

Florence reminds me of a friend who died about 2 years ago. This friend just loved music with a passion & 
was so dedicated to improving herself, that she would put most of us to shame. We'd painfully listen to her perform, hoping she might get it right this time? All encouraging her, because she truly believed in & enjoyed what she was doing, so how could you not cheer her on? It made others happy, just to see her happy. I would imagine that Florence Foster Jenkins' close followers felt the same way?. She had the courage & faith in herself to achieve her dream and how many of us could say that?  I just wish that I would have had the same courage & belief in myself & my own career.


I'm sure that both Florence & my friend, are singing beautifully together with real 'pure & radiant tones' as members of the grand choir in
Heaven!

Reference
Maxbass.com & Kathleen Bayfield's notes
​
kathleen_bayfield_reads_from_her_memoirs.doc
File Size: 126 kb
File Type: doc
Download File


1. Venues
2. Opera & Opera Houses
3. Roots
4. Associates
5. Recordings
6. Her Illness
7. Hats & Mercury

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1

Venues
Carnegie Hall was erected in 1891
Carnegie Hall was erected in 1891 & named after Scottish born, Andrew Carnegie. He also built Pittsburgh's Carnegie Steel Company, selling it in 1901 for $480 million. We all know the old joke of someone asking for directions?- "How do you get to Carnegie hall?" with the reply of- "Practice!" (or money it seems?)
The Carnegie Hall Story

http://www.carnegiehall.org/History/The-Carnegie-Hall-Story/

Carnegie Hall Florence Foster Jenkins
​The Tickets were sold out weeks in advance & grossed approximately $6,000 in 1944, which would be around $81,000
today

http://www.dollartimes.com/inflat

From Rachmaninoff in 1909, to The Beatles in 1964, Carnegie Hall 
​remembers all of the performers, but Florence Foster Jenkins was the one act, that they chose to forget

http://www.carnegiehall.org/Blog
Carnegie Hall Florence Foster Jenkins
Carnegie Hall Florence Foster Jenkins

Jenkins was, in fact, a skilled organizer and fund-raiser and she was quite genuinely loved by her many friends in New York society, who found her modest in all things except her musical delusions

At the conclusion of a concert, "flushed and happy, surrounded with flowers," she often delivered a little speech, asking the patrons, what they enjoyed the most

After a taxicab crash in 1943 she found she could sing "a higher F than ever before."
Instead of a lawsuit against the taxicab company
​she sent the driver a box of expensive cigars 

Jenkins certainly had an excellent repertoire and occasionally she actually did hit the right note!

She became a celebrity then a legend 

Carnegie, Victoria, was Originally called Rosstown
The Argus 24 April 1909
Carnegie, Victoria
​
Carnegie, was Originally called Rosstown, after William Murray Ross, a property developer & entrepreneur, then became Carnegie in 1901.
http://www.victorianplaces.com

Euterpe Club
Euterpe Club

Euterpe Club's tableaux vivants
​tableaux vivant- Is 
a silent and motionless group of people arranged to represent a scene or incident.
It was also said that in every group of tableaux-vivants that she produced for the clubs, she would always be the main character in the final tableau of the group
Euterpe Club Florence Foster Jenkins
Club Women of New York 1904
https://archive.org/stream/clubwomennewyor00conggoog#page/n234/mode/2up/search/Euterpe

Foster Jenkins often held Recitals in her own home in New York
Jenkins often held Recitals in her own home in New York, which were by invitation only. The home was adorned with numerous photographs of people that she had associated with in her life.

The Verdi club
Annual function at the Verdi Club in 1918
An Annual function at the Verdi Club in 1918

The Verdi club which Jenkins founded
The Verdi club which Jenkins founded, to advance the careers of American artists and musicians, provided her with ample opportunities to perform. The club is still in business.  

The Club was named in honour of The Italian Composer- Giuseppe Verdi. Speaking of the new club that she wanted to start, Jenkins was asked what this club would be called? so on the spur of the moment she said "The Verdi Club", as that was the name that sprung to mind after she had been earlier, singing something from one of his Operas.
Florence dressed as the winged inspiration of a great American composer when re-enacting Howard Chandler Christy's  painting
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (1813–1901)
Was an Italian composer of operas. Verdi was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, and developed a musical education with the help of a local patron. 
Florence dressed as the winged inspiration of a great American composer when re-enacting Howard Chandler Christy's 
painting- '
Stephen Foster and the Angel of Inspiration
'. After she passed away, the 
Verdi Club inherited her estate & her wings!
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (1813-1901)
Verdi was one of the few composers whose genius was recognised while he was alive. Verdi's reputation as the greatest of all Italian opera composers is beyond dispute.
http://www.classicfm

 “People may say I can’t sing, but no one can ever say
​I didn’t sing”

Florence Foster Jenkins "The Verdi Club"
2:32

Giuseppe Verdi - Aida - Grand Triumphal March
6:13

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2

Opera & Opera Houses
Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera got its start after a group of New York City millionaires wanting good seats for the latest theater & performing arts, decided to build their own opera house in New York City.
 
http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/arts/theater/metropolitan-opera2.htm
In 1880, dissatisfied with the location and seating capacity of the 1854 Academy of Music opera house near Union Square, a group of wealthy businessmen opted to build their own. In all, 70 shareholders provided the $1.7 million required to buy the land and build the opera house at West 39th Street and Broadway.1 Occupying the entire western side of the block between West 39th Street and West 40th Street 
http://www.nypap.org/preservation-history/old-met
Metropolitan Opera 1883, the opening night performance was Gounod's 'Faust'
Within three years, singers & an orchestra had been hired, sets were built, costumes were designed and the general management and building designers had been hired. On October 22, 1883, the opening night performance was Gounod's 'Faust', an Italian opera performed by an entirely Italian opera company, with the exception of two Americans. 
The Academy of Music was a New York City opera house
The Academy of Music was a New York City opera house, located on the northeast corner of East 14th Street and Irving Place in Manhattan. The 4,000-seat hall opened on October 2, 1854. ​

Metropolitan Opera House
The theater was gutted by fire in August 1892
Metropolitan Opera House
The theater was gutted by fire in August 1892, but was rebuilt over the next two years along its original lines. In the early 1900s, the opera house underwent another series of transformations. The theater came under threat of demolition in 1938, but $1 million in gifts from the public saved the house. The “Old” Metropolitan Opera House (as it is referred to as now) was demolished in January 1967.  
http://www.nypap.org/preservation-history/old-met
Metropolitan Opera House
A Brief Outline of the History of Stage Lighting
http://www3.northern.edu/wild/LiteDes/ldhist.htm

new Metropolitan Opera House
Almost from the beginning, it was clear that the opera house on 39th Street did not have adequate stage facilities. But it was not until the Met joined with other New York institutions in forming Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts that a new home became possible. The new Metropolitan Opera House, which opened at Lincoln Center in September of 1966, was equipped with the finest technical facilities.  http://www.metopera.org/About/The-Met/
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
The Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts is a 16.3-acre (6.6-hectare) complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood of the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It hosts many notable performing arts organizations, which are nationally and internationally renowned, including the New York Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera, and the ​New York City Ballet.

Vintage NYC Photography: The Original Metropolitan Opera House and Its Demolition
http://untappedcities.com/2014/06/20/vintage

Meltropolitan Opera House in it's final days
http://www.citylab.com/design/2014/10/the
Vintage NYC Photography

New York Architecture Images- Gone / Demolished / Destroyed
http://www.nyc-architecture.com/GON/GON.htm
Enrico Caruso as Eléazar in 1919
Enrico Caruso as Eléazar in 1919 Photograph by White Studio. 
http://archives.metoper
Meltropolitan Opera House in it's final days

Royal Opera House Covent Garden (London)
The original Covent Garden theatre was opened by John Rich in 1732; the Theatre was destroyed by fire in 1808, reopening the following year. It burned down again in 1856; the present building designed by E. M. Barry opened in 1858. 
http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Royal_Opera_H
the first theatre drawn shortly before it burned down in 1808.
An illustration of the first theatre drawn shortly before it burned down in 1808. 

First Opera House in Cork, Ireland
First Opera House in Cork, Ireland
In 1852, following the Cork Exhibition, the citizens of Cork decided to build a venue suitable for the holding of public lectures, meetings and concerts. The site chosen was the site of the present Opera House adjacent to the Royal Cork Institution, now the Crawford Municipal Art Gallery. 
http://www.corkpastandpresent.ie/places/stpatrickss

Glasgow, Scotland
Theatre Royal is the oldest theatre in Glasgow
The Theatre Royal is the oldest theatre in Glasgow and longest-running theatre in Scotland. The theatre originally opened in 1867 as the Royal Colosseum & Opera House, changing its name to the Theatre Royal in 1869. Today the theatre is the performance home of Scottish Opera and Scottish Ballet.
Today the theatre is the performance home of Scottish Opera and Scottish Ballet
Royal Opera House Covent Garden (London)
The Royal Opera was formed as the Covent Garden Opera Company in 1946, but behind it lies a tradition of operatic performance which goes back for more than 260 years at its home in Covent Garden. In each of the three theatres there have been on the site since 1732, opera has played an important role.
​Left- Bow Street entrance
Royal Opera House Covent Garden (London)

The first public opera house came into existence in 1637, Venice, Italy
The first public opera house came into existence in 1637, Venice, Italy
The Teatro San Cassiano in Venice, Italy 

New Cork Opera House
Cork Opera House now

Belfast Opera House, Ireland 
Belfast Opera House, Ireland
Belfast Opera House

List of Opera Houses
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_opera_houses

Beauty and Grandeur of Opera Houses
Margravial Opera House, Bayreuth, Germany
Margravial Opera House, Bayreuth, Germany
Monte Carlo, Monaco
Monte Carlo, Monaco

Palais Garnier, Paris, France
Palais Garnier, Paris, France
http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/beaut

Sydney Opera House, N.S.W., Australia
Sydney Opera House, N.S.W., Australia
Sydney Opera House, N.S.W., Australia
Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City
Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City
Has a stage curtain that is a stained glass foldable panel created from almost a million pieces of colored glass by Tiffany's of N.Y. It is the only one of its kind and weighs 24 tons.
Mexico Opera House has stage curtain that is a stained glass foldable panel

Sydney Opera House, N.S.W., Australia

21 Beautiful Old Buildings that no longer exist
http://www.businessinsider.sg/demolished-buildings-around
Beautiful Old Buildings

The First Melbourne Opera House, Bourke St. East
The First Melbourne Opera House, Bourke St. East
After the Old Opera House was demolished in 1900, due to board of Health issues, a new one was built, which later became the 'Tivoli' in 1914. Eventually being used as a movie theatre before it was destroyed by fire in 1967. The 'Tivoli Arcade' is on the site today
Melbourne Once had an Opera House
Originally on the land, was Punch's Timber yard, then Henry Hoyt had his Omnibus company on part of the land and built a hall over the top of the Livery Stables. The hall was built to display carriages, but ended up being a Varieties hall, which burned down in 1870. Henry built the Prince of Wales Hotel on the same spot, then later in 1872, The 'Prince of Wales Opera house', dropping the 'Prince of Wales' after a while and being known as The 'Melbourne Opera House' (Sydney already had a Prince of Wales Opera house as well).  

The place for Entertainment was in Bourke Street East. Other theatres had burned down at the time the Opera House was built, so it was a great asset to the city.

22


Read the Full Story

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3

          Roots
Foster Jenkins graduate of The Philadelphia Musical Academy
A graduate of The Philadelphia Musical Academy, Heyl Dramatic School and Mme. Kutz's School of Philadelphia, she also studied at the Moravian Seminary, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, the Virgil Conservatory in New York and others.
National Roundtable
As well as directing the destinies of the Euterpe Club, Florence F. Jenkins was a director of the New Yorker's Club, Vice President of the National Roundtable, Historian of the National Opera Club, for two years Chairman of Music, National Roundtable, seven years Chairman of Music Euterpe, six years choral member of Mozart Society, and has been the Chairman of Music of various entertainments for Twilight, Eastern Star and New Yorker's Clubs, of which, she was an active and leading member. 
New Yorker's Clubs

While learning the Piano as a child
Florence fell in love with music
​and even showed signs of becoming a child prodigy 

Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
In the late 1800's and early 1900's, 
hundreds of thousands of immigrants 
flocked to work the anthracite coal
The success of coal brought a steady 
stream of entrepreneurs 

http://www.wilkes-barre.pa.us/wbpro.php
List of mayors of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mayo
History of Wilkes-Barre PA
http://home.epix.net/~captclint/his
WILKES-BARRE, PA.  ANCESTRY & FAMILY HISTORY
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nepaphotos/Feb/
http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/genealogyInfo.php?locIndex=15102

Foster Jenkins Ancestry Norway & Netherlands
WeRelate.org- Submit your Brick Walls
http://www.werelate.org/wiki/Brick_Walls
Do You Connect?Florence Foster Jenkins' immediate ancestors came from, around Pennsylvania, U.S.A., but further back, they have been identified to come from England, Norway & Netherlands. 
Andrews,
Bailey, Bates (Lincolnshire), Batt (Wiltshire), Baudouin, 
Bergen (Norway), Blacksoll (Suffolk), Bodwell, Bulford,
Carman, Clark, Colburn, Cole, Cox/Coy,
De Clerck, Dunington (Leicestershire), Duxford, 
Emery (Hampshire), 
Fairbanks, Fisher, Fletcher (Nottingham), Foster,
Giddings, Gyddyns,
Hall, Hamlin, Hansen, Hartwell, 
Hitchcock, Hoagland (Netherlands),  
James, Jensen (Valenciennes), Jewett (Yorkshire),  
Johnson, Jordan,
Kemp, Keyes, Knowlton, Langton, Lawrence, Lee, Lewis, 
Mallinson, Merrill (Suffolk), Merriman,
Nash(Holland), Ninian,
Parker (Essex), Pierce, Purrier/Puryear,
Rapalje (New Netherland, New Amsterdam), 
Rapariellet, Reyerse, Richardson (Hertfordshire), 
Sauvagie, Shatswell, Stone, Strong,
Titus, Trico (Valenciennes),  Underwood,
Van Kirk, Varnum, Webster, Wheeler, Williams.
 
http://www.wargs.com/other/jenkins.html
Norway
How to trace your ancestors in Norway
http://digitalarkivet.uib.no/sab/howto.html
Digital Archives and the Digital Inn.
http://www.arkivverket.no/eng/Digitalarkivet
Norwegian Genealogy Sources
http://www.borgos.nndata.no/SOURCES.HTM


How to trace your ancestors in Norway
Dutch genealogy sources available on the internet
Holland
Dutch genealogy sources available on the internet
http://www.traceyourdutchroots.com/roots/online.html
FREE Dutch Genealogy Searches
http://www.searchforancestors.com/locality/netherlands.html
Netherlands Genealogy
http://www.genealogylinks.net/europe/netherlands/

​The French Genealogy Blog: Vital Records Old and New

http://french-genealogy.typepad.com/genealogie/vital
​
​

Valenciennes is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It lies on the Scheldt river. 
http://www.werelate.org/wiki/Place:Valenciennes,_Nor
French Genealogy Blog: Vital Records Old and New

Hollenback Cemetery Wilkes-Barre, PA.
​Florence Foster Jenkins is buried at 'Hollenback Cemetery'
​Florence is buried at 'Hollenback Cemetery'. Florence's only sibling, her younger sister is also buried there 
Lillian Blanche Foster (1875-1883)

Hollenback Cemetery Wilkes-Barre, PA.
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=45274380
Originally the Hollenback Family Cemetery
Matthias Hollenback 1752-1829
MATTHIAS HOLLENBACK'S family emigrated from Edelfingen, Wurtemberg, Germany in 1717, to Pennsylvania, U.S.A.

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~matthiashollenback/biog
Hollenback Family Cemetery

Charles J. Fourie
Charles J. Fourie
http://www.gutenberg.us/articles/

In 1999 'Goddess of Song'
a one-woman play about Jenkins,  by South African 
playwright Charles J. Fourie, was staged at the Coffee Lounge in Cape Town. 


​
​In 2001 Viva La Diva
by Chris Ballance, had a run at the Edinburgh Fringe.

http://www.anb.org/articles/18/18
Chris Ballance
Chris Ballance 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chri
'Souvenir', written by Stephen Temperley
​In "Angel of Inspiration" Florence is a very matronly apparition.
A few plays have been written about Jenkins' life. One of them-'Souvenir', written by Stephen Temperley, opened in New York off-Broadway and won several awards. The play's title is thought to come from the "souvenir" of her first marriage, a case of syphilis. The play is currently being made into a film, due for release in 2016, starring Meryll Streep as Jenkins & Hugh Grant as St. Clair Bayfield.
Stephen Temperley
http://www.doollee.com/PlaywrightsT/temperley-stephen.html
Meryll Streep & Hugh Grant, as Jenkins & Bayfield
Meryll Streep & Hugh Grant, as Jenkins & Bayfield
​The Real Cosme McMoon & ​Florence Foster Jenkins
​The Real Cosme McMoon &
​Florence Foster Jenkins
Meryll Streep as Florence Foster Jenkins
Meryll Streep in the same Angelic costume
​as Florence Foster Jenkins

She  was
an eloquent lesson
in fidelity
​& courage
 

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4

Associates
Cosmé McMoon/McMunn
Cosmé McMoon/McMunn
Born: February 22, 1901
​Mapimí, Durango, Mexico
Died: August 22, 1980, New York City, New York, U.S.

Cosmé was an American pianist and composer, best known as the accompanist to Jenkins    
Cosme McMoon Reminisces About Florence Foster Jenkins
7:47

She often performed with the
​Pascarella Chamber Music Society

Pascarella and his brothers Carl & Enzo formed the Pascarella Trio
Caesar A. Pacarella was a renowned cellist and classical music instructor born in Naples, Italy. He began his education in music as a child under the tutelage of his father, Ignazio Pascarella, a famed violinist & 
professor at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Naples. In 1921, he traveled with his family to the United States, settling in New York. 
Pascarella and his brothers Carl (piano) & Enzo (violin) formed the Pascarella Trio in 1926 and performed throughout the United States, Europe and on radio broadcasts across the country until 1940. After abandoning the Trio, they had not played together until a reunion in October 1943, when Cosme McMoon was involved & they became the Pascarella Chamber Ensemble. Carl Pascarella was killed in an automobile accident in San Diego, California, December 1943, so then the Ensemble, performed with Cosme McMoon at the piano. Another brother, Gabriel Pascarella is also a violinist, but was not part of the original Trio.

"Her attitude was at all times that of a singer
​who performed her task to
the best of her ability"
. 

Night & Day by Cole Porter-  Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers
4:17
Cole Porter 1891-1964
Cole Porter 1891-1964
Songwriter, born in Peru
Cole Porter never missed one of her concerts
 

Lily Pons
Lily Pons 
Operatic soprano & actress 
b.1898 Draguignan, France d.1976 Dallas, Texas
Jenkins was Immensely popular amongst her colleagues. 
​Lily Pons sings "The Bell Song" Lakme
5:54


Enrico Caruso - O Sole Mio
3:20

Enrico Caruso
Enrico Caruso
Italian operatic tenor. b.1873 Naples, Italy d.1921, Naples, Italy. Enrico Caruso for one, regarded her with affection and respect. 

Sir Thomas Beecham
Sir Thomas Beecham 2nd Baronet, CH English conductor and impresario 
best known for his association with the Royal & London Philharmonic orchestras. 
b.1879 St Helens, U.K. d.1961 London
Sir Thomas Beecham: Interview and Rehearsal
4:46


She had a superb faith in her destiny as a diva
producing as she said- ​"pure and radiant tones" 

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5

Recordings
Melotone Recording Studio
https://rateyourmusic.com/label/melotone_records/
Melotone Recording Studio Florence Jenkins
Melotone Recording Studio
Melotone Records was a United States based record label. In late 1930, Warner/Brunswick Records introduced the Melotone label to the U.S. and Canada as a budget subsidiary issuing 78 rpm disc records. It then became part of the American Record Corporation collection of labels in 1932. The label was disestablished in 1938. In 2010, Melotone Records was refounded as a division of Melotone Music LLC
Artists whose recordings were issued on Melotone include Eddie Cantor, Annette Hanshaw, Gene Autry

Her recordings were
avidly collected as
humorous novelty items
​and quickly became collector's items

Florence Foster Jenkins' recordings, were a novelty at first, but since her death, she has a cult following & the records have become somewhat of a collector's item. (Maybe one will pop up on Antique Roadshow?)
Jenkins in her ​Spanish shawl
Florence Foster Jenkins' recordings

​Spanish shawl, with a jewelled comb
​tossing tiny red flowers from her pretty basket

Jenkins' Recordings
Jenkins' Recordings were 78rpm
Any flat disc record, made between about 1898 and the late 1950s and playing at a speed around 78 revolutions per minute is called a "78" by collectors. The materials of which discs were made and with which they were coated were also various; shellac eventually became the commonest material. Generally 78s were made of a brittle material which uses a shellac resin. During and after World War II when shellac supplies were extremely limited, some 78 rpm records were pressed in vinyl, instead of shellac (wax).
The older 78 format continued to be mass produced alongside the newer formats into the 1950s, but had faded from the scene by 1955.

http://www.library.yale.edu/cataloging/music/historyof78rpms.htm

If you had a brand new record player at the time that Jenkins' recordings were first available?, they would be played on something like this from the 1940's-
record player 1940's
Or maybe, a 1930's
​portable wind-up player?
​portable wind-up player

HMV Record Shop 1940's
HMV Record Shop 1940's
http://www.voicesofeastanglia.com/2011/11/more-from
Record Shop 1907
Record Shop 1907
Record Shop 1900
Around 1900
record player 1940's
If you couldn't afford the latest? then it would be a wind-up Gramophone
like this-
wind-up Gramophone
Before that, the recording was
​on a cylinder
Cylinder Gramophone
Gramophone Record
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gramophone_reco

London in the 1920’s; a street gramophone
London in the 1920’s; a street gramophone.
http://bygonetimes.tumblr.com/post/54623
Early Recording Sessions
http://www.tinfoil.com/record.htm

The Library of Congress presents the 'National Jukebox'
Something that may interest some of you?, the Library of Congress, has developed a 'National Jukebox', where you can listen to a large variety of old recordings. As a starter, listen to Eva Gauthier & accompanist Carlo Edwards (Jenkins' vocal coach) recorded June 20th 1917
http://www.loc.gov/jukebox/recordings/detail/id/5828
Carlo Edwards (Jenkins' vocal coach) recorded June 20th 1917
Library of Congress presents the 'National Jukebox'
​The site also includes an interactive 1919 edition of the Victrola Book of the Opera, describes over 110 Operas. ​The publication of The Victrola Book of the Opera's first edition of the book was 1912 
​http://www.loc.gov/jukebox/victor-book-of-the

Some of Florence's Repertoire, performed by Well known Artists
LILY PONS- CHARMANT OISEAU perle du brasil ​
6:15
Andre Rieu- Clavelitos
​2:59
Joan Sutherland sings TOSCA Vissi d'arte
3:37

The Real Florence Foster Jenkins-
Queen of the Night, Mozart  
3:43
The Real Florence Foster Jenkins on Film
2:50
Adele's Laughing Song- Gruberova
4:40
Florence Foster Jenkins: A World Of Her Own
1:29:15

(Final scene) Meryl Streep's sensitive rendition of-
When I Have Sung My Songs to You  2:17

Dame Nellie Melba GBE (19 May 1861 – 23 February 1931)
Dame Nellie Melba GBE (19 May 1861 – 23 February 1931), born Helen Porter Mitchell, was an Australian operatic soprano. She became one of the most famous singers of the late Victorian era and the early 20th century. She was the first Australian to achieve international recognition as a classical musician. She took the pseudonym "Melba" from Melbourne, her home town. (wiki)
Dame Nellie Melba honoured with a Google Doodle
http://google-au.blogspot.com.au/2011/05/dame-nellie-melba
Nellie Melba 1904
Mozart- Marriage of Figaro "Porgi, amor"

3:21
Nellie Melba- Film Footage, 'Del ciel clemente un riso', Farewell Speech, Covent Garden (1926)
3:36

She laughed all the way to the bank

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6

       Her Illness
Venereal Disease enslaves you

Two reasons given for Jenkins' behaviour-
1) After she married Dr. Frank Thornton Jenkins, she contracted syphilis from him. This in itself would very
   gradually wreak havoc on her central nervous system, the brain, auditory nerves, etc.
2) The treatment for syphilis at that time, was primarily Mercury, administered by inhaling the vapor, or as a
    salve. After ca.1910, arsenic was also used as a treatment or used in combination with mercury.

Mercury & Arsenic are highly poisonous, so we can safely say, this treatment affected her in the same way the disease did. This would also explain the fact that she was absolutely bald, the disease & treatment destroying hair follicles. Florence Jenkins’ diagnosis of syphilis was revealed by Dr. Frank Jenkins' 2nd wife, Kathleen Bayfield, in her auto biography. 
(From a documentary on Florence Foster Jenkins, by Donald Collup)

Mercurochrome  contains mercury
Mercurochrome 
contains mercury

in a disodium salt form which is considered to be
​perfectly safe?
Historical Views of Disease and Epidemics
http://ocp.hul.harvard.edu/contagion/tim
By 1500 syphilis had reached the Scandinavian countries, Britain, Hungary, Greece, Poland and Russia. It was a time of world exploration and Europeans took the disease to Calcutta in 1498, and by 1520 it had reached Africa, the near East, China, Japan and Oceania. 

​Arsenic

http://www.history-magazine.com/arsen
​

​Mercury
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/
Mercury, in an ointment form
Mercury, in an ointment form, was used to treat this disease, along with arsenic. Ammoniated & salicylated mercury ointments and the pharmaceutical formulae were still in the Australian Pharmaceutical Formulary in 1955 (scary!)

Sweat baths were also used as it was thought
​induced salivation and sweating eliminated the syphilitic poisons

Symptoms of Metal Toxicity
​Symptoms of Metal Toxicity:
Insomnia                      Paraesthesias (numbness and tingling)
Nervousness                 Hallucinations                   Dizziness

Headaches                    Kidney damage                  Fatigue
Self-confidence loss     Muscle weakness               Irritability
Hearing difficulties       Drowsiness                        Weight loss
Emotional stress          Depression                        Tremors
Skin inflammation        Lack of coordination          Anxiety
In 1943 penicillin was introduced as a
​treatment for syphilis many patients
​died of mercury poisoning
anti-syphilitic agents contained mercury

For centuries, mercury was an essential part of many different medicines, such as diuretics, antibacterial agents, antiseptics, and laxatives. In the late 18th century, anti-syphilitic agents contained mercury. A patient having the treatment was put in a hot, stuffy room & rubbed vigorously with mercury ointment several times a day.  The massaging was done near a hot fire, so that the sufferer would sweat, this process could go on for months. Erratic & flamboyant behaviour were noted side effects caused by the mercury.

Not only Syphilis was treated with Arsenic-
Arsenic Lotion
Dr. MacKenzie's menthoids

Notable syphilis-infected people in history

​​Notable syphilis-infected people in history
Napoleon Bonaparte (1769–1821), emperor of France
Henry VIII (1491–1547), king of England
Ivan the Terrible (1530–1584), Czar of Russia

Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890), painter

Oscar Wilde (1854–1900), writer
Franz Schubert (1797–1828), composer
Adolf Hitler (1889–1945), politician
http://www.news-medical.net/health/Syphilis
Notable syphilis-infected people in history

Frederick Theodore Albert Delius
Frederick Theodore Albert Delius
​
1862 – 1934
​English composer
The Times newspaper reviewed the known facts about Delius's illness as documented by Professor Soothill. He suggested that Delius contracted syphilis in the l880s, was treated with arsenic & subsequently became blind with optic neuritis, eventually becoming totally paralysed. This was assumed to be a late neurological manifestation of syphilis.​ Case notes written by Sir John Conybeare, a distinguished British physician, had found no evidence of syphilis in his tests. He had also commented that there was no evidence of intellectual impairment which is another characteristic. It was further stated in The Times article that Sir John indicated that although he did not know the cause of Delius's death, he was sure it was not due to syphilis, but what damage did the arsenic treatment do? as he was visibly & physically unwell
Frederick Delius-
​
A musicologist is a man who can read music but
​can't play it

In John Bridcut's new documentary about Frederick Delius, marking the 150th anniversary of his birth, reveals the degree to which the composer's chief champion Sir Thomas Beecham (also a friend of Florence Jenkins), 
​manipulated his reputation to make him appear more "British" than he really was. His interference went well beyond the call of duty. A year after Delius died, Beecham had his body disinterred from its French grave and reburied in a country churchyard in Surrey.

​http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/frederick-delius
Frederick Theodore Albert Delius

A very famous quote by Frederick Delius, well known among musicians 
There are two golden rules for an orchestra: start together and finish together.
​The public doesn't care what goes on in between

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7

Hats & Mercury
Hats & Mercury
​THE FELT HAT INDUSTRY traces back to the mid 17th century in France & probably introduced to England around 1830. ​
Camelhair is considered to be a luxury fibre in its dehaired form
Camelhair is considered to be a luxury fibre in its dehaired form. The Bactrian (two humped) camel produces an undercoat of soft strong fibre and a coarse outer coat of strong fibre.
FIBRES AND THEIR CHARACTERISTICS
http://felt-art-all-over-the-world
A story passed down in the hat industry gives this account of how mercury came to be used in the process- 
In Turkey camel hair was used for felt material and it was discovered that the felting process was sped up if the fibers were moistened with camel urine. In France workmen used their own urine, with one worker consistently producing superior felt. The worker was being treated with mercury for syphilis, so an association was made between mercury & improved felt. Eventually the use of solutions of mercuric nitrate were widespread in the felt industry, and mercury poisoning became endemic. Dementia & erethism were common traits among 19th Century hatmakers.

Lewis Carroll did not invent the phrase 'Mad as a Hatter', but he did create the character

HATMAKERS (& more) in- The Post Office Directory of Northamptonshire, Huntingdonshire, Bedfordshire By E. R. Kelly (1869)
https://books.google.com.au/books?id=Qu8NAAAAQAAJ&pg


​The Post-Office Annual Directory for London and parts adjacent (1814)

https://books.google.com
​
Topography of Maidstone, Kent and its environs, and directory 1839
https://books.google.com
​


​Jollie's Cumberland guide & directory 1811

https://books.google.com
​
​Longworth's American Almanac, New York Register, and City Directory 1835
https://books.google.com
HATMAKERS (& more) in- The Post Office Directory of Northamptonshire, Huntingdonshire, Bedfordshire

HISTORY OF HATS
A General and Commercial Directory of the Borough of Leeds, West Yorkshire 1839
https://books.google.com.au/books?
A Panorama listing of Falmouth, Cornwall. Complete guide to the harbour, town & surrounding country 1827
https://books.google.com.au/books?
HISTORY OF HATS
http://www.villagehatshop.com/content/50/history
​
The Wearing of Hats Fashion History
http://www.fashion-era.com

Mad as a Hatter
During the 1800's the phrase "Mad as a hatter" was coined, owing to the effects of chronic mercury exposure in the hat-making industry, where the metal was used in the manufacturing process. The earliest mention of a 'mad hatter' appears to refer to Robert Crab, a 17th Century eccentric living at Chesham, England. He gave all his goods to the poor & lived on dock leaves & grass. 
Born in 1621, Crab was a hat maker and taking Matthew 19:21 in the New Testament literally-  (Verse 21): Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. He would preach that property is what leads someone to steal or murder, which can be quite true, but taking it to the extreme as Crab did, can be viewed as madness.
the phrase

Lewis Carroll, seems to have based his 'Mad Hatter' not on Robert Crab
Lewis Carroll, seems to have based his 'Mad Hatter' not on Robert Crab, but on a certain Theophilus Carter, who wasn't a hatter but a furniture dealer. Carter was known locally as the Mad Hatter, partly because he always wore a top hat, and partly because he was quite an eccentric and produced some wacky inventions. 
http://corrosion-doctors.org/Elements

Mercury is the most toxic non-radioactive element on earth.
http://www.naturalnews.com/016544.html
Mercury is the most toxic non-radioactive element on earth

King George III was said to be insane
Records show two likely sources for the arsenic- A wig powder & James' Fever Powder (Georgian Aspirin)
https://books.google.com.au/books?

Wigs were powdered to make them look white

History of the World's hair
The History of the World's hair
http://thehistoryofthehairsworld.co
King George III was said to be insane. He drifted in and out of insanity later in his life, including a long bout of it when he was 50 years old. Scientists recently have concluded that he was suffering from a rare inherited disease known as 'Porphyria', which was apparently passed down from Mary Queen of Scots. The King's hair samples showed high levels of 300 times the toxic levels of Arsenic and elevated Mercury. His wigs were apparently laden with it. 
One of the great mysteries of King George's porphyria was the severity of his attacks. It is rare for men to suffer this acute form at all - normally males show no symptoms. And a final puzzle King George didn't have any attacks before his 50s. Arsenic was a trigger.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3889903.stm
In 2003 a remarkable exhibit came to light. Hidden in the vaults of a London museum was a scrap of paper containing a few strands of hair.The paper was crudely fashioned into an envelope but the words on it immediately caused a stir: "Hair of His Late Majesty, King George 3rd."
King George III wig powder
The Literary Gazette and Journal of the Belles Lettres,
​Arts, Sciences 1845

Haemophilia and Porphyria - Royal diseases from Tainted Blood
45:51


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