From her recordings, it is apparent that Jenkins had little sense of pitch and rhythm and was barely capable of sustaining a note. Her accompanist can be heard making adjustments to compensate for her tempo variations and rhythmic mistakes. Her dubious diction, especially in foreign language songs, is also noteworthy.

Despite her patent lack of ability, Jenkins was firmly convinced of her greatness. She compared herself favorably to the renowned sopranos Frieda Hempel and Luisa Tetrazzini, and dismissed the laughter which often came from the audience during her performances as coming from her rivals consumed by “professional jealousy.” She was aware of her critics, however, saying “People may say I can’t sing, but no one can ever say I didn’t sing.”

I’m just waiting for somebody to make a movie out of this fantastic story.

Now, if you decide to play the audio footage below, please do so at your own risk. It’s Jenkins interpretation of ‘Der Holle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen’ from ‘Die Zauberflöte‘ (The Magic Flute) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Enjoy…

Download audio file (Florence Foster Jenkins – Mozart – Die Zauberflote – Der Holle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen.mp3)