Frida Benneche
A fair-skinned woman with dark hair, wearing a gown with an irregular scooped neckline
Frida Benneche, from a 1917 publication
Born10 June 1880
New York City
Other namesFreda Benneche, Frida Windolph, Frida Bennèche
OccupationSinger

Frida Katherina Benneche (June 10, 1880[1] – after 1943), sometimes written as Frida Bennèche or Freda Benneche, also known as Frida Windolph, was an American coloratura soprano.

Early life

Benneche was born in New York City.[2][3][4] Her mother was Magdalena Goelz Benneche.[5] Her German-born father Edward Benneche was a businessman,[6] and was president of the Arion Society, a German-American musical club in New York.[7][8] She attended Miss Jaudon's School,[9] studied violin and piano as a young woman,[10] trained with Eugenie Pappenheim in New York,[11] and studied voice with Theresa Seehofer in Berlin.[12]

Career

As Frida Windolph, she sang at musicales hosted by Pappenheim,[13] and made some recordings for Phono-Cut Records early in her career.[14] Benneche, a coloratura soprano, sang in concerts and church festivals in Europe, including at the Hamburg Summer Opera.[15] She moved back to the United States in 1914.[12][16] She toured in the United States,[17] and made recordings of German-language songs on the Victor label in 1916 and 1917.[16][18] "Her records are said to be some of the finest made," reported the Musical Courier in 1917, adding that "her voice is sweet without the least trace of shrillness."[19]

Flautist Paul Henneberg composed two works for Benneche.[12] She sang at Fourth of July festivities in Delaware Water Gap in 1918,[20] and gave two radio concerts in 1924.[7][21][22] She toured in Germany in 1926.[23] In 1943 and 1944, she was a voice teacher in New York City.[24]

Personal life

Frida Benneche married architect August Paul Windolph in 1901; they divorced after 1910. She married metallurgist Erich Alfred Beck in 1919.[5][25]

References

  1. ↑ She gave this birthdate in an Emergency Passport Application to the United States embassy in Berlin, dated August 8, 1914; via Ancestry.
  2. ↑ "Flautist as Coach for Coloratura" Musical America 22(July 17, 1915): 23.
  3. ↑ "Where Was She Born?". Musical Courier. 74: 56. May 24, 1917.
  4. ↑ "Washington Heights Club Presents Freda Benneche". Musical Courier. 88: 26. April 17, 1924 – via Internet Archive.
  5. 1 2 "Frida Benneche to Wed". Musical Courier. 78: 30. June 26, 1919 – via Internet Archive.
  6. ↑ Marchionni, Carmel Camise (1975-09-17). "Centenarian tells his secret". The Herald Statesman. p. 31. Retrieved 2022-06-26 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. 1 2 "Freda Benneche to Sing". Evening Star. 1924-04-23. p. 24. Retrieved 2022-06-26 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Arion Ball a Great Success". New-York Tribune. 1898-02-12. p. 2. Retrieved 2022-06-26 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "Frida Bennéche, an Ideal Type of Singer". Musical Courier. 74: 33. April 12, 1917 – via Internet Archive.
  10. ↑ "Frida Bennèche's Convictions". Musical Courier. 75: 15. August 2, 1917 – via Internet Archive.
  11. ↑ "Studio Notes". New-York Tribune. 1902-04-27. p. 28. Retrieved 2022-06-26 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. 1 2 3 "Frida Bennéche a Singer of Unusual Songs". Musical Courier. 73: 19. July 6, 1916 – via Internet Archive.
  13. ↑ "In the Studios". The New York Times. 1906-02-04. p. 46. Retrieved 2022-06-26 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ Blacker, George, and Allan Sutton. Phono-Cut Records: A Preliminary Discography (Mainspring Press 2020).
  15. ↑ "Frida Bennèche Pleads for Bach and Handel Revival" Musical America 26(July 21, 1917): 16. via Internet Archive
  16. 1 2 "Frida Bennèche to 'Record' German Folk-Songs for U.S." Musical America. 24: 32. August 19, 1916 – via Internet Archive.
  17. ↑ "Famous Musicians at Foot Guard Hall". Hartford Courant. 1916-03-26. p. 47. Retrieved 2022-06-26 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ↑ Frida Benneche (1916), An den Mond (To the Moon) (in German), Internet Archive, Victor, retrieved 2022-06-25
  19. ↑ "Frida Bennèche to go to Canada". Musical Courier. 74: 10. May 24, 1917 – via Internet Archive.
  20. ↑ "Water Gap Visitors Plan for Fourth". The Philadelphia Inquirer. 1918-06-16. p. 35. Retrieved 2022-06-26 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ↑ "Radio Program Listings, WOR Newark". The Boston Globe. 1924-06-03. p. 17. Retrieved 2022-06-26 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ↑ "Freda Benneche". Radio Broadcast. 5: 335. August 1924.
  23. ↑ "Freda Bennèche in Germany". Musical Courier. 93: 10. November 18, 1926 – via Internet Archive.
  24. ↑ "Advertisement for Freda Bennèche". Musical Courier. 127: 20. April 20, 1943 – via Internet Archive.
  25. ↑ "Frida Benneche Married". Musical Courier. 79: 17. July 10, 1919 – via Internet Archive.
  • Drei Roslein (Three Roses) (Victor 69138-B); a 1916 recording made by Benneche, on Internet Archive
  • An den Mond (To the Moon) (Victor 69138-A), a 1916 recording made by Benneche, on Internet Archive
  • Treue Liebe (True Love) (Victor 67985-B), a 1916 recording made by Benneche, on Internet Archive
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