Fritzi Scheff

Restored photograph of Fritzi Scheff.

Description of Illustration: restored photograph of Fritzi Scheff from "Babette," at the Broadway.

Born Friederike Scheff in Vienna, Austria to Dr. Gottfried Scheff and Anna Yeager, she studied at the Hoch Conservatory in Frankfurt and made her début in Munich in the title röle of Martha (1898). In 1901 she first appeared at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York, singing rôles in La Bohème, Die Meistersinger, Die Walküre, and Don Giovanni. She sang in the Victor Herbert operetta Babette at Washington and New York (1903). Toward the end of the following year's season Scheff became ill and was replaced by her understudy Ida Hawley to close out the remaining performances of Babette. Scheff had immense success as Fifi in Mlle. Modiste (1905–1908) and 1913) and appeared also in The Prima Donna (1908), The Mikado (1910), The Duchess (1911), and The Love Wager (1912). From 1913 to 1918, she appeared principally in vaudeville, returning in the latter year to the musical opera stage in Glorianna. Read more . . .

"Fritzi Scheff (1879-1954) / Mlle Modiste (Victor Herbert) /

 Recorded: 1936 / Spoken introduction by Fred Calland / for

 a contemporary reference to "the kiss" mentioned in the 

opening comments to this posting see the excerpts from a long

 November 17, 1903 review of "Babette" in the New York 

Times below." The review is included with this video at youtube.

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