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Microfiction
Jenny’s Notable Voice
50-word microfiction and the truth
Jenny was an opera singer.
By the age of 16, Jenny had already made a name for herself by shattering over 100 glasses with her amazing soprano voice. Her future looked promising.
Until the lawsuits from the china shops she visited wiped her out financially and ended her brief career.
My Jenny microfiction story is total fiction. When I went looking for an image to use for my story, I discovered Jenny Lind. Her true story is far more interesting than my made-up story.
Jenny Lind was a famous opera singer in the 19th century and was often referred to as the Swedish Nightingale for the uniquely pure quality of her voice.
Lind’s mother ran a day school for girls. A maid of Mademoiselle Lundberg, a principal dancer for the Royal Swedish Opera, overheard Jenny singing when Jenny was age 9. Amazed by Jenny’s voice, the maid returned with Lundberg, who arranged an audition for Jenny with the Royal Dramatic Theater.
Jenny began singing on stage at age 10. She damaged her voice early in her career, but her voice was revived by Spanish singer and music educator, Manuel García. He had Jenny stop singing for three months to rest her vocal cords. Then García taught…
