The Seven Viennese Singing sisters (*see photo links below), also known as The Singing Babies, were an a cappella close harmony singing group of the 1930s. The group appears to have been founded together with Edmund Fritz as “Edmund Fritz’s Singing Babies”, either in the late 20s or in 1930. This group- with probable periodic changes of some members, including the loss of Edmund Fritz- gave concerts and made records, films and radio performances for a period of about eight years. The Internet Movie Database lists a 1930 movie starring Edmund Fritz called "Die Singenden Babies" but no details of the singers are known. Their first radio performance was likely in March 1930 in a radio program for the German "Funkstunde" (according to an extant playlist). Two months later, they made their first two gramophone records for the publishing company "Electrola" (see Discography below). In August 1930, also together with Edmund Fritz, the group made their first movie shoot: the short film "Die Singenden Babies". Additional records for the "Electrola" label were produced in the fall of 1930, but not published. In 1931, the group cut four records in Milan, and gave a radio concert in the Netherlands. In the spring of 1932, the Singing Babies assisted in the film "Die Große Liebe", and later this same year, they appeared in the Franco-German co-production of the Anny Ondra film "Baby" (Anny Ondra movie]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXyS-FGW4Yk), directed by Carl Lamac and produced by Friedrich Aussenberg. The Anny Ondra movie "Baby" shows the group singing two songs - Ich lieb' Dich (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ja8kho92Cvs) and Au Revoir Baby. (Friederike (Fritzi) Schlichter Lindberg is third from left in the first YouTube clip). The group recorded one disk in Czechoslovakia and four disks in Germany from songs in this movie.
At this point, The Singing Babies appear to have broken with Edmund Fritz and changed their name to the Viennese Seven Singing Sisters (though none were in fact sisters). Under this new name, the group made six records in London, in June 1933, in September 1933, and in the summer of 1934 (see Discography below). A last German film ("Ein Kuss nach Ladenschluss") premiered in March 1934. In this same month the group toured Switzerland, according to the Harmony Boys' Werner Doege, who remembered meeting them there. One year later they recorded two additional songs, again in Milan. In 1935 they appeared in the Brazilian film "Noites Cariocas". A commenter on the photo below corroborates that the group performed at the Cassino da Urca in Rio de Janeiro in February 1935; he found this information in a magazine of the era called "A Noite". He also confirms that they made a movie at this time, "Noches Cariocas.
On the website of the British Pathé film company, there are two astonishing short films with the Singing Babies, made in November 1937 and December 1938. The former, a beautiful melody by Chopin, has sound (http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=11275); the latter, filmed at The Coconut Grove, unfortunately does not (http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=10981). Eva Oplatek, the last surviving member of this group, recalls that Fritzi (Schlichter)Lindberg was the leader of the group at this time, and indeed in the first film, Fritzi can clearly be seen directing.
In 1938 the group toured Argentina, but then returned to Europe (possibly England). By early 1939, the group broke up due to the urgent need of many members to leave Europe after the rise of the Nazi regime. Several members emigrated to Argentina (sailing from England); others went to the United States. The Argentine members reconstituted a group under the Singing Babies name and toured Argentina and Bolivia during the forties; this group most likely only had two or three of the original members, and does not seem to have produced any records. Additional information on the known members is given below.
The number of the group apparently varied: a notice at http://www.bbc.co.uk/historyofthebbc/resources/radio_times/pdf/RT-TVS-011-72dpi.pdf indicates that at one point the group numbered six. Many pictures, including a picture of a group of six singers in business clothes, can be found here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/63979448@N00/5825469690/in/photostream/. The pictures on this site are from the personal archives of the Schlichter family.
One of the members was named Friederike (Fritzi) Schlichter Lindberg, who is on the top middle left on the first group photo referenced above. Another member was Petra (Deutschlander) van der Velden. These two members moved to Argentina in 1939 to escape the Nazis, where Fritzi ran an afternoon tea cafe known as The Atelier. Fritzi was the widow of the Finnish opera singer Helge Lindberg.
Another member was Eva Oplatek, who is on the top left of the first group picture. She was with the group from 1935–1937 and left to go into film, but her plans were also thwarted by the war. Ms Oplatek is now in her 90s and is helping us to update this page! According to her, another member was Lilo Alexander (who also recorded "Jeepers Creepers" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQN_ZCkR_CA), who moved to New York; Petra (nicknamed "Peter") (Deutschlander) van der Velden; Erna Maas, Daisy Doerling, and a pianist with the first name of Ira.
Berlin, May 1930 "Grüß mir mein Hawaii" - Electrola EG 1909 "Fox dei lilas" - Electrola EG 1909 "Die blonde Helene" - Electrola EG 1910 "Mädchen, wollt ihr gefallen - Electrola EG 1910
Berlin, September and October 1930 "Stadt der Liebe" - unreleased "Bei uns ist immer Sonnenschein" - unreleased "Sieben kleine Tillergirls" - unreleased "Ja, so ein Mädel" - unreleased
Milan, April or May 1931 "Soli, Soli" - Columbia CQ 664 "My boy" - Columbia CQ 664 "Come rosa sboccia amore" - Columbia CQ 665 "Lisabetta va alla moda" - Columbia CQ 665
Prague, April 1932 "Donauwalzer" - Ultraphon AP 744
Berlin, May 1932 "Bei uns ist immer Sonnenschein" - probably unreleased "Ja, so ein Mädel" - Odeon 186288 b "Wir sind ja heut' so glücklich" - Odeon A 161216 "An der schönen blauen Donau" - Odeon A 161216
Berlin, November 1932 "Ich lieb' dich, I love you, je t'aime" - Gloria GO 10462
"Auf Wiederseh'n, Baby" - Gloria GO 10462 also referenced on a 1930s playlist from Deutschlandradio on rivals of the Comedian Harmonists: http://www.dradio.de/dkultur/playlist/673330/895091/ "Trois mots" - Odeon 250338 "Au revoir, baby" - Odeon 250338
London, June 1933 "Cuban Tango" - Regal Zonophone MR 960 "Whistling in the dark" - Regal Zonophone MR 960 "Garland of Schubert Songs" - Regal Zonophone MR 1308 "Italian Serenade" - Regal Zonophone MR 1308 "The blue danube" - Regal Zonophone MR 1049
London, September 1933 "My Marguerita" - Regal Zonophone MR 1049
London, Summer 1934 "Selection from 'Lilac Time'" - Sterno 1467 "International Selection" - Sterno 1467
Milan, March 1935 "Hungarian Rhapsody, No. 2" - Regal Zonophone MR 1755 "William Tell - Overture" - Regal Zonophone MR 1755 William Tell Overture[2]
Hollywood, August or September 1936 "Luar do sertao" - Victor 33925 "Guacyra" - Victor 33925
This group also appears on a compilation CD of a capella singing called "Sweetest Harmony" (1997) singing a song called "Cuban Tango" which was recorded in June 1933.