Erna Dorothea Luise Sack (née Weber), known as the German Nightingale, was born on February 6, 1898, in Spandau, Berlin, in the German Empire. She passed away on March 2, 1972, in Mainz, West Germany, and was buried in the South Cemetery in Wiesbaden. Sack was a renowned German lyric coloratura soprano celebrated for her extraordinary high vocal range, including the ability to sing the "C above high C" (C7).

Her musical journey began in her childhood, where her vocal talents were evident in school and church choirs. Despite initial resistance from her parents, she pursued her passion for singing with the support of her fiancé, Hermann Sack, whom she married in 1921. She studied at the Prague Conservatory and later in Berlin with Oscar Daniel.

Sack's career gained momentum in 1930 when her remarkable high notes were discovered. Richard Strauss even composed a new cadenza for her role as Zerbinetta in his opera Ariadne auf Naxos. She made significant appearances in operas such as Donizetti's Don Pasquale and Verdi's Rigoletto, and performed at prestigious venues including the Dresden State Opera and Covent Garden in London.

Her career included extensive concert tours across Europe and the United States, where she performed at Carnegie Hall. During World War II, her Jewish husband was imprisoned in a concentration camp, and her career was largely confined to Germany and its allies. After the war, she found success in Latin America and Canada, eventually becoming a Brazilian citizen due to her husband's nationality.

Erna Sack's legacy includes numerous recordings and roles in films such as Blumen aus Nizza (1936) and Nanon (1938). She continued to perform until 1957 and made television appearances in the mid-1960s. Sack passed away following an operation for cancer, leaving behind a rich legacy as one of Germany's leading coloratura sopranos.