Dame Schwarzkopf, who famed conductor Herbert von Karajan described in 1946 as "maybe the best singer in Europe", began her career in 1938 in Berlin before moving to Vienna four years later.
She debuted in 1947 at the Salzburg Music Festival as Susanna in Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro", on an invitation from Mr von Karajan, and performed on the greatest stages of Europe with the Vienna Opera.
The singer, who excelled in operas by Mozart and Johann Strauss, retired from the stage in 1972 but continued to teach master classes, counting US baritone Thomas Hampson and the German Matthias Goerne as her students.
Dame Schwarzkopf was ranked alongside Maria Callas as a giant of the opera and concert stage.
Her leading roles were immortalised on records and CDs as were her recitals of German lieder.
In 1992, she was named Dame Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth and she also received honours from the city of Vienna and the Vienna Opera.
Nazi party member
But Dame Schwarzkopf, who had adopted British citizenship, was also criticised for belonging to the Nazi party during World War II and was nicknamed the "Nazi Diva" by the New York Times.
She defended herself, saying she had had to join the party in order to be a singer.
"All my life, I have only sung, sung, sung, nothing else," she said at the time, ignoring the criticism "because I am not guilty".
Born on December 9, 1915, near Poznan, now Poland but then part of Germany, Dame Schwarzkopf grew up in Berlin where she studied music.
In 1953, she married Walter Legge, the classical record producer famed for signing such stars as Mr von Karajan, Maria Callas and Dame Schwarzkopf herself.
The singer died yesterday in Schruns, in the western province of Vorarlberg, where she had been living for the past few years, according to the Marent Peter funeral home.
"Perhaps never again will there be a recitalist like here," wrote Andre Tubeuf, one of Europe's most influential music critics.