Rosa Ponselle (born Meriden, Connecticut 1897 - died near Baltimore, Maryland 1981), was an American soprano. There are several places called Meriden: Meriden, Connecticut, United States Meriden, West Midlands, England This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Official language(s) English Capital Hartford Largest city Bridgeport Area  - Total   - Width   - Length    - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 48th 5,549 sq mi  14,371 km² 70 miles  113 km 110 miles  177 km 12. ... 1897 (MDCCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... A view of the Baltimore skyline from the water taxi. ... Official language(s) None Capital Annapolis Largest city Baltimore Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 42nd 32,160 km² 145 km 400 km 21 37°53N to 39°43N 75°4W to 79°33W Population  - Total (2000)  - Density Ranked 19th 5,296,486 165... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Look up Soprano in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

She was born Rose Melba Ponzillo on January 22, 1897, in Meriden, Connecticut, the youngest of three children. Her parents were Italian immigrants. Rosa had an exceptionally mature voice at an early age and, at least in her early years, sang on natural endowment with little, if any, vocal training. She sang in movie houses and cafes in Meriden and at church, and she soon became well-known locally for her exceptionally beautiful voice. January 22 is the 22nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1897 (MDCCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Meriden is a city located in New Haven County, Connecticut. ... Immigration is the act of moving to or settling in another country or region, temporarily or permanently. ...

Vaudeville

Rosa's older sister, Carmela, a mezzo-soprano, also had a fine voice and had a career in vaudeville. In 1915, Carmela brought Rosa to audition for her agent. In spite of being very overweight, Rosa impressed with her voice, and she was hired to perform with Carmela as a "sister act." Over the next three years the Ponzillo Sisters (also known as "Those Tailored Italian Girls") became a headlining act on the Keith Circuit in vaudeville, appearing in all the major theaters on the circuit and making a substantial income. They performed as a "class act" and sang ballads and operatic arias. A mezzo-soprano (meaning medium soprano in Italian) is a female singer with a range usually extending from the A below middle C to the F an eleventh above middle C. Mezzo-sopranos generally have a darker (or lower) vocal tone than sopranos, and their vocal range is between that... Vaudeville is a style of multi-act theatre which flourished in North America from the 1880s through the 1920s. ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

In 1918, Carmela and Rosa demanded a large raise from the Keith Circuit, as a result of which their act was dropped. At the time, Carmela was studying in New York with a well-connected voice teacher/agent named William Thorner. Thorner heard Rosa sing and agreed to give her lessons. (Rosa later denied that Thorner had ever given her voice lessons, but her statements on the subejct are contradictory.) Thorner invited the great tenor Enrico Caruso, star of the Metropolitan Opera, to his studio to hear Carmela and Rosa sing. Caruso was deeply impressed with Rosa's voice and arranged for an audition with the Met, as a result of which the Met offered Rosa a contract for the 1918-19 season. Official language(s) None, English de facto Capital Albany Largest city New York City Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 27th 141,205 km² 455 km 530 km 13. ... In music, a tenor is a male singer with a high voice (although not as high as the modern countertenor). ... Enrico Caruso Enrico Caruso (February 25, 1873–August 2, 1921) was one of the most famous tenors in the history of opera. ... The Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, seen from Lincoln Center Plaza A full house at the old Metropolitan Opera House, seen from the rear of the stage, at the Metropolitan Opera House for a concert by pianist Józef Hofmann, November 28, 1937. ...

Met debut and early operatic career

Rosa Ponselle made her Metropolitan Opera debut on November 15, 1918, as Leonora in Verdi's La forza del destino, opposite Caruso. It was her first performance on any opera stage. In spite of an almost paralyzing case of nerves (which she suffered from throughout her operatic career), she scored a tremendous success, both with the public and with the critics. New York Times critic James Huneker wrote: 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... Leonora is a girls name, originating from the Greek word for light. Other meanings: Leonora was the original title of Beethovens opera, Fidelio, in which the heroine is named Leonora (or Leonore in German). ... VERDI is an acronym for the Italian unification movement, named after the composer Giuseppe Verdi (ardent supporter of the movement) VERDI stands for Vittorio Emmanuelle, Re D Italia (Victor Emmanuel, King of Italy) Categories: Historical stubs ... Cover of first bilingual edition of the libretto of La forza del destino, St. ... The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... James Huneker (1860-1921) was a noted American author mostly remembered now for his music criticism. ...

What a promising debut! Added to her personal attraciveness, she possesses a voice of natural beauty that may prove a gold mine. It is vocal gold, anyhow, with its luscious lower and middle tones, dark, rich and ductile, brilliant in the upper register.

In addition to Leonora, Ponselle's roles in the 1918-19 season included Santuzza in Cavalleria rusticana, Rezia in Weber's Oberon, and Carmelita in the (unsuccessful) world premiere of Joseph Breil's The Legend (a role and opera that Ponselle loathed so much that she later burned the score and said the opera "would stink up a cat box"). Cavalleria Rusticana (Rustic Chivalry) is an opera in one act by Pietro Mascagni to a libretto by Targioni-Tozzetti and Menasci, adapted from a short story by Giovanni Verga. ... Weber is a surname of German origin, derived from the noun meaning weaver. The German pronunciation is ˈveˌbeʁ, while in English it is more likely to be pronounced ˈwɛˌbɚ or ˈweˌbɚ. In some cases, following migration to English-speaking countries, it has been anglicised to the English... Oberon can mean: Oberon, in Arthurian Legend the King of the Fairies, most famous from William Shakespeares play, A Midsummer Nights Dream. ...

In the following Met seasons, Ponselle's roles included the lead soprano roles in La juive (opposite Caruso's Elèazar, his last new role before he died), William Tell, Ernani, Il trovatore, Aida, La Gioconda, Don Carlo, L'Africaine, L'amore dei tre re, Andrea Chenier, La vestale, and in 1927 the role that many considered her greatest achievement, the title role in Bellini's Norma. In addition to her operatic activities, which were centered at the Met, Ponselle also had an active concert career. William Tell (German Wilhelm Tell, French Guillaume Tell, Italian Guglielmo Tell) was a legendary hero of disputed historical authenticity who is said to have lived in the Canton of Uri in Switzerland in the early 14th century. ... Ernani is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, based on the play Hernani by Victor Hugo. ... Il trovatore (The Troubadour) is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Leone Emanuele Bardare and Salvatore Cammarano, based on the play El Trobador by Antonio García Gutiérrez. ... Aida is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni, based on a story by Auguste Mariette. ... La Gioconda can refer to: A famous painting by Leonardo da Vinci, better known as Mona Lisa; An opera by Amilcare Ponchielli. ... Don Carlos is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi. ... LAfricaine (The African Woman) is an opera by Giacomo Meyerbeer. ... Lamore dei tre re is an opera in three acts by Italian composer Italo Montemezzi. ... Andrea Chénier is an opera in four acts by Umberto Giordano to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica, based on the life of the French poet André Chénier (1762-1794). ... La Vestale (The Vestal Virgin) is an opera composed by Gaspare Spontini to a French libretto by Etienne de Jouy. ... Bellini can mean: A family of Italian painters, the most famous of which is Giovanni Bellini (c. ... Norma is a constellation of the southern sky. ...

Appearances abroad and later operatic career

Outside the USA, Ponselle sang only at Covent Garden in London (for three seasons) and in Italy (in order, so it is said, to honour a promise she had made to her mother that she would one day sing in Italy). In 1929, Ponselle made her European debut in London, at the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden. Up until that time, her career had been concentrated entirely in America. Ponselle sang two roles at Covent Garden in 1929: Norma and Gioconda. She had a great success and was tumultuously acclaimed by the normally staid London audiences. She returned to London in 1930 in Norma, L'amore dei tre re, and La traviata (her first performances as Violetta). In her final London season in 1931, she sang in La forza del destino, Fedra (an opera by her coach and long-time friend, Romano Romani), and a reprise of La traviata. The Floral Hall of the Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House is a performing arts venue in London. ... 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... This article is about the British city. ... The Floral Hall of the Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House is a performing arts venue in London. ... Covent Garden is a district in central London and within the easterly bounds of the City of Westminster. ... 1930 (MCMXXX) is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1931 calendar). ...

In 1933 Ponselle sang only her only performances in Italy, as Giulia in La vestale, with the Maggio Musicale in Florence. As in London, the audiences were wildly enthusiastic. At the second performance, Ponselle had to encore the aria, "O nume tutelar." Her success was such that she considered an engagement at Milan's La Scala, but after witnessing a Florence audience's brutal treatment of a famous tenor, Giacomo Lauri-Volpi, who cracked on a high note, she decided not to press her luck further with the notoriously difficult Italian operagoing public. Other than her appearances in London and Florence, Ponselle never sang outside the United States. 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Founded 59 BC as Florentia Region Tuscany Mayor Leonardo Domenici (Democratici di Sinistra) Area  - City Proper  102 km² Population  - City (2004)  - Metropolitan  - Density (city proper) 356,000 almost 500,000 3,453/km² Time zone CET, UTC+1 Latitude Longitude 43°47 N 11°15 E www. ... Milan (Italian: Milano; Milanese -dialect of Lombard-: Milán) is the main city in northern Italy, and is located in the plains of Lombardy, the most populated and developed region in Italy. ... La Scala by night This article is about the opera house. ...

Ponselle continued in the 1930s to add roles to her repertoire at the Metropolitan Opera. In 1930 she sang Donna Anna in Don Giovanni to great acclaim, but her first New York appearances in 1931 as Violetta, a role she had sung with such success in London, received a more mixed reception from the New York critics, some of whom found her interpretation too forceful and dramatic. (W.J. Henderson complained of her "assaults" on the vocal line.) In 1931 she sang in another unsuccessful world premiere, Montemezzi's La notte di Zoraima, which sank without a trace. Like many other opera singers of that time, she made a brief trip to Hollywood and made a screen test, but nothing came of it. In 1935, Ponselle sang her first Carmen at the Met. In spite of a great popular success with the role, for which she had prepared meticulously, Ponselle received a drubbing from most of the New York critics, especially Olin Downes in the New York Times, whose savagely caustic review hurt Ponselle deeply. The only roles Ponselle sang during her last two seasons at the Met were Santuzza and Carmen, both roles that did not tax her upper register. Differences with the Met management regarding repertoire led her not to renew her contract with the company for the 1937-38 season. Her last operatic performance was as Carmen on April 22, 1937, in a Met tour performance in Cleveland. She was 40 years old, at the height of her popularity, and apart from a receding upper register, still in magnificent voice. Don Giovanni is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte. ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Poster from the 1875 premiere of Carmen Carmen is a French opera by Georges Bizet. ... Olin Downes (Edwin) (January 27, 1886–August 22, 1955) was a significant U.S. music critic. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

Retirement

Ponselle did not consciously or purposely retire after that Cleveland Carmen in 1937; she just let her career slip away. A variety of factors contributed to this: her receding upper register, which made singing her signature roles increasingly nerve-wracking; her bitterness over the Met management's refusal to accede to her requests regarding repertoire (she wanted to sing Cilea's Adriana Lecouvreur, another part with a congenial low tessitura, and general manager Edward Johnson said no); mental and physical exhaustion, after a non-stop, intense 21-year career with continual bouts of performance nerves; her marriage in 1936 to Baltimore socialite Carle Jackson; and her enjoyment of the relaxed life she now had without the demands of performing. Ponselle later said that she never missed performing after she retired. She and Jackson built a luxurious home near Baltimore, the Villa Pace, where she lived the rest of her life. Francesco Cilea, (Palmi, near Reggio Calabria, July 26, 1866 - Varazze, near Savona, November 20, 1950) was an Italian opera composer, whose early success was not sustained, as taste in music changed. ... Adriana Lecouvreur is an opera by Francesco Cilea. ... Tessitura (Italian: texture) is a musical term. ... Edward Johnson may refer to: Edward Johnson (general) (1816–1873), American Civil War Edward H. Johnson (born 1846?), inventor, electric Christmas tree lights Edward Johnson (soccer) (born 1984), American Edward Mead Johnson (1852–1934), co-founder of Johnson and Johnson Edward Johnson (finance) Edward Johnson (mayor), former mayor of Baltimore... A view of the Baltimore skyline from the water taxi. ...

Her marriage to Jackson was rocky and they divorced in 1949. The breakup was traumatic for Ponselle, and she suffered a nervous breakdown. Although she never again appeared on the concert or opera stage, Ponselle continued to sing at home for friends, who reported that her voice was as magnificent as ever. This was confirmed in 1954, when RCA came to Villa Pace and recorded Ponselle singing a wide variety of songs. In the late 1940s, Ponselle became the guiding force of the fledgling Baltimore Civic Opera, providing coaching and voice lessons for the young singers who appeared with the company. Among those who coached with her and who later became renowned singers were Beverly Sills, Sherrill Milnes, Plácido Domingo and James Morris. For other uses, see RCA (disambiguation). ... Beverly Sills The coloratura soprano Beverly Sills (born May 25, 1929) was perhaps the best-known American opera singer in the 1960s and 1970s. ... Milnes as Scarpia in Tosca Sherrill Milnes (born January 10, 1935) is an American baritone famous for his Verdi roles. ... Plácido Domingo (born January 21, 1934) is a famous Spanish opera singer, well-known for a voice that is versatile, strong and possessed a squillo less tone in the lower part of its range, while lacking good high notes above A. Biography and career Plácido Domingo was born... There have been several people named James Morris: James Morris, (1893-01-02–1980-07-20) Justice of the Supreme Court of North Dakota (1935–1964), a trial judge for the IG Farben Trial. ...

Ponselle died at the Villa Pace on May 25, 1981. She is buried in Druid Ridge cemetery in Baltimore. May 25 is the 145th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (146th in leap years). ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The voice

Rosa Ponselle's voice was one of extraordinary beauty and voluptuousness. In its richness and depth, it has been compared by commentators at various times to port wine, maroon velvet and dark chocolate. The voice was absolutely even in its scale, from top to bottom, with all vocal registers seamlessly integrated and no audible changes of gear. Her legato singing was exemplary. She could sing at all dynamic levels, from a powerful forte to a gossamer pianissimo that carried to all corners of the opera house, and she could execute a perfect messa di voce in all parts of her range. In her early years, she had a two-octave range from low C to high C. She possessed an exceptionally rich and mellow middle and lower register. In musical notation legato indicates that musical notes are played smoothly. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... In music, dynamics refers to the volume or loudness of the sound or note, in particular to the range from soft (quiet) to loud. ... Messa di voce (Italian, placing the voice) is a musical technique that involves a gradual crescendo and decrescendo while sustaining a single pitch. ...

In weight and caliber Ponselle's voice was a true dramatic soprano, capable of encompassing all the demands of roles like La Gioconda and Norma. Although not a coloratura soprano in the mould of Tetrazzini or Galli-Curci, she had unusual flexibility for such a large and powerful voice and could negotiate fast scale passages with ease and accuracy, the proverbial "string of pearls." She possessed a fine trill that she could sustain seemingly forever: when she sang the trill in the cabaletta "Tutto sprezzo" in Act I of Verdi's Ernani, the story was that the conductor would simply fold his arms and wait for her to finish, picking up his baton only when she indicated that she was ready to come out of the trill. Coloratura is an ornate, flowery style in classical singing. ... Tetrazzini is an American dish comprised of cream sauce, grated cheese, mushrooms, and almonds, served on some spaghetti-like noodle, with one of various kinds of non-red meat, usually seafood or fowl. ... A Cabaletta is form of aria within 19th century Italian opera. ...

Added to the above, Ponselle was a sensitive musician and an imaginative interpreter. She was a quick study and could sight-read with accuracy. She possessed an excellent sense of rhythm. She was a convincing and intense actress, at times (in the opinion of some critics) pushing drama and intensity past the bounds of good taste. One can hear something of this in the denunciation scene in a 1935 performance of La traviata, during which Ponselle's Violetta sobs and cries out and grows increasingly (and audibly) hysterical as Alfredo berates her.

The principal flaw in Ponselle's voice, past the earliest years of her operatic career, was a problematic top register. Even in her earliest days, she had a phobia of the high C. In an interview in 1955, Ponselle said that the first thing she did when looking over a prospective role was flip through the score and count the high Cs. (The exposed high C in "O patria mia" in Aida terrified Ponselle and was the reason she did not sing more often a role that otherwise fitted her, vocally, like a glove.) Throughout her career Ponselle availed herself freely of transpositions. Apparently, she never sang any of the high Cs in Norma but transposed them all down to a B. Her "Sempre libera" in the live Traviata is taken down a whole tone. In the later years of her career, but while she was still relatively young, her top register receded, and she was increasingly drawn to roles like Santuzza, Carmen and Adriana that did not tax her upper register. Some have speculated that Ponselle was by nature a mezzo-soprano with an exceptional upper extension. This theory is bolstered by the dark richness and solidity of her lower register. Ponselle herself once told mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne that she might have studied as a mezzo had she not begun singing so young. More likely, however, Ponselle, like Horne and Regina Resnik, started out as a true soprano, but as her voice matured it darkened and settled into a lower placement. If Ponselle had continued to sing in opera into the 1940s, she would probably have done so as a mezzo-soprano. In music, transposition is moving a note or collection of notes up or down in pitch by a constant interval. ... Marilyn Horne The American opera singer Marilyn Horne (born January 16, 1934) is a mezzo soprano who is particularly associated with the music of Rossini and Handel. ... Regina Resnik (born 30 August 1922 in New York City) is an opera singer and actress, who is known for her performances in Carmen, Don Carlo, Falstaff, Aida, Queen of Spades and Elektra amongst others. ...

The following recordings best demonstrate the various aspects of Ponselle's voice discussed above:

Range, timbre, pianissimo: "Suicidio!"
Trill and coloratura: "Ernani, involami" and "Mercè, diletti amiche" ("Bolero")
Legato: "Tu che invoco" and "O nume tutelar"
Dynamic control and messa di voce: "Pace, pace, mio Dio"

Recordings

Rosa Ponselle's recording career began with the acoustic horn, continued with electric recording, and ended on magnetic tape. Over her career, she made 166 commercial recordings (not including alternate takes), either in the studio or at Villa Pace. These are supplemented by live recordings from the 1930s, which include three complete operas and numerous songs and arias from her appearances on radio. Additionally, there are numerous "private" recordings made by Ponselle herself and others at the Villa Pace, from 1949 through 1957. Compact audio cassette Magnetic tape is a non-volatile storage medium consisting of a magnetic coating on a thin plastic strip. ...

Columbia Recordings. Shortly before her Metropolitan Opera debut in 1918, Ponselle signed a 5-year contract with American Columbia. Although at that time Victor was the more prestigious label, and the one for which Caruso recorded, Ponselle was counselled to sign with Columbia because she would be the company's leading soprano and not just one in a stable of great singers. Ponselle made 44 discs for Columbia, including arias from many operas in which she never sang, such as Lohengrin, Tosca, La Boheme, Madama Butterfly, and I Vespri Siciliani. All her Columbia recordings were acoustics. Her Columbia recording of "Selva opaca" from William Tell was her personal favorite among all her recordings, because she felt that it was the most true representation of her voice and style. Of particular interest among the Columbia discs are three duets she made with Carmela of some of their vaudeville hits, including a version of "Comin' Thro' the Rye" that features an elaborate coloratura cadenza that would not be out of place in Bellini's Norma but sounds a bit strange in the Scottish Highlands. One of Ponselle's regrets about signing with Columbia was that it deprived her of the chance to record with Caruso, who was an exculsive Victor artist. In some German Arthurian literature, Lohengrin is the son of Parzival (Percival). ... Original poster Tosca is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Victorien Sardous drama, La Tosca. ... La Bohème, French for The Bohemian Life, is an opera in four acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on La Vie de Bohème by Henri Murger. ... -1...

Victor Recordings. When her Columbia contract expired in 1923, Ponselle immediately signed with Victor. Her recordings from 1923-1925 are all acoustics; from 1925 on, they are all electrics. Ponselle's greatest recordings for Victor include "Pace, pace mio Dio," "Suicidio!", "Casta Diva," and the two arias from La vestale. She also recorded several ensembles, including the complete Tomb Scene from Aida with Giovanni Martinelli and "Mira, o Norma" with Marion Telva, the Adalgisa of her first Normas in 1927. Ponselle made no studio recordings after 1939. In 1954 RCA (Victor's successor), unable to persuade Ponselle to return to the recording studio, took its recording equipment to the Villa Pace and set up a microphone in the foyer. Ponselle, with piano accompaniment, recorded 53 songs, many of which were released on two LP discs, "Rosa Ponselle Sings Today" and "Rosa Ponselle at the Villa Pace." They show that Ponselle's voice was in magnificent condition even at age 57, with extraordinary richness and depth (including a low D in "Der Tod und das Mädchen"), even if the top notes are a bit attenuated. Giovanni Martinelli (born Montagnana 22 October 1885 - died New York, 2 February 1969) was an Italian tenor opera singer. ...

Live Recordings. Ponselle sang often on the radio in the early 30s, and she generally had her broadcasts recorded on 78 rpm acetate disks. Many of these have been released since on LP and CD. There are four complete opera performances from the Metropolitan Opera Saturday matinee broadcasts: Don Giovanni (1934), La traviata (1935), and two performances of Carmen (1936 and 1937). The 1937 Carmen is the Cleveland tour performance that was Ponselle's farewell to the operatic stage. The Traviata and Carmen performances are in good sound (for a mid-30s radio broadcast transcription); the Don Giovanni is in very poor sound. Ponselle's live recordings also include many songs and arias from her radio concerts. Finally, there are private recordings made at the Villa Pace of Ponselle singing various songs and arias accompanying herself on the piano, some of which are items she never recorded elsewhere. There is a particularly moving and very freely-rendered performance of the aria "Senza Mamma" from Suor Angelica. Manufacturers put records inside protective and decorative cardboard jackets and an inner paper sleeve to protect the grooves from dust and scratches. ... Acetate, or ethanoate, is the anion of a salt or ester of acetic acid. ... Suor Angelica (Sister Angelica) is an opera in one act by Giacomo Puccini to an original Italian libretto by Giovacchino Forzano. ...

CDs

• Rosa Ponselle: The Columbia Acoustic Recordings; Pearl.
  
• Rosa Ponselle: The Victor Recordings 1923-25; Romophone.
  
• Rosa Ponselle: The Victor Recordings 1925-29; Romophone.
  
• Rosa Ponselle: The 1939 Victor and 1954 "Villa Pace" Recordings; Romophone.
  
• Rosa Ponselle in Opera and Song; Nimbus Prima Voce (available separately on 3 *CDs - Rosa Ponselle vv. 1, 2 & 3; Nimbus).
  
• Rosa Ponselle On the Air Volume 1 1934-36; Marston.
  
• Rosa Ponselle On the Air Volume 2; Marston.
  
• Rosa Ponselle: When I Have Sung My Songs 1922-1057; Biographies in Music, Cantabile.
  

Note: Most of these sets are available on amazon.com; others can usually be found through second-hand dealers.

Quotations

• "When discussing singers, there are two you must first set aside: Rosa Ponselle and Enrico Caruso. Then you may begin." - Geraldine Farrar, soprano.
• "In my lifetime, there have been three vocal miracles: Caruso, Ruffo and Ponselle." - Tullio Serafin, conductor.
• "When you hear the voice of Rosa Ponselle, you hear a fountain of melody blessed by the Lord." - Mary Garden, soprano.
• "The most glorious voice that ever came from any woman's throat."
  - Walter Legge, record producer.
• "The greatest singer of us all." - Maria Callas, soprano.
• "The Queen of Queens in all of singing." - Luciano Pavarotti, tenor.
  

Geraldine Farrar Farrar as the title character in Manon Geraldine Farrar (February 28, 1882 – March 11, 1967) was an opera singer whose stage presence earned her a fanatic following of Gerryflappers in the early 20th century. ... Tullio Serafin (1878 - 1968) was an Italian conductor of opera. ... Mary Garden (February 20, 1874 - January 3, 1967) was a popular operatic soprano in the first third of the 20th century. ... Walter Legge (June 1, 1906 - March 22, 1979) was an influential British classical record producer, most notably for EMI. Legge first joined HMV in 1927 mainly to work for the editorial of the companys retailing magazine, but he caught the eye of another famous record producer, Fred Gaisberg, and... Maria Callas on book cover Maria Callas (Greek name: Μαρία Καλογεροπούλου; December 2, 1923 – September 16, 1977) was an American-born Greek soprano and perhaps the best-known opera singer of the post-World War II period. ... Luciano Pavarotti The Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti (born October 12, 1935), is one of the most famous living singers, not only in the world of opera, but across all genres. ...

Bibliography

Drake, James A., "Rosa Ponselle: A Centenary Biography" (Amadeus Press: Portland 1997)
Fitzgerald, Gerald ed., "Annals of the Metropolitan Opera" (G. K. Hall & Co.: Boston 1989)
Jackson, Paul, "Saturday Afternoons at the Old Met: The Metropolitan Opera Matinee Broadcasts, 1931-1950" (Amadeus Press: Portland 1992)
Phillips-Matz, Mary Jane, "Rosa Ponselle: American Diva" (Northeastern University Press: Boston 1997)
Ponselle, Rosa & Drake, James A., "Rosa Ponselle: A Singer's Life" (Doubleday & Sons: New York 1982)
Scott, Michael, "The Record of Singing, Vol. 2" (Gerald Duckworth & Co., Ltd.: London 1979)
Steane, J.B., "The Grand Tradition" (Amadeus Press: Portland 1993)