Rosa Ponselle: American Diva [Hardcover]

Mary Jane Phillips-Matz (Author), Beverly Sills (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 23, 1997

Rosa Ponselle (1897--1981) was one of the greatest American opera singers of the twentieth century. This definitive biography, published on the centenary of her birth, provides a compelling, in-depth, and balanced portrait of the brilliant soprano. It is a captivating Cinderella story of the spirited diva's rise from modest beginnings in Meriden, Connecticut, to star of the Metropolitan Opera.

Drawing on interviews and extensive documentary research, Mary Jane Phillips-Matz charts the course of Ponselle's incredible career, from demonstrating sheet music in dime stores, to singing in motion picture houses and restaurants, to performing on the vaudeville stage with her beloved and talented sister Carmela, to her pivotal audition for Enrico Caruso. With Caruso's backing, the twenty-one-year-old soprano, with no previous experience in opera, made a sensational debut at the Metropolitan Opera and became an overnight celebrity.

The extraordinarily successful operatic and concert career that followed the diva's debut is chronicled in this vibrant account. Also included are Ponselle's headstrong disputes with the Metropolitan, her troubled marriage and divorce, and her productive retirement years as Artistic Director of the Baltimore Civic Opera and teacher of such future opera stars as Placido Domingo, Beverly Sills, William Warfield, James Morris, and Sherill Milnes.

Editorial Reviews

From Kirkus Reviews

A thorough if dry biography published in the centennial year of the great soprano's birth. There are two ways of writing biography: Creating a portrait--novelized nonfiction, if you will--or presenting an incredibly detailed and more distanced account of a life. Phillips-Matz (Verdi, 1993), a regular contributor to Opera News and a former manager of the Spoleto Festival, has chosen the latter strategy here; the results are both good and not-so. Reading at times like a grocery list as the author strings together quotes from reviews and other sources, this volume about one of the 20th century's great singers is nonetheless impressive for the depth of its research. In ably charting Ponselle's life, Phillips-Matz relies on extensive interviews (conducted by both herself and others) as well as on a great deal of documentary material. Born in Meriden, Conn., in 1897, Ponselle rose from her modest origins as a sixth-grade drop-out who traveled the vaudeville circuit as one half of a singing duo with her sister, Carmela. Later, with the assistance of star tenor Enrico Caruso, she made her fairy-tale-style Metropolitan Opera debut at the age of 21. Ponselle was an unpredictable character, given to practical jokes and sports. This was a woman who spent her vacations not only learning every note of the new operas she was scheduled to sing the following season, but also mountain climbing in the Swiss Alps, and biking and fishing wherever. Her star status is all the more striking considering that she didn't come to opera training until fairly late. Aspiring opera singers will appreciate the author's attention to Ponselle's habits and singing strategies, while lay fans will value the book's indefatigable flow of information. Included are a Ponselle discography and a foreword by Beverly Sills. A rather conventional approach to a fairly unconventional life. (illustrations, not seen) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Review

Mary Jane Phillips-Matz ... lays out the facts in the customary womb-to-tomb manner, but errs on the side of hagiography. Scarcely any mention is made of Ponselle's high-not problem, and her penchant for transposing is not discussed at all, leading one to wonder whether Phillips-Matz is aware that Ponselle was dodging high C's throughout the latter part of her career. -- The New York Times Book Review, Terry Teachout

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Northeastern (October 23, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555533175
• ISBN-13: 978-1555533175
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,719,107 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Ponselle's career in full detail, August 24, 1998

By 

[e-mail] - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rosa Ponselle: American Diva (Hardcover)

This book was very informative as to Rosa Ponselle's extraordinary musical career; but lacking was more of a story about her rise to fame,relationships with others, and a more personal look at Ponselle.

2.0 out of 5 stars What's All the Fuss?, December 12, 2010

By 

Mercedes (Warrenville, IL, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rosa Ponselle: American Diva (Hardcover)

I found this book to be the most boring I have ever read about any "Opera Singer." There are many of the "I had another great success" or "I'm better than Ms. X, Y and Z because..." I would have even preferred another of those. I was thoroughly surprised because of the respect I have for the author, but one wants to know about the Singer! I know nothing more about "The Great Rosa Ponselle" than I did before and just wondered what all the fuss was about. There was more detail about her and sister Carmela's days in vaudeville. The first third of this book deals with the various sections of Italy, why the people live in those areas, what they do there, the type of soil one finds, the similarity (or not) to Sicily or Naples. This would make more sense if she had been born in Italy and/or spent much time there.

In the middle section, I learned more than I wanted to know of how much money Ms. Ponselle made - to the penny;

how much she spent, on whom and/or what - again to the very penny. Also, how much she invested and in which stocks, how well they did until the Great Crash of 1929. I learned almost nothing about her friendship with Caruso or any other of her colleagues. The author glosses over the the singers who came to the Met later and "took her Opera roles" - Jeritza, Rethberg, Muzio, among others, without going into much detail. The final chapters in which her work with well-known students was discussed was interesting, though too short. No specifics regarding feelings, interactions or comments on progress were mentioned. It was the most one-dimensional biography I have read in years.