Rosa Ponselle sings ‘Pace Pace’ for VE Day

The introduction is an excerpt from ‘We Followed Our Stars’ by Ida Cook, relating the significance of the performance by Rosa Ponselle of this aria on this occasion.
My own transcript from a Columbia record, played on my Mark IX EMG with a burmese thorn needle. The gramophone has a bad habit of speeding up gradually at the moment, which I hope I can fix soon. Apologies for this record finishing nearly a semitone higher than it started!

[@rowley555]

Rosa Ponselle was a force of nature. My favorite! IMHO nobody has sung "Ernani involami" better on recording. How I wish I could go back in time and listen to her live.

[@tedrobinson372]

Although I am an engineer and not a musician, my fascination with opera has spanned many decades. My collection of early opera recordings on discs and cylinders I have used for comparison with modern singers. I tend to return to Ponselle's Columbia and Victor recordings as a sort of reference. Ponselle sadly did not make many of them but we must be grateful for what we have. Those of us fortunate to have been avid listeners to the Saturday Matinee Texaco sponsored Metropolitan Opera broadcasts hosted by Milton Cross, will also remember Rosa in her later years on the panel of the intermission feature Opera Quiz. I had the pleasure of meeting Ida Cook giving a talk at I believe the ENO in 1982. She presented us and autographed copy of her book which I still cherish. I sincerely appreciate this retrospective which brings back many memories of both Ida and Rosa.

[@MartinRosol]

I was in high school in Baltimore in the early mid-1970s when I was able to attend the Baltimore Opera’s dress rehearsals. Rosa Ponselle would always be in attendance, seated in or around the fifth row, down on the left. I had a sense of how famous she had been based on what others had told me. I had been driven past her Villa Pace estate in the county, on Green Spring Valley Road. Yet there she was, just meters away from me, in a near empty hall quietly observing the rehearsal onstage. Thank you for this presentation, and helping me realize what a privilege it was to be in her presence in those days.

[@grahamrankin]

What an amazing tale you tell and how wonderful. A transatlantic telephone call in those days must have been quite something and to have Rosa Ponselle at the other end---well, just out of this world. Very many thanks for this special video.

[@znmnky13]

Fantastic. Beautiful song, wonderful voice and wonderful story. Thank you.

[@TenoreLirico]

This is an extraordinary remembrance. Of course, I have a special place in my heart for Ponselle, so that is what attracted me to this video. I’ve never heard this story about Ida and her sister. Quite touching and at the same time heroic. Thank you for creating this video and all of the content on your channel.

[@joanlauro823]

Rosa ponselle when she sang Pate Pate meal deal from Rockport to del Destino was like an angel singing it was so beautiful if you have a chance to listen to the recordings please do

[@joanlauro823]

The aria is Pace mio dio from the opera LA FORZA DEL DESTINO IM REPEATING WHAT I PRIVIOUSLY SPOKE . IT WAS NOT TRSNSLATED CORRECTLY SO I HAD TO REWRITE IT SORRY ABOUT THAT.

[@EmilyGloeggler7984]

Rosa Ponselle remains an ever constant inspiration to me.

[@grobanite4ever85]

Rosa Ponselle was fantastic

[@colinbrigham8253]

Thank you wonderful story wonderful voice so uplifting 😊

[@CurzonRoad]

Thank you!

[@laprimmadonna2341]

The color of her voice is…deep blue.❤❤❤thanks

[@paulphillips6970]

Ponslle.... Costa Diva!!!!! I'm sobbing with joy.

[@danielintheantipodes6741]

I had never heard of the Cooks. Thank you for the video!

[@saltburner2]

I knew Ida and Louise quite well. and have a signed copy of her book.

[@PhantomsoftheOpera]

How wonderful! They sound like lovely people

[@patrickgallagher3513]

I think the recording that gives the best idea of what it must have been to hear Rosa Ponselle and her immense voice live is this one. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bKWZXo2bo9-pq5I

[@SherryGrant]

I love the urgency and drama of music interpreted by musicians well before our times. A lot more heart-felt, it seems to me. Perhaps musicians of this age have a different focus? Anyway I’m trying my best to discover our next “golden age” - as a musician and poet myself, I combine art forms in events I organise…

[@zabadac1249]

Hello! I discovered your channel and absolutely love it. The content is made with so much knowledge, overall taste and... love for the art of singing that I can only shout out: Brava!! I myself am a professional singer in the musical genre and have to fight the terrible, terrible trens and fashions in this particular field.... which are - more or less the same as in opera: Screaming, forcing the voice and the vibrato.... and above all....LOOOOOOUD!!! the louder the better it seems. And every individual sound and tembre is levelled out by the so cold "vocal coaches" who - for good reasons - are at least resisting the temptation to call themselves "teachers", because 95% of them aren`t. The voices sound the same... like a bad blue print, a replaceable pattern to fill in the music. And my personal reaction: I am not enjoying it anymore - as a performer as well as in the audience. It is never a positive, uplifting, joyfull experience but a source of anger and sadness. So I am staying home and put on my CD´s from the old greats... or - from now on - watch one of your videos. It is so good to know that good musical taste and style and the pure artistry of real singing is not completely gone. Greetings from Berlin

[@kirkp7470]

Her darkness reminds me of Caruso to this day!

[@starlove7474]

Why is your speaking voice so affected sounding? Have you had nasal surgery?