She was born Rose Melba Ponzillo in Meriden, Connecticut, the youngest of three children. Her parents were Italian Neapolitan 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. She made her Metropolitan Opera debut on 1918, as Leonora, opposite Caruso. The following recordings best demonstrate the various aspects of Ponselle's voice:
-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"
Ponselle died at the Villa Pace near Baltimore, Maryland on May 25, 1981. /

------------------------------------------Cleaned by Maldoror means that it is my own cleaning. -------------