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Yma sumac musictube3/24/2023 ![]() The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at for further information. SIMON: And her legend continues 100 years after her birth. Like, she was never the kind of performer who later in life kind of had a sense of humor about herself. MIRANDA: There was something, like, very fabulous and larger than life about her, and she never let that go. Carolina Miranda says her music endured with a fan base who cherished her campiness. She even had a 40-city tour of the Soviet Union. SIMON: Yma Sumac did perform in plenty of other places across the U.S. And for a long time, she did not go to Peru. They saw her almost as corrupting the culture. MIRANDA: Peruvians for a long time, you know, had an arm's-length relationship with her. SIMON: Yma Sumac also appeared in movies - with Charlton Heston in the 1954 adventure movie "Secret Of The Incas." While she may have been a star in the U.S., that was not the case in her native Peru - at least not at first. SUMAC: (Singing in non-English language). (SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "TAITA INTY (VIRGIN OF THE SUN GOD)") She had five octaves according to some reports, but other reports document four-and-a-half at the peak of her singing. Sumac became an international success based on her extreme vocal range. She was one of the most famous exponents of exotica music during the 1950s. It was a stew of international sounds - Asian gongs, pan flutes, drums, these kind of dramatic and florid vocal stylings. Zoila Augusta Emperatriz Chvarri del Castillo, known professionally as Yma Sumac, was a Peruvian-American coloratura soprano. MIRANDA: If you think of what the soundtrack to some jungle epic or a tiki bar would be, that was exotica. She wore gold jewelry, big bracelets, an elaborate headpiece and a large necklace. On the cover of her first album, Yma Sumac was posed before a smoking volcano, flanked by images of pre-Columbian sculptures. And here's an example of how Capitol Records gave the singer the Hollywood treatment. SIMON: That's Carolina Miranda, a columnist for the Los Angeles Times and a lifelong fan of Yma Sumac. ![]() And so Capitol Records took all of these stories from Andean Indigenous history, and basically Hollywooded (ph) them and her right up. ![]() And then, as many ambitious entertainers do, she decided to move to Hollywood.ĬAROLINA MIRANDA: Nobody really had much use for Andean folk music in 19 - late 1940s Los Angeles. She became a folk singer, drawing on what were believed to be Incan traditions. She claimed to be a descendant of the last Incan emperor. SIMON: Yma Sumac was born in the Andes, and several towns claimed to be her birthplace. Let's listen to "Chuncho," where her voice growls. ![]() That's about twice as large as any ordinary singer. She had an enormous vocal range - at least four octaves, maybe even five. She would have turned 100 years old this month, either on September 10 or September 13 - some of the details of her life are a little fudgy. SIMON: That's the late Yma Sumac, the Peruvian singer with a singular and stunning sound. Please upgrade to Internet Explorer.Ī true no-frames version of this site is not available, however by using the site map, you can still see much of what is here.Now a voice for the ages - whichever age that was. Please note: we cannot help if you are using an iMac with the default browser that came with it. ![]() This page may occasionally appear when using older versions of the Netscape browser but if you contact us letting us know the version you are using, along with details about your operating If you are seeing this page, then either you have a browser that does not support Frames, or we are currently experiencing technical problems. Also available are magazines with stories about Yma Sumac along with Lobby Cards of her two Hollywood films, Publicity Photo sets and much more. Some items are available in very limited supply. Rare CDs, cassette tapes and LPs as they become available. While you're here, please visit our Shopping page for Be sure to join the Yma Sumac Fan Club today! Membership includes many features that are not available to the general public. You can learn more about Yma Sumac with the information provided throughout this site. is the official site for and about Yma Sumac, the Peruvian DIVA, and Nightingale of the Andes. Yma Sumac Homepage Welcome to 's The Yma Sumac Homepage! ![]()
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