Yma Sumac
Who was Yma Sumac?
Peruvian soprano known for her extraordinary vocal range spanning nearly five octaves and exotic stage persona, achieving international fame in the 1950s with albums like 'Voice of the Xtabay'.
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Yma Sumac (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Yma Sumac was a Peruvian soprano whose extraordinary vocal abilities and exotic stage presence made her an international sensation during the 1950s. Born Zoila Augusta Emperatriz Chávarri del Castillo in Callao, Peru, she claimed descent from Incan royalty, though this assertion remains historically unverified. Her stage name 'Yma Sumac' reportedly means 'how beautiful' in Quechua, reflecting her connection to Peru's indigenous heritage. Her voice possessed an unprecedented range that could span nearly five octaves, from deep contralto notes to coloratura soprano heights, allowing her to produce sounds that seemed almost superhuman.
Sumac's breakthrough came with her 1950 album 'Voice of the Xtabay,' which combined traditional Andean melodies with Hollywood orchestrations and her otherworldly vocalizations. The album's success established her as an exotic musical phenomenon in the United States, where audiences were captivated by her ability to imitate bird calls, jungle sounds, and produce seemingly impossible vocal acrobatics. Her performances featured elaborate costumes inspired by Incan and pre-Columbian designs, complete with gold jewelry and feathered headdresses that enhanced her mysterious persona.
Throughout the 1950s, Sumac released several successful albums including 'Inca Taqui' and 'Mambo!' while performing in prestigious venues across the United States and Europe. She appeared in two Hollywood films, 'Secret of the Incas' (1954) and 'Omar Khayyam' (1957), though her acting career never matched her musical success. Her concerts were theatrical spectacles that transported audiences to an imagined pre-Columbian world, complete with dramatic lighting and choreographed movements that emphasized her role as a mystical figure from ancient Peru.
After the exotic music craze waned in the late 1950s, Sumac's popularity declined, though she continued to perform sporadically through the following decades. She experienced a brief revival in the 1980s and 1990s when lounge music and exotica experienced renewed interest among collectors and music enthusiasts. Sumac spent her later years in Los Angeles, where she died in 2008, leaving behind a unique legacy as one of the most unusual and technically gifted vocalists of the twentieth century.
Before Fame
Sumac began singing as a child in Peru, where she reportedly performed traditional folk songs in local venues and festivals. Her early musical education was rooted in Peruvian folk traditions, though she later claimed to have learned her extraordinary vocal techniques from indigenous shamans in the Andes mountains. In the late 1940s, she formed a group called Ima Sumack with her husband Cholita Rivero and cousin Moises Vivanco, who also served as her musical arranger and composer.
The group's move to the United States in the late 1940s coincided with America's growing fascination with exotic cultures and world music. Vivanco's sophisticated arrangements combined authentic Peruvian instruments and melodies with lush Hollywood orchestrations, creating a sound that satisfied both the demand for authenticity and American commercial sensibilities.
Key Achievements
- Achieved international fame with 'Voice of the Xtabay' album in 1950
- Demonstrated unprecedented vocal range spanning nearly five octaves
- Performed at prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall and Hollywood Bowl
- Appeared in Hollywood films 'Secret of the Incas' and 'Omar Khayyam'
- Pioneered the exotica music genre and influenced world music performers
Did You Know?
- 01.Her vocal range was so unusual that some critics initially suspected her recordings were artificially manipulated or that multiple singers were used
- 02.She claimed to be a direct descendant of Atahualpa, the last Inca emperor, though genealogists have never verified this lineage
- 03.Her song 'Ataypura' became so popular that it was covered by numerous artists and featured in several films and television shows
- 04.She once performed at Carnegie Hall wearing a costume that weighed over 40 pounds due to its elaborate gold ornaments and feathers
- 05.Late in her career, she attempted to record rock and pop albums, including one produced by Les Baxter in the 1970s that was considered a commercial failure