Uploaded September 2019 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Soprano Rosalia Chalia / La Stella Del Norte (L'Etoile du Nord ~ Meyerbeer) / 7" Zonophone recorded 1900-1901 / Illustration from La Correspondencia De Puerto-Rico, Wednesday, September 21, 1904, San Juan, Puerto Rico --
Chalía Herrera, born Rosalía Gertrudis de la Concepción Díaz de Herrera y de Fonseca (17 November 1864, in Havana -- 16 November 1948), was a Cuban soprano. She had the distinction of being the first Cuban musical artist to be recorded. She recorded, outside Cuba, numbers from the zarzuela Cadíz in 1898 on unnumbered Bettini cylinders. Much of her career was spent in Cuba, but she also sang in Mexico City, New York, Milan, Caracas, Madrid and Barcelona. Chalía studied singing with Angelo Massanet, then she went to New York to perfect her skills at the School of Opera and Oratorio of Emilio Agramonte. Later on she studied violin with Laureano Fuentes Matons in Santiago de Cuba. In 1895 she appeared in the Weber Hall in New York, performing to raise money for the Cuban War of Independence. (wikipedia)
The following, with different dates than the brief wikipedia article, is from the Kutsch & Riemens Concise Biographical Dictionary of Singers (Chilton Book Company ~ 1969)
ROSALIA CHALIA (1866-1961) : She came of a noble Cuban family and at first sang only at charity concerts. In 1896 she appeared for an indisposed singer with a traveling Italian company then touring Cuba, and she was sensationally successful as Santuzza in Cavaleria Rusticana. Against the will of her family she then took up a stage career which brought her great success, particularly in Latin America. She sang Santuzza at the Metropolitan Opera (1898-99) and later travelled with the San Carlo Opera Company in the United States. After the end of her career she lived in great poverty in New York. Finally the Cuban government granted her an honorary pension and brought her back to her homeland. This singer is more famous for her records than for her personal career. Many of her records first appeared on the "Eldridge R. Johnson Improved Record" label (1900-01) and then later on Victor. She also recorded with Zonophone , Columbia and HMV.
NOTE: The likely more up-to-date and accurate liner notes to the Marston CD can be found here: marstonrecords.com/chalia/chalia_liner.htm
******************************
Soprano Rosalia Chalia / La Stella Del Norte (L'Etoile du Nord ~ Meyerbeer) / 7" Zonophone recorded 1900-1901 / Illustration from La Correspondencia De Puerto-Rico, Wednesday, September 21, 1904, San Juan, Puerto Rico --
Chalía Herrera, born Rosalía Gertrudis de la Concepción Díaz de Herrera y de Fonseca (17 November 1864, in Havana -- 16 November 1948), was a Cuban soprano. She had the distinction of being the first Cuban musical artist to be recorded. She recorded, outside Cuba, numbers from the zarzuela Cadíz in 1898 on unnumbered Bettini cylinders. Much of her career was spent in Cuba, but she also sang in Mexico City, New York, Milan, Caracas, Madrid and Barcelona. Chalía studied singing with Angelo Massanet, then she went to New York to perfect her skills at the School of Opera and Oratorio of Emilio Agramonte. Later on she studied violin with Laureano Fuentes Matons in Santiago de Cuba. In 1895 she appeared in the Weber Hall in New York, performing to raise money for the Cuban War of Independence. (wikipedia)
The following, with different dates than the brief wikipedia article, is from the Kutsch & Riemens Concise Biographical Dictionary of Singers (Chilton Book Company ~ 1969)
ROSALIA CHALIA (1866-1961) : She came of a noble Cuban family and at first sang only at charity concerts. In 1896 she appeared for an indisposed singer with a traveling Italian company then touring Cuba, and she was sensationally successful as Santuzza in Cavaleria Rusticana. Against the will of her family she then took up a stage career which brought her great success, particularly in Latin America. She sang Santuzza at the Metropolitan Opera (1898-99) and later travelled with the San Carlo Opera Company in the United States. After the end of her career she lived in great poverty in New York. Finally the Cuban government granted her an honorary pension and brought her back to her homeland. This singer is more famous for her records than for her personal career. Many of her records first appeared on the "Eldridge R. Johnson Improved Record" label (1900-01) and then later on Victor. She also recorded with Zonophone , Columbia and HMV.
NOTE: The likely more up-to-date and accurate liner notes to the Marston CD can be found here: marstonrecords.com/chalia/chalia_liner.htm
******************************
