Casta Diva, Sung by Marcella Sembrich

Title: Casta Diva, Sung by Marcella Sembrich
Rights: Library of Congress. Recording in the National Jukebox, courtesy of Sony Entertainment. Public Domain.
Creator: Vincenzo Bellini: Composer
Marcella Sembrich: Soloist
Date: c. 1907
Description: A 1910 recording of "Casta Diva" from Vincenzo Bellini's "Norma." This song is among the most popular operatic arias, where singers from Sembrich to Jenny Lind, Rosa Ponselle, and Maria Callas performed the piece among many other prima donnas. Sopranos regularly regard Norma as one of the most challenging roles in opera.

The title translates to "Queen of Heaven" and features the title character, Norma, praying to the moon. Marcella Sembrich, who sings the solo in this recording, was among the first women to preserve their voices as commercial artists at the start of the twentieth century.
Format: Recording on a 12-inch Victrola record.
Language: Aria: Italian (sung)
Publisher: Library of Congress. Recording in the National Jukebox, courtesy of Sony Entertainment.
Contributor: Lindsey Cillis
Identifier: Library of Congress, recording in the National Jukebox, courtesy of Sony Entertainment. 6290.
Subject: Prima donnas; Marcella Sembrich; Norma; Vincenzo Bellini; opera recording; opera performance.
Source: MP3 file. Library of Congress. Recording in the National Jukebox, courtesy of Sony Entertainment. Unknown photographer. 11/7/2023, https://www.loc.gov/item/jukebox-125662/.

Media: "Casta Diva" Record; "Casta Diva" Solo, Performed by Marcella Sembrich