This song was known by both titles listed above but was commonly called the "Hymn to the Sun."  It was very popular with audiences throughout Yma's career.  Critics were unanimous in their praise of the piece, finding it one of Yma's most attractive and effective pieces; dramatic and powerful.  Publicly "Taita Inty" differed from the virtuostic, operatic-like piece it is here, being more stark, more icily chilling; performed only to Moises' [Vivanco] guitar and Hernan's [Braña] percussive accompaniment.  The length differed as well.  The Capitol recording lasts 2:57.  In public, however, the song could last close to six minutes.  Yma's commercial recording of "Taita Inty" is a colorfully orchestrated condensation of what she performed in public.  When Yma sang the piece live, portions of "Wifala," an ancient, traditional Peruvian melody (or chant) in praise of the sun were always included.  It was not included on the Capitol recording.  The arpeggiated rise of Yma's voice in minor thirds to high E flat is also indigenous to Peru, being a traditional musical formula, instrumental in concept.

The excessive number of high notes in this short piece demonstrates the comfortable height of Yma's instrument and the song's unusual difficulty.  Most operatic coloratura sopranos, even high note specialists would balk over such requirements.  For example it includes 16 high Fs (four times what is needed to sing the Queen of the Night's Vengeance aria from Mozart's Die Zauberflöt;te), 22 high Es, and 29 high Cs.

This orchestrated version of "Taita Inty" is a vocalise; vowels and consonants being used only for emphais, coloristic effects, or as resonance aids - like "loi" on the low E flat.  (The "o" of "loi" keeps the throat open, the larynx lowered and relaxed.)  Analyzed this way, "Taita Inty" is a revealing study of Yma's singing instincts.  Taken out of context and then re-applied, these aids can be of great value to singers specializing in more classical repertoire.

The Hymn to the Sun is in distinct sections and, although fragmentary, each provides its own mood.  The song opens with an atmospheric crash of a gong, and lush, minor chords played by string instruments, immediately establishing an exotic flavor before Yma has sung a note.  Yma enters humming her first bars of chant-like music in the area of high C and E flat.  The consonants Yma uses: "ma-ma-ma-wah," are formed with little lip action, towards the back of the throat, and with a lot of mouth resonance.  This gives the tone an eerie quality so that listeners are not sure whether it is a voice or an instrument they are hearing.  The rise to the first of many high E flats is contrasted in the next phrase by Yma opening her mouth (and all her head resonances) and propelling her voice for an intense forte attack on high C.  No sooner done then she slightly closes her mouth and dwindles the tone as she approaches high D.  This is a delicately floated pianissimo which she contrasts again, two bars later, with a ringing forte.  Within these two introductory phrases, Yma demonstrates an unusually advanced control of vocal dynamics and varying tonal placement.

Section B takes place two octaves lower and shows influences of jazz and blues, a few sounds impossible to translate.  This section amply shows Yma's mastery of the diaphragmatic "flip." This is the rippling-over of a triplet figure.  Not all singers learn this technique, which gives uncommon clarity to each of the three notes and lends grace and elegance to coloratura passages.  It is, however, a form of technical prowess that is invaluable for accurate phrasing in florid work.  A number of operatic coloratura sopranos used this technique to clarify their florid work such as the early 20th century singers Luisa Tetrazzini, Ada Sari and Miliza Korjus.  So did the more recent Maria Callas, Joan Sutherland, Luciana Serra and Edita Gruberova.  Yma mastered this technique to the degree that she could nonchalantly ripple through triplet figures in a range of over three octaves.

Section C has the traditional Peruvian rise in minor thirds, mentioned earlier, with a gradual crescendo to the F at the top of the staff.  When the high A flat is reached (an area of transition in the soprano voice), Yma subtly softens the note, enabling her to ride easily over the "break" into pure head-voice for the following high C and E flat.

The descending glissando from the E flat allows Yma to return to the lower extremes of her voice without undue pressure and without disconnecting breaks in registers.  Voice students are familiar with this type of descent.  It is similar to an exercise to even-out and blend registers.  If not done with the right balance of head and middle-voice mixture, the voice will crack in two.

Section D, with its many high Fs is a perfect exercise for hopeful Queen of the Nights.  If they can sing these passages, the Mozart phrases will pose no problems.  As a matter of fact, a few passages sound suspiciously familiar.  This section is one of the most brilliant Yma ever put to disk; the bird-like staccati sung with great rapidity and pinging with a roundness of tone and ease that was Yma's trademark.  Not content to just sing the notes, Yma provides various accents by leaning on certain notes within the altitudinous phrases.

After a short re-statement of the main thematic fragment there is an intense, sequential building to high D flat - Yma's juggling of registers is very obvious here.  The climactic, sustained high F is a purely floated flute-tone and an example of cleverly controlled understatement.  A slow glissando is again used to help Yma descend to normal regions and the song ends as oddly as it began - only two-octaves lower.  Another crash of the gong signals its conclusion.

The key for "Taita Inty" was not altered until the Russian tour of the 1960s when it was sung 1/2 step lower, in e minor.  Its final appearance, some twenty-two years after Voice of the Xtabay, was unfortunate - a diluted, almost unrecognizable version sung in e minor on the television special, Fol de Rol, in February of 1972.

Webmaster's note: the version of this song that appeared at the opening of the 1954 film, Secret of the Incas was taken directly from the 1950 recording but had a flute added, probably played by Hernán Braña, who also had an uncredited background appearance in the film.  The version with the flute was never released on any recordings and was also shorter than the one on Voice of the Xtabay, having been "faded out" as the film's story began.