Hote’ Casella (1909–1990) was an American mezzo-soprano and Native American cultural ambassador.[1][2] She sang throughout the United States and Europe from the 1940s until the early 1980s.[3][4]
Hote’ Casella | |
|---|---|
| Ho-Te-Ma-We | |
| Born | Gladys Bland Mathonican 1909 |
| Died | 1990 |
| Other names | Hote Casella, Hoté Casella |
| Education | University of California, Los Angeles, Juilliard School |
| Occupation | Singer |
Early life and education
editHote’ Casella was born as Gladys Bland Mathonican Miller in 1909 in San Angelo, Texas, the youngest of seven children. Casella's Native American name, "Ho-Te-Ma-We," means "mockingbird."[5][6] Her father, (Andrew) John Mathonican, was Cherokee and worked as a billiards hall manager,[3] and her mother, Marzella Carter, had Italian and Spanish ancestry.[7] Casella's family moved to Los Angeles in the early 1920s. She studied at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and Juilliard[3] and trained in German lieder and French and Italian music.[5]
Career
editShe moved to New York in the 1940s.[3] Casella's debut New York performance was at Town Hall on February 28, 1944, accompanied by Coenraad V. Bos. She sang traditional operatic selections by composers including Handel, Francesco Gasparini and Gabriel Fauré, as well as Native American music arranged by Troyer, Jeancon and Cadman.[8] Casella would later appear annually at the venue.[9]
Throughout the next several decades, Casella performed throughout the country at venues including the American Museum of Natural History, the National Folk Festival in Knoxville, Tennessee, and the Detroit Institute of Arts. She expanded her repertoire over the years to add more Native American music, including songs by the Cherokee, Navajo, Zuni, Apache, Hopi, Cheyenne, Sioux, Ojibway and Chippewa people, most from the 18th and 19th centuries.[7]
Later in her career, Casella devoted her career to teaching audiences, particularly children, about Native American culture,[10] and to situating Native American music amid the larger folk music tradition.[5] She told the Newspaper Enterprise in 1966 that she wished to do for Native American music what Igor Moiseyev had done for popularizing and professionalizing Russian folk dances.[9]
Casella died in 1990.[3]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Shelton, Robert (January 29, 1967). "Mezzo Is Spokeswoman for American Indian". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
- ^ "Hote Casella, Noted Mezzo, Heard Here". The Daily News-Journal. 1969-10-23. p. 8. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
- ^ a b c d e "Hote Casella Collection (Ms. Hote Casella)". Tomaquag Museum. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
- ^ "Hote Casella Heard; Cherokee Soprano Presents Indian Songs and Stories". The New York Times. 1962-02-04. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
- ^ a b c Miller, Joy (4 August 1963). "Cherokee Singer Asks: Give Indian Music Status". Asbury Park Press. Associated Press.
- ^ "Hote Casella Interprets Songs and Legends of the American Indian". Ridgewood Herald-News. 1953-09-24. p. 11. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
- ^ a b Pauley, Gay (3 May 1973). "Indian Soprano's Concerto Close with Tribal Songs". Omaha World-Herald.
- ^ "Hote Casella in Song Debut". The New York Times. 29 February 1944.
- ^ a b Crosby, Joan (9 January 1966). "Indian Music Too Neglected". Sioux City Journal. Newspaper Enterprise Association.
- ^ Sterling, Peace (12 August 1971). "Indian Singer Wants to Preserve Native Culture". The Journal. Associated Press. Retrieved 27 March 2023.