"Pelo Telefone" is registered
The song conventionally called the first recorded samba is registered in the name of Donga, later also naming the journalist Mauro de Almeida. It came out of the collective improvisation of a samba circle at the house of Tia Ciata near Praça Onze in Rio, which is why at least half a dozen musicians have been advanced as authors. Earlier Brazilian recordings labelled samba exist — retrieved accounts cite 1913 and 1914 examples — so what this record marks is the first national hit, not the first instance.
Historical — it happened, and the record is settled.
Subjects
- Samba · cultural practice · Brazil · not located
- Tia Ciata (Hilária Batista de Almeida) · person · Brazil · not located
- Rio de Janeiro · city · Brazil
Evidence
Partly verified — Core facts are sourced; some optional detail is deliberately absent.
Pelo Telefone (1916)
"Pelo Telefone" was registered on 27 November 1916 in the name of Donga, later also naming Mauro de Almeida; it emerged from collective improvisation at the house of Tia Ciata and is conventionally called the first recorded samba, though earlier recordings labelled samba exist and its authorship is disputed among several musicians. V55 verification basis: retrieved in search summary across this institutional entry and Brazilian press accounts; the entry was not opened, and no registration document was examined.
Enciclopédia Itaú Cultural, São Paulo · Partly verified
enciclopedia.itaucultural.org.br, entry on "Pelo Telefone" (1916)