On Hawaiian Folk Music

Folk Songs Hawaii Sings is a sparkling compilation of melodies from the islands of Polynesia together with a variety of folk songs that countless Asian people have brought with them to their new home in the Hawaiian Islands. In one sense it is a musical picture of the renowned harmonious blend of people who reside in Hawaii today; in another, it is a colorful record of ties with the Eastern world and ancestral heritage in line with the same American tradition that saw songs of the soil and the sea brought to the United States from Europe in an earlier age. All the songs and more, whether from Hawaii or Samoa, China or Japan, the Philippines, Okinawa, or Mongolia, are melodic bearers of traditions and aspirations, or vehicles of simple pleasures that form the background of the people who today share the hospitable sun of the Hawaiian Islands with their Caucasian neighbors. These melodies and rhythms have found their way into the many festivals and musical presentations that are so much a way of life in the welcome addition to the American Union.

Collection of sheet music of Hawaiian songs.

Here, after years of preparation, is the most ambitious book ever written about Hawaiian music - its roots, popularity and influences in the world, leading personalities and groups, organizations, songs, and publications. The complete story is here, from ancient chants to the flowering of the musical renaissance in Hawaii nei. Nearly 200 illustrations add to the book's appeal for Hawaiian music fans and serious students. Many rare photographs of historical interest are among the illustrations featuring singers, chanters, dancers, and instrumentalists. Musical instruments are also featured in drawings and photographs. Melody lines, chants, and rhythm patterns are illustrated by music notation. The book is organized like an encyclopedia, with about 200 entries in alphabetical order. They include biographies of musicians from every period of Hawaiian musical history - from Henry Berger, David Kalakaua, Queen Lili'uokalani, and others of her time, to the great names of the first half of the twentieth century, and on to the performers and composers of today's Hawaiian renaissance. There are major articles on chant, slack key, steel guitar, 'ukulele, himeni, Hawaiian orchestras, falsetto, humor in Hawaiian music, radio, television, and the recording industry to name a few. Definitive essays tell the story of all ancient and modern musical instruments and the most loved and important songs of the last 150 years. Much of the material is new or original and fresh insights are brought to the more familiar topics. Some myths are dispelled, long-standing controversies discussed, if not settled. For instance, the book comes closer to answering the question "what is Hawaiian music?" than anything written so far. The work also contains and extensive annotated bibliography of works on Hawaiian music, and two discographies.

A collection of 30 traditional Hawaiian songs for folk harp; songs 1-15 are arranged for large folk harps tuned to E flat with a full set of levers while 16-30 are the same songs arranged for small harps tuned in C. Many are playable on harps without levers, and some require levers on F and G. Also included are chords for ukulele, guitar and harp, as well as lyrics (in Hawaiian, listed separate on the last two pages). Companion CD includes all songs.

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Pages: 29. Chapters: Music of Hawaii, List of compositions and works by Leleiohoku, Hula, Dennis Kamakahi, List of compositions and works by Likelike, Hawaii Calls, Benny Kalama, He Mele Lahui Hawaii, Genoa Keawe, Sons of Hawaii, Kaulana Na Pua, Hawaii County Band, Hawaiian War Chant, Hawai i Pono, E Ola Ke Alii Ke Akua, Aloha Oe, Brushfire Records, Beyond the Reef, Hawaii Aloha, Mele Kalikimaka, Sidi Mara, The Hukilau Song, Es gibt kein Bier auf Hawaii, Grammy Award for Best Hawaiian Music Album, Kanikapila, Kawaihae, Kaleohano, Ekolu Mea Nui, Na mele paleoleo, Hawaiian Island Charts, Pearly Shells. Excerpt: The music of Hawaii includes an array of traditional and popular styles, ranging from native Hawaiian folk music to modern rock and hip hop. Hawaii's musical contributions to the music of the United States are out of proportion to the state's small size. Styles like slack-key guitar are well-known worldwide, while Hawaiian-tinged music is a frequent part of Hollywood soundtracks. Hawaii also made a major contribution to country music with the introduction of the steel guitar. Traditional Hawaiian folk music is a major part of the state's musical heritage. The Hawaiian people have inhabited the islands for centuries and have retained much of their traditional musical knowledge. Their music is largely religious in nature, and includes chanting and dance music. Hawaiian music has had an enormous impact on the music of other Polynesian islands; indeed, music author Peter Manuel called the influence of Hawaiian music a "unifying factor in the development of modern Pacific musics." Major music festivals in Hawaii include the Merrie Monarch Hula Festival, which brings together hula groups from across the world, as well as a number of slack-key and steel guitar festivals: Big Island Slack Key Guitar Festival, Steel Guitar...

Holehole bushi, folk songs of Japanese workers in Hawaii's plantations, describe the experiences of this particular group caught in the global movements of capital, empire, and labor during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In this book author Franklin Odo situates over two hundred of these songs, in translation, in a hitherto largely unexplored historical context.

For students of Hawaiian language, music, dance and culture, this work is a rare mine of gold! The author gives the original songs in Hawaiian text, coupled with English translations. These songs are very much a part of Hawaiian culture and society, the texts showing roots in mythological facets, cultural associations, ecological backdrops, and even erotic imagery!