Compositions by Liliuokalani

The following is a list of compositions by Liliʻuokalani. Queen Liliʻuokalani was the only queen and the last reigning monarch of Hawaii, having been deposed by the Committee of Public Safety in the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom in 1893.

"He Mele Lāhui Hawaii"

"Nohea I Muʻolaulani"

Nohea I Muʻolaulani, translated as Handsome One of Mu'olaulani ^[1] sometimes as Handsome at Mu'olaulani, and also referred to simply as Mu'olaulani, dates to May 1885. It was composed for Liliʻuokalani's new home in Kapālama named Mu'olaulani which was opened with a gala party in May 1885. The Kapālama house was a source of great joy to her and became the subject of this song. It is now the site of the Lili'uokalani Childrens' Center.^[2][3]

"Ahe Lau Makani"

Ahe Lau Makani, translated as The Soft Gentle Breeze^[4] or There is a Zephyr,^[1] is a famous waltz composed by Queen Lili'uokalani around 1868. Probably written at Hamohamo, the Waikiki home of the Queen, this song appeared in "He Buke Mele O Hawaii" under the title He ʻAla Nei E Māpu Mai Nei. Ahe Lau Makani is used only verse 1 and 2, and may be an abridged version. Līlīlehua refers to the name of the gentle rain in Palolo Valley, Oahu. Verse 1, 2 and the Chorus is translated by Liliʻuokalani, and Verse 3, 4 by Hui Hānai.^[5]

Ahe Lau Makani was composed jointly with the Queen's sister Princess Likelike and Kapoli, a mysterious collaborator who, to this day, remains unidentified. The "Viennese-ness" of this waltz is especially evident in the hui, or chorus. Ahe Lau Makani describes a lover's sweet breath.^[6] It poetically describes someone's yearning for a loved one. As Dennis says, "In the figurative Hawaiian, this breeze is actually the breath of one who I admire, carried by the wind. Whoever the Queen wrote about, she got right into that person and conveyed it through the whole song."^[7]

"By And By, Hoʻi Mai ʻOe"

By And By, Hoʻi Mai ʻOe, translated as By and By Thou Wilt Return,^[1] is a famous song composed by Queen Lili'uokalani.^[8]

"Ka ʻŌiwi Nani"

Ka ʻŌiwi Nani, translated as The Beautiful Native, is a love song composed and translated by Liliʻuokalani on June 23, 1886, at Palolo, Oahu.^[9]

In The Queen's Songbook, editors Dorothy Kahananui Gillett and Barbara Barnard Smith note that it's not a surprise that this love song from 1886, when Lili‘uokalani was still a princess, comes from a time when her diaries "are strewn with references to a special 'friend', perhaps Henry Berger." Berger was the director of the Royal Hawaiian Band, and Gillett and Smith note the possibility "that the song celebrates a romantic liaison" with him. Even the title, which translates to "The Beautiful Form", or as the Queen herself translated it, Beautiful One, has possible romantic associations. It is one of the most compelling melodies of the Queen's songs, and I arranged it so the second verse is played in a relaxed 12/8 ballad style.^[10]

"Ka Hanu O Hanakeoki"

Ka Hanu O Hanakeoki, translated as The Scent of Hanakeoki, or sometimes plainly called Hanakeoki, is a famous song composed by Lili'uokalani in 1874. It a piece mentioned in "The Queen's Songbook" and translated into English by Hui Hânai. The song may allude to property the Queen owned in Pālolo Valley.^[11]

"Kuʻu Pua I Paoakalani"

Kuʻu Pua I Paoakalani, often referred to simply as Paoakalani, is a famous song composed by Queen Lili'uokalani while imprisoned in 'Iolani Palace. It is about her garden in Paoaokalani, from which a loyal haole supporter, John Wilson (whose mother, Evelyn T. Wilson, went into voluntary imprisonment with the Queen) regularly brought her flowers. These flowers were wrapped in newspaper, through which means she was able to read the news that was prohibited to her during her imprisonment. The song is a tribute to this young man, whom she held in very high esteem.^[12]

Performance of the song is known to be vocally challenging in terms of range, timing, power, and breath control. One of the most famous recorded renditions was made by activist/singer George Helm on the first live album that was released after his death in the Kaho'olawe struggle.

Manu Kapalulu

Manu Kapalulu, translated to Quail, is one of the numerous songs and chants composed by Queen Lili'uokalani. Composed in November 1878, this was an admonishment from Liliʻuokalani to a disparaging remark. According to Hawaiian traditions lessons in life and morality were usually taught in music and riddles. Manu Kapalulu was about the queen's annoyance with someone.^[13]

This song has many allusion to Hawaiian mythology. The Kilohana in verse 1, stanza 2 is in Kalihi Valley on O'ahu and was the sacred home of Haumea and Wakea. Verse 2, stanzas 3 and 4 is an allusion to the old Hawaiian religion. Although Lili`uokalani embraced Christianity, she was very familiar with the practice of worshipping and feeding na aumakua (family gods). Kapo, the dark sorceress in verse 3, stanza 4, is Kapo`ula`kïna`u, the dual-natured goddess, daughter of Haumea and Wakea, and sister of Pele and Kamohoali`i. Her benevolent nature was Laka, the goddess of hula.^[8] This song also served as a mele inoa (name song) for Princess Ka'iulani ^[14]

Nani Nā Pua Koʻolau

Nani Nā Pua Koʻolau, translated as The Flower of Ko'olau or Beautiful Are the Flowers of Ko'olau^[4] is a song composed by Queen Lili'uokalani. Written in 1860, this was one of Liliʻuokalani's first published works or probably the first; it was published in 1869 both in Hawaiian and English, one of her first works to appear in print. It was signed L.K. (Lydia Kamaka'eha) Pākī, the name she used until her marriage in 1862 to John Owen Dominis. The English translation is by Liliʻuokalani herself.^[15][16]

This song demonstrates her poetic skills in which romantic love, love of nature and love of the land are happily entwined. This setting was written for the popular Pacific Rim Choral Festival which takes place in Hawaii each summer.^[17]

"Ka Wiliwili Wai"

Ka Wiliwili Wai, sometimes plainly called Wiliwiliwai, translated to The Lawn Sprinkler or The Twisting of the Water,^[1] is a famous song composed by Queen Lili'uokalani who wrote the words and the music. The story behind the song goes: As the Queen was sitting on her lanai at Washington Place, she saw something unusual next door in her neighbor, Dr. McKibben's yard, a lawn sprinkler going round and round. Fascinated, the Queen watched for a long time spinning this tune to its rhythm.^[18]

Lyrics

"Pauahi ʻO Kalani"

Pauahi ʻO Kalani, translated as Pauahi, The Royal One, was composed by Liliʻuokalani in 1868. It honors Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, the great-granddaughter of Kamehameha I and Liliʻuokalani's beloved foster sister. It was written in 1868 prior to the accession of Liliʻuokalani's family. They were on a trip to the island of Hawaiʻi and had visited Puna and the Panaʻewa forest in the Hilo district. Liliuokalani wrote this song at Mānā. The Bishop Estate, Pauahi's continuing legacy, created and maintains the Kamehameha Schools. High school students at Kamehameha sing this song every year on Founder's Day, 19 December, the date of Pauahi's birth.^[19] The song was translated by Mary Kawena Pukui.^[20]

Lyrics

Liliuokalani and Bernice Pauahi Bishop

"Pelekane"

Liliʻuokalani composed Pelekane, translated as England or Britain, in 1887 after she and Queen Kapiʻolani went to England for the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria. On this occasion, Queen Kapiʻolani wore a parure of catseye shells and a gown embroidered with blue peacock feathers. In the second verse, Liliʻuokalani describes the British Queen-Empress as the topmost blossom.^[21]

Ka Hae Hawaiʻi, or the Flag of Hawaiʻi modeled after that of United Kingdom's

Union Flag used for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Hawaii's most trusted ally.

Lyrics

"Pelekane by Elizabeth Kuahaia

Another song of the same title, written by Elizabeth Kuahaia, is a song about the innocence lost in globalization/modernization. It is about the sinking of the ship, the Lusitania, in 1915. It was an event that helped create the concept of a "World War."^[22]

Pelekane means "Britain" and reveals the long-standing affinity that the Native Hawaiian people felt for England. It was the British that the Hawaiian Kingdom attempted to emulate and identify with – so much so that the royal contingent traveled to England to attend Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee in 1887 and adopted the "Union Jack" symbol in the Kingdom of Hawaii flag. This song may refer to England owning the Lusitania.^[22]

Unlike most other Native Hawaiian songs, it is written without the beautiful imagery of nature. Instead, it describes the use of explosives and torpedos. This is warfare without warriors in hand-to-hand combat, with the concept of "civilians" redefined by wholesale destruction of places. In a way, this is a modern protest song is in the style of Kaulana Nā Pua. This piece foreshadows the militarization of Hawai`i as the Western outpost for United States military forces. This militarization of the islands is an important aspect of Native Hawaiian experience. Not only are many areas reserved by the military, but the island economy is dependent upon it.^[22]

Lyrics

^[23]

"Puna Paia ʻAʻala"

Puna Paia ʻAʻala, translated to Puna's Fragrant Bowers,^[4] and other translation include Puna's Fragrant Glades^[24] and Puna's Sweet Walls.^[25] It is famous love song composed by Queen Liliuokalani in July 1868, who composed a total of 165 pieces in her life. The setting is the Puna District on the Island of Hawaiʻi, which was renowned for its groves of fragrant hala (Pandanus tectorius). The first two verses were published in He Buke Mele Hawaiʻi and the third verse is from a Bishop Museum manuscript. The fourth verse was preserved by Bill Kaiwa. Verse 1, 2, and hui translated by Liliʻuokalani. Verses 3 and 4 translated by Hui Hānai.^[26]

Along with Ahe Lau Makani and Paia Ka Nahele, composed in the same year, these two waltzes are especially evident in the hui, or chorus, of Puna Paia Aʻala. These three songs that took the form as waltzes, were a fresh departure for Liliʻu. Their lyrics are full of romance, and the rhythmic buoyancy and grace of the music place them among her most memorable melodies.^[6][16]

Lyrics

"Sanoe"

Sanoe, is a famous song composed by Queen Liliuokalani who wrote the words and the music. "Sanoe" is the Hawaiian word meaning - the mist that drifts over our mountains - and alludes to the man drifting in like the mist to see his ipo (sweetheart).^[27] It is in the Queen's Song Book and also in He Mele Aloha.^[28] Lili'uokalani composed this while still a princess in the court of her brother King David Kalakaua. The song describes a possibly clandestine love affair^[29] or romance in the royal court. This version is based on Robert Cazimero's choral arrangement for the Kamehameha Schools Song Contest. Steve composed the interlude between the second and third verses for this recording. Queen Lili'uokalani originally wrote Sanoe in common time, though today it is almost always performed in triple meter. Where and how this change occurred is a mystery Steve is interested in solving.^[6]

This affair in the royal court is centered on Sanoe, the woman, who was probably Kapeka; the gentleman, is unknown.^[30] Kapeka was the joint composer to this song. Queen Lili‘uokalani indicates she composed Sanoe with "Kapeka", her friend whose real name was Elizabeth Sumner Achuck.^[31]

Sanoe was brought back into general circulation by 'ukulele master Eddie Kamae and Gabby with the Sons of Hawaii on "MUSIC OF OLD HAWAII".^[32]

Lyrics

"The Queen's Jubilee"

The Queen's Jubilee is a famous song composed by Princess Lili'uokalani of Hawai'i to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria of England, which Princess Lili'uokalani attended with a royal contingent from Hawai'i.^[33]

Lyrics

Queen Victoria in 1887 during her Golden Jubilee. During her reign she had help protect the Hawaiian Kingdom. She was great friends with many Hawaiian monarchs and was Prince Albert's godmother. This friendship did not end with the Kamehameha Dynasty.

"The Queen's Prayer"

The Queen's Prayer, or in Hawaiian Ke Aloha O Ka Haku. It was published as Liliʻuokalani's Prayer, with the Hawaiian title and English translation ("The Lord's Mercy") now commonly called "The Queen's Prayer".^[34] It is a famous mele, composed by Queen Liliʻuokalani, March 22, 1895, while she was under house arrest at ʻIolani Palace. This hymn was dedicated to Victoria Kaʻiulani, her niece and heir apparent to the throne.^[35]

Queen Liliʻuokalani wrote this at the bottom of the manuscript: "Composed during my imprisonment at ʻIolani Palace by the Missionary party who overthrew my government." She was referring to the illegal Overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy by U.S. business interests backed by the U.S. government. "Ironically, the song is about the values she embraced from the Western culture that imprisoned her, the values of forgiveness, love, faith and hope." ^[36]

Lyrics

"Tūtū"

Tūtū, translated as Granny, is a famous mele hula composed by Queen Liliʻuokalani. Mentioned in the song is Kaʻalaʻalaʻa, which refers to the area of lower Nuʻuanu below Maʻemaʻe Hill. This hula was composed for a benefit program at Kaumakapili Church in Palama. Maria Heleluhe danced the part of the tūtū (granny) and 7 little girls performed as the grandchildren. The Queen taught the girls to sing the song with her and she accompanied them on her guitar. The song received 5 encores and the performers were showered with money.^[37]

Lyrics

References

External links

• Youtube - ahe lau makani - ukulele classical
• Youtube - ahe lau makani 2 - ukulele classical take 2
• George Helm's Recording of Ku’u Pua I Paoakalani
• Emma Veary's version of Ku’u Pua I Paoakalani