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 such as the: Big
Island Slack Key Guitar Festival,
Steel Guitar Association Festival and the
Gabby Pahinui and Atta Isaacs Slack Key
Festival. April's Aloha Week is a
popular tourist attraction, as is the
Moloka'i Music Festival held around Labor
Day. There was also a Hawaii International
Jazz Festival, which ran from 1993 until
2007. The annual Pacific Rim Jazz Festival
occurs in mid-autumn at the Hawaii
Convention Center. The annual Manoa Jazz &
Heritage Festival takes place in early
autumn at the Andrews Amphitheatre on the
University of Hawaii at Manoa campus. Hawaii
is home to a number of renowned music
institutions in several fields. The Honolulu
Symphony Orchestra is an important part of
the state's musical history and is the
oldest orchestra in the United States west
of the Rocky Mountains, founded in 1900. The
Orchestra has collaborated with other local
institutions, like the Hawaii Opera Theatre
and the Oahu Choral Society, which sponsors
the Honolulu Symphony Chorus and the
Honolulu Chamber Choir. Hawaiian Folk
Music includes several varieties of
Chanting (Mele) and Music meant for
highly ritualized dance (Hula).
Traditional
Hawaiian Music
and dance was
functional, used to express praise,
communicate genealogy and mythology, and
accompany games, festivals and other
secular events. The Hawaiian language
has no word that translates precisely as
music, but a diverse vocabulary exists
to describe rhythms, instruments,
styles, and elements of voice
production. Hawaiian folk music is
simple in melody and rhythm, but is
"complex and rich" in the "poetry,
accompanying mimetic dance (hula), and
subtleties of vocal styles... even in
the attenuated forms in which they
survive today".
Today's more "Contemporary
Hula Music",
"Hawaiian
Ukulele Songs"
and "Luau
Music"
include a
blend of various ethnic
traditions including;
Island Rock, Pop,
Soul and Hawaiian
Reggae
Music. The
Artists most popular in
Hawaii perform,
"Hula",
"Luau" and the
more "Traditional
Songs of
Hawaii" .
Such
"Hawaiian
Music
Artists"
include:
"The
Brothers
Cazimero"
international
Hawaiian
Recording
Artist
"Don
Ho",
and "Israel
Kamakawiwo'ole"
or
"IZ"
as
he
was
affectionately
called.
IZ
was
born
on
May
20,
1959
in
Honolulu
Hawaii,
and
is
one
of
the
most
beloved
and
fondly
remembered
Musical
Artists
in
the
Hawaiian
islands
who
recorded
the
now
internationally
famous
Hawaiian
version
of
the
"Somewhere
Over
the
Rainbow
Song".
IZ
was
native
Hawaii
born,
and
upon
his
death
on
June
26,
1997
at
the
age
of
38,
was
only
the
second
Hawaii
State
citizen
to
receive
the
honor
of
having
his
body
lay
in
state
at
the
capitol
building
in
Honolulu
Hawaii.
From
1915
to
1930,
mainstream
audiences
outside
of
Hawaii
became
increasingly
enamored
of
Hawaiian
Music,
though
by
this
time
the
songs
marketed
as
Hawaiian
had
only
peripheral
aspects
of
actual
Hawaiian
Music.
Tahitian
and
Samoan
Music
had
an
influence
on
the
Music
of
Hawaii
during
this
period,
especially
with
their
swifter
and
more
intricate
rhythms.
The
following
era,
from
about
1930
to
1960,
has
been
called
the
"Golden
Age
of
Hawaiian
Music"
when
popular
styles
were
adapted
for
orchestras
and
big
bands,
and
Hawaiian
performers
became
mainstream
stars.
In
the
1960s,
Hawaiian-style
Music
declined
in
popularity
amid
an
influx
of
of
Rock,
Soul
and
Pop
acts
from
the
American
mainland.
This
trend
reversed
itself
in
the
final
period
of
Hawaiian
Music
History,
with
the
modern
period
beginning
with
the
Hawaiian
Music
Renaissance
in
the
1970s
and
continuing
with
the
foundation
of
a
variety
of
modern
Music
scenes
in
fields
like
Indie
Rock,
Hawaiian
Hip
Hop,
and
Jawaiian
Reggae
Music.
Queen
Liliʻuokalani
was
the
last
Queen
of
Hawaii
before
the
Hawaiian
monarchy
was
overthrown.
She
was
also
a
Musician
and
prolific
Composer
who
wrote
many
musical
works.
She
was
best
known
for
the
song,
Aloha
'Oe.
A
compilation
of
her
works,
titled,
"The
Queen's
Songbook",
was
published
in
1999
by
The
Queen
Lili'uokalani
Trust.
Statehood Day commemorates Hawaii's admission as a state
on August 21, 1959. In 1898 the United States annexed
Hawaii, which was declared as a necessary navy base for
the conduct of the Spanish-American War. The United
States interests coveted the islands for some time. During World
War II, Oahu served as the command post for the US operations in
the Pacific. Large portions of Hawaii were turned over for the
US military bases. After the war, two-thirds of the residents
favored statehood. However, because of the many ethnicities
present, there was resistance to Hawaii's Statehood from
the segregated southern states. A primary election took place in
Hawaii on June 27, 1959, and various statehood propositions
received many votes on that day. Following the certification of
the election results, President Eisenhower signed a
proclamation on August 21, 1959, declaring Hawaii to be the
50th State. This was known as Admission Day until 2001
and is now known as "Hawaii
Statehood Day" .
Aloha Oe' to all Hawaiians at Heart ~Michael
William AngelOh
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