ALOHA OE by Madame Alapai 1911 - Made in Hawaii

Here is about the earliest recording of Hawaiian music in my collection, recorded and released on Columbi Record label about 1911. It was made in Hawaii, but it has a sticker on both sides saying it was for sale only in the United States. Interesting, good early Hawaiian music, and historically significant. ENjoy!

Here is an article from the Nalu Music website ( http://www.nalu-music.com/ukulele-miscellany/ ) describing this record and the artists:

"Early Recordings
ca. 1910 Columbia recording of Mr. Harry Clark and the Kaai Glee Club recorded in Hawai'i. "Waialae" features violin and ukulele accompaniment, quite possibly played by Ernest Kaai himself. The strumming pattern is characterized by two strokes to the beat, a technique described by Kaai in his 1910 revised method as "The Roll Stroke". Of the "Kaai roll" he writes "All the beats begin with the 1st finger down stroke and the half-beats up stroke with thumb and 1st finger." (Columbia Y-30)

[audio:http://www.nalu-music.com/nalu/Waialae.mp3]



The flip side of "Waialae" features Madame Nani Alapai, reputed to have been the first singer for the Royal Hawaiian Band, and Henry N. Clark, brother of Harry. "Aloha 'Oe" includes violin and flute accompaniment, instruments largely replaced by the steel guitar in the typical Hawaiian ensemble of the 1910s. Charmian London wrote of Nani Alapai's unique voice after hearing her sing in 1907:

From the cool twilight lanai floated in to our ears the most bewitching, sleepy, sensuous music, rippled through with gurgles of lazy laughter. Presently, left to wander at will, whom should we discover in the happy huddle of musicians but Madame Alapai herself, not at all the grand prima of her Prince's gardens, but a warm, benevolent, smiling wahine, simply robed like all the rest in spotless white holoku, and unaffectedly ready, once her sudden, laughing bashfulness was conquered, to warble anything and everthing she knew.

She sang for us without reserve, out of her very good repertory. Her voice is remarkable, and I never heard another of its kind, for it is more like a stringed instrument than anything I can think of—metallic, but sweetly so, pure and true as a lark's, with falls and slurs that are indescribably musical and human. The love-eyed men and women lounging about her with their guitars and ukuleles, garlanded with drooping roses and carnations and ginger, were commendably vain of showing off their first singer in the land, and thrummed their loveliest to her every song. No one can touch strings as do these people. Their fingers bestow caresses to which wood and steel and cord become sentient and tremblingly responsive."

[audio:http://www.nalu-music.com/nalu/alapai_aloha_oe.mp3] "

Category:

Music

Tags:

• ALOHA
• OE
• by
• Madame
• Alapai
• 1911
• Made
• in
• Hawaii
• 78
• rpm
• record

[JChoneybell]

Thanks for the post. Aloha!!!! N plenty Mahalo's.

[chas63]

this goes to make up for the really dismal versions of Aloha Oe that have been uploaded to youtube. Truly dreadful.



[pkrape]

The composer, the Queen, was still alive in 1911. Mahalo.

[hawaiinikkei]

her full name was Julita Nani Alapai

[Hairbanger24]

I agree! This is indeed a treasure.

[shafique56]

This is great thanks

[wjc1952]

These are amazing treasures you have. Mahalo for sharing them with us.