Nā Mele O Ka Lāhui: A Conductor's Guide to the Choral Music of Liliʻuokalani

Transcription

1 University of Miami Scholarly Repository Open Access Dissertations Electronic Theses and Dissertations Nā Mele O Ka Lāhui: A Conductor's Guide to the Choral Music of Liliʻuokalani Jace Saplan University of Miami, jacesaplan@gmail.com Follow this and additional works at: Recommended Citation Saplan, Jace, "Nā Mele O Ka Lāhui: A Conductor's Guide to the Choral Music of Liliʻuokalani" (2017). Open Access Dissertations This Open access is brought to you for free and open access by the Electronic Theses and Dissertations at Scholarly Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Open Access Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholarly Repository. For more information, please contact repository.library@miami.edu.

2 UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI NĀ MELE O KA LĀHUI: A CONDUCTOR S GUIDE TO THE CHORAL MUSIC OF LILIʻUOKALANI By Jace Saplan A DOCTORAL ESSAY Submitted to the Faculty of the University of Miami in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts Coral Gables, Florida May 2017

3 2017 Jace Saplan All Rights Reserved

4 UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI A doctoral essay submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts NĀ MELE O KA LĀHUI: A CONDUCTOR S GUIDE TO THE CHORAL MUSIC OF LILIʻUOKALANI Jace Saplan Approved: Corin Overland, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Professional Practice, Department of Vocal Performance Karen Kennedy, D.M.A. Associate Professor, Department of Vocal Performance Coreen Duffy, J.D., D.M.A. Lecturer, Department of Vocal Performance Guillermo Prado, Ph.D. Dean of the Graduate School Don D. Coffman, Ph.D. Professor, Department of Music Education and Music Therapy

5 SAPLAN, JACE (D.M.A., Choral Conducting) (May 2017) Nā Mele o ka Lāhui Hawaiʻi: A Conductor s Guide to the Choral Music of Lili uokalani Abstract of a doctoral essay at the University of Miami. Doctoral essay supervised by Dr. Corin Overland. No. of pages in text. (116). The last reigning monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi, Queen Liliʻuokalani was also an avid composer of Hawaiian choral music. Her vast output places her as the most influential Native Hawaiian composer of the nineteenth century as well as a crucial figure in the development of Hawaiian choral music. Utilizing the history and repertoire of Lili uokalani as a framework, this essay presents a guide for conductors of nineteenth century Hawaiian choral music in idiomatic performance issues specific to the repertoire, including diction, choral tone, instrumentation, and Native Hawaiian performance ritual. Because the performance practices of Liliʻuokalani s music continue to evolve as a living practice, this essay synthesizes the Queen s historical writings on these points with current perspectives from four living contemporary conductors and Native Hawaiian scholars. Finally, the essay presents audio examples of these practices, performed by Native Hawaiian choral ensembles.

6 Acknowledgements Mahalo piha e kuʻu ʻohana, Marilyn and John Saplan, for sparking my vision, passion, and fortitude for the kuleana of celebrating and championing the Hawaiian culture. I thank you for raising me with the strength and courage to navigate a life of bridging the divide between Hawaiian knowledge and western inquiry. Your lessons, laughter, and love have made this work possible. Mahalo e kuʻu pakanā, Brian Reece, for your unwavering support throughout this process. The words on these pages would not be possible without our late night discussions and early morning ponderings of this essay. Your questions and musings consistently focused and sharpened my vision of this work. Thank you for being there with me every step of the way. Mahalo to my incredible kumu, Nola Nāhulu, Amy Stillman, and Aaron Salā who have selflessly devoted their thoughts and opinions to this study. Your continued guidance and wisdom will always be my compass. To my committee, mahalo nui for your guidance in clarifying my vision and holding my thoughts to the fire throughout this process. Finally, Mahalo nui e Liliʻuokalani. Thank you for your incredible legacy. Thank you for dedicating your life to the preservation and propagation of Native Hawaiian agency. Thank you for being a model of grace and strength for me, and every kanaka maoli. Eō, e Liliʻu. iii

7 TABLE OF CONTENTS Figures... vi Tables... vii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION... 1 Need for Study... 2 Research Questions... 3 Method... 4 Informant Biographies... 5 Nola Nāhulu... 6 Aaron Salā... 7 Amy Stillman... 8 Jace Saplan... 9 CHAPTER II LILIʻUOKALANI: HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES A Biography of the Queen The Early Compositions of Lili uokalani s: Composing for Solace and National Responsibility s: Composing for Political Sustainability and the Celebration of a Lineage s: Composing in Times of Death and Travel s: Composing for an Annexed Kingdom CHAPTER III CHORAL TONE AND BALANCE Hawaiian Choral Music and the Bel Canto Style Additional Perspectives on Hawaiian Choral Tone Choral Balance Vibrato CHAPTER IV HAWAIIAN LANGUAGE, PRONUNCIATION, AND POETIC DEVICES Historical Background of the Hawaiian Language Pronounciation Kaona CHAPTER V INSTRUMENTATION AND ACCOMPANIMENT Historical Background of Nineteenth-Century Instrumentation in Hawai i Instrumentation and Performance Choral Voicing CHAPTER VI PERFORMANCE RITUAL ʻOli Hawaiʻi Aloha Lei Hula Conclusion iv

8 Bibliography Appendix I TRANSLATIONS OF LILIʻUOKALANI S PUBLISHED WORKS Appendix II AUDIO RECORDING OF AHE LAU MAKANI Appendix III AUDIO RECORDING OF PUNA PAIA A ALA Appendix IV AUDIO RECORDING OF KE ALOHA O KA HAKU Appendix V AUDIO RECORDING OF KU U PUA I PAOAKALANI Appendix VI INTERVIEW WITH NOLA NĀHULU Appendix VII INTERVIEW WITH AMY STILLMAN Appendix VIII INTERVIEW WITH AARON SALĀ v

9 Figures Figure 1. Original text underlay of Liliʻuokalani s He Mele Lāhui Hawaiʻi Figure 2. Underlay with suggested treatment of diphthong and vowel cluster Figure 3. Violin colla parte accompaniment, Liliuʻokalani s Ahe Lau Makani Figure 4. Violin obbligato accompaniment, Liliuʻokalani s Ahe Lau Makani Figure 5. Guitar strumming accompaniment of Liliuʻokalani s Ka ʻŌiwi Nani Figure 6. Guitar picking accompaniment, Liliuʻokalani s of Ka ʻŌiwi Nani Figure 7. An ʻoli kāhea written by Kahoʻokele Crabbe Figure 8. An ʻoli komo written by Kahoʻokele Crabbe Figure 9. Hawaiʻi Aloha written by Lorenzo Lyons vi

10 Tables Table 1. Hawaiian language consonants Table 2. Hawaiian language vowels vii

11 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION The introduction of the Western European choral idiom to Hawai i during the nineteenth century impacted the development of Native Hawaiian music. The European and American missionaries traveling to and from the island chain considered choral music to be integral to the practice of converting Native Hawaiians from their own religion to Christianity. Although aware that the original purpose of teaching choral music to the Native Hawaiian population was for religious conversion, Native Hawaiians ultimately adopted the art form in their own cultural worldview and rituals, resulting in a hybrid canon of repertoire and performance practices that is unique to Hawaiʻi. 1 As the presence of missionaries grew throughout the late nineteenth century, the Christian church asserted and maintained control over religious and educational development in Hawaiʻi, including over Native Hawaiian royalty and their lineages. Under the management of missionary educational and religious systems, Hawaiʻi became one of the most literate countries in the world in both language and music. The success of Native Hawaiian music literacy led to a populace of Native Hawaiian composers who developed a canon of choral music written entirely in Hawaiian. 2 Among these composers was Queen Liliʻuokalani, the most prolific Native Hawaiian composer of the nineteenth century. Liliʻuokalani composed nineteen pieces that were published using Western notation, with many more existing only through oral traditions. While the total number of 1 George Kanahele, Ka Mele Hawaiʻi a me ke Poʻe mele (Honolulu: Mutual Publishing, 2012), Ibid.,

12 2 her works is unknown due to the nature of oral tradition, all of Lili uokalani s works were intended for voice and/or chorus with varying accompaniment. She is one of the few Native Hawaiian composers whose compositions remain in print and are accessible to non-native Hawaiian communities outside of Hawaiʻi. 3 This is largely due to the fact that many Native Hawaiian composers adhered strictly to oral traditions and did not share their work with foreigners. 4 Need for Study According to George Lewis, Western musicians have commercialized Native Hawaiian soundscape for the tourism industry, leading contemporary Native Hawaiian musicians to assert and redefine their cultural identity and practices. 5 This is especially true in regards to Hawaiian choral music. The majority of published Hawaiian choral music currently in circulation perpetuates practices that are not culturally or musically informed. Without thorough firsthand knowledge of issues concerning tone, timbre, vibrato, and other unique performance considerations associated with Native Hawaiian music such as hula or the bestowing of leis, choral conductors will be unable to present Native Hawaiian choral music in a way that accurately preserves its historical and cultural nuances. 6 Therefore, this study provides a performance guide for non-native 3 Kanahele, Ka Mele Hawaiʻi a me ke Poʻe Mele, Ibid., George Lewis, Storm Blowing from Paradise: Social Protest and Oppositional Ideology in Popular Hawaiian Music, Popular Music 10, no. 1 (1991): S. E. Solberg, Hawaiian Music, Poetry and Dance: Reflections of Protection, Preservation and Pride, MELUS 10, no. 1 (1983): 40.

13 3 Hawaiian conductors to prepare them to present culturally sensitive and historically informed performances of Native Hawaiian choral music. To date, there is a lack of information available for non-native Hawaiian conductors regarding appropriate performance practices of Queen Liliʻuokalani s output, largely due to an absence of Native Hawaiians who have received or are receiving a terminal degree in choral music. According to a recent study done by the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Native Hawaiian Advancement Task Force Report, Native Hawaiians with a terminal degree in the arts and humanities make up less than.03% of the total awarded terminal degrees from Consequently, while Native Hawaiian music and musicians have been studied, research conducted by a Native Hawaiian choral pedagogue whose work is informed firsthand by regarded members of the Native Hawaiian choral community is quite rare. Further, while some practices have been codified and propagated within Hawaiʻi since the 1800s, the lack of Native Hawaiian scholarship has resulted in these performance practices becoming culturally insular. 8 Therefore, one of the chief goals of this study is to provide firsthand perspectives on performance practice of Queen Lili uokalani from conductors who are current representatives of the Native Hawaiian choral community. Research Questions In this study, I aim first to address how contemporary Native Hawaiian conductors perform a nineteenth-century Native Hawaiian choral work utilizing the repertoire of Liliʻuokalani as a guiding framework. Second, I question how Native 7 Maenette Bentham, Native Hawaiian Advancement Task Force Report (Honolulu: University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, 2012), Kanahele, Ka Mele Hawaiʻi a me ke Poʻe Mele, 240.

14 4 Hawaiian perspectives on the musical history and compositions of Liliʻuokalani can inform the conductor s implementation of Native Hawaiian choral repertoire of the nineteenth century. Lastly, I consider how Native Hawaiian approaches to choral tone, pronunciation of the Hawaiian language, instrumentation and accompaniment, and cultural ritual can inform conductors unfamiliar with the Native Hawaiian choral tradition as they work to create historically- and culturally-informed performances. Method This essay presents a history of Queen Liliʻuokalani and her compositional output with the intent to inform a conductor s interpretation of both this repertoire and Native Hawaiian choral repertoire in general. Additionally, the essay synthesizes the unique perspectives of four living Native Hawaiian conductors and scholars regarding their approaches to choral tone, pronunciation of the Hawaiian language, instrumentation/orchestration, accompaniment, and cultural ritual with an intent to guide conductors unfamiliar with the Native Hawaiian choral tradition as to create historically and culturally informed performances. Much of the historical discussion of this essay was done through archival research conducted at the Bishop Museum in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, and Ka Haka ʻUla o Keʻelikōlani in Hilo, Hawaiʻi. The Bishop Museum is Hawaiʻi s largest museum and houses a collection of musical sketches made by Queen Lili uokalani as well as collections of other significant Native Hawaiian composers of the nineteenth century. Through a fellowship awarded by this institution, I traced the development and codification of Liliʻuokalani s compositional style. Ka Haka Ula o Ke elikōlani, the College of

15 5 Hawaiian language and culture at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, is one of two colleges in the world that are dedicated to the study of Hawaiian language and culture at the undergraduate and graduate level. The college houses a collection of Queen Lili uokalani s diaries and letters from throughout her life that contain her thoughts on the musical process and poetry of her choral music. In this collection, I found personal protocols and devices that Lili uokalani observed in the performance of her pieces. I have also translated selected written statements by Queen Lili uokalani from Hawaiian into English that will aid conductors in their score study of the piece (See Appendix I). Finally, in order to illustrate concepts described here, I prepared a performance of several of Lili uokalani s published works with Nā Wai Chamber Choir, a women s vocal ensemble that champions Native Hawaiian repertoire and works by Indigenous Hawaiian composers. These works are now contained within what is called The Queen s Songbook, a collection of the Queen s works that are both published and unpublished, assembled by the Liliʻuokalani Trust. Informant Biographies To provide the reader with knowledge and context for implementing Native Hawaiian choral performance practice within current practice, I interviewed three Native Hawaiian choral musicians who also identify as Native Hawaiian cultural practitioners: Nola Nāhulu (See Appendix VI), Amy Stillman (See Appendix VII), and Aaron Salā (See Appendix VIII). Additionally, I utilize my own knowledge and experience as a Native Hawaiian choral conductor and cultural practitioner to inform and advance this

16 6 study s findings. All four hold highly regarded posts within the Native Hawaiian community. Nola Nāhulu Nola Nāhulu has been a choral director in the state of Hawaiʻi since She served on the faculties of Our Redeemer Lutheran School, the University Lab School, and the Kamehameha Schools, an institution dedicated the education of Native Hawaiian youth. From 1982, she has been the director of the Hawaiian Chorus at the University of Hawai i, an ensemble dedicated to the preservation and propagation of Hawaiian choral music. 9 Since 1986, Nāhulu has also served as the principal director of the Hawaiʻi Youth Opera Chorus, Hawaiʻi s largest and oldest community youth choir that honors Native Hawaiian culture and music. In 1997, she founded Kawaiolanāpukanileo, a community adult ensemble specializing in the performance and practice of Hawaiian choral music. She is also the choir director at Kawaiahaʻo Church, the first Christian church built on Oʻahu, where Queen Liliʻuokalani once served as the choir director. 10 In 1987, she was named Hawaiian of the Year by the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs and was recognized by YWCA Oʻahu in 2010 for her work and service as a woman in leadership and education. She has also served as president and member of the 9 University of Hawai i at Mānoa, Nola Nāhulu: Lecturer in Music, Music Department, accessed February 12, 2017, 10 Leslie Wilcox, Long Story Short with Leslie Wilcox: Nola Nāhulu, PBS Hawaiʻi, March 22, 2011, accessed February 12, 2017,

17 7 board of the American Choral Directors Association, Hawai i Chapter. She is frequently sought after as a clinician and cultural resource to choral ensembles across the country. 11 Aaron Salā Salā is a celebrated Native Hawaiian recording artist. His Hawaiian music albums have gone on to receive awards at the Nā Hokuhanohano Ceremony, an organization that celebrates and promotes the work of Native Hawaiian and Hawaiʻi-based musicians and recordings. He also serves as a cultural director and resource to the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority Board, Japan Hawaiʻi Tourism Council, PBS Hawaiʻi, and the Royal Hawaiian Center. He has also served as a cultural consultant for the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, the World Indigenous People s Conference on Education, the East-West Center, Walt Disney Entertainment, and the Center for Hawaiian Music and Dance. 12 As a choral musician, Salā frequently contributes Hawaiian choral arrangements to the Kamehameha Schools Song Contest, an annual choral competition of Hawaiian choral music that features the high school classes of the Kamehameha Schools Kapālama Campus. Salā has served as a choral director at Winward Community College and the conductor for the Hawaiʻi Youth Opera Chorus Cantilena Ensemble. A sought-after clinician of Hawaiian choral music, he received a BA in music and an MA in 11 University of Hawai i at Mānoa, Nola Nāhulu: Lecturer in Music. 12 Aaron J. Salā Named Director of Cultural Affairs at Royal Hawaiian Center, Royal Hawaiian Center, last modified January 28, 2015, accessed February 12, 2017, -affairs-at-royal-hawaiian-center/

18 8 ethnomusicology from the University of Hawaiʻi and was named an Indigenous Fellow for the Native Arts and Cultures Federation. 13 Amy Stillman Dr. Amy Stillman is the director of the Asian and Pacific Islander American Studies program and professor of musicology and American studies at the University of Michigan. She teaches courses in Hawaiian culture and music, ethnomusicology, and hula. Her scholarship focuses on the history of performance traditions in Hawaiʻi. 14 She is a frequent collaborator, song-writer, and cultural resource for many Native Hawaiian recording artists. Her work with other collaborators has led to Grammy Awards and Grammy Award nominations for the Hawaiian music and world music categories. She has also utilized the recording arts as an opportunity to preserve and propagate Native Hawaiian chants and songs that were passed down orally. 15 Dr. Stillman is also a scholar and practitioner of Native Hawaiian dance. In 2007, she created the Great Lakes Hula Academy, an opportunity for hula teachers and advanced dancers in the Great Lakes area to receive masterclass instruction. She has also served as a facilitator, teacher, and collaborator to hula programs and schools around the country Aaron J. Salā, Native Arts and Cultures Foundation, accessed February 12, 2017, 14 University of Michigan, Amy Stillman, Department of American Culture, accessed February 12, 2017, 15 Amy Ku uleialoha Stillman, About Amy Stillman, Hawaiian Music for Listening Pleasure (blog), February 19, 2011, accessed February 12, 2017, 16 University of Michigan, Amy Stillman.

19 9 Jace Saplan As a Native Hawaiian choral conductor, I authored this essay, offering my background and experience as further support. I was born in Hilo, Hawaiʻi, and grew up under the guidance and mentorship of Native Hawaiian cultural practitioners and musicians. During my undergraduate education at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, I sang under the direction of Nola Nāhulu and Aaron Salā with multiple Native Hawaiianidentifying choral ensembles. I was also given the opportunity to serve as a conducting apprentice to both Nāhulu and Salā throughout my time at the University of Hawaiʻi. In addition, I have been the artistic director and conductor of Nā Wai Chamber Choir, a women s choral ensemble dedicated to the preservation and propagation of Native Hawaiian choral music, since During this time, we have created outreach opportunities for Native Hawaiian-speaking communities throughout Hawaiʻi, began a mentorship and scholarship program for young Native Hawaiian composers and choral conductors, and have championed historically- and culturally-informed performances of the music of Liliʻuokalani. Through my own expertise as a Native Hawaiian choral conductor and cultural practicioner informed by my work with an Indigenous choral ensemble, I also include my personal opinions and expertise on the application of cultural protocols, Hawaiian language, instrumentation, and vocal production for the repertoire of Lili uokalani.

20 CHAPTER II LILIʻUOKALANI: HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES The canon of nineteenth-century Native Hawaiian music would be sparse without the compositions of Queen Liliʻuokalani. She is by far the most prolific Native Hawaiian composer of her time as well as the most published. 17 Because so many of Lili uokalani s works are indeed published, they are also among the most accessible Native Hawaiian choral compositions for choral conductors around the world. Therefore, the conductor of Native Hawaiian music must study her work, her life, and her musical legacy as the central hub of Native Hawaiian choral music. Her musical legacy continues to be a guiding framework for Native Hawaiian musicians. A Biography of the Queen Liliʻuokalani, the most prominent Hawaiian composer of her time and the last reigning monarch of the Hawaiian Kingdom, was born as Lydia Kamakaʻeha in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, on September 2, She was born into a high-ranking family in Hawaiian politics, High Chief Caesar Kapa'akea and High Chiefess Keohokalole. Through a common Hawaiian practice called hānai (an informal adoption between and within families to strengthen community and relationships), she was given to another respectable family, High Chief Pākī and High Chiefess Konia, the granddaughter of Hawaiʻiʻs first king, Kamehameha I. She spent her childhood years at the Royal School, a boarding school reserved for children of Hawaiian royalty. The school, run by Amos and Juliette Cooke of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, was created with the intent to 17 Kanahele, Ka Mele Hawaiʻi a me ke Poʻe mele,

21 11 raise the next generation of Hawaiian royalty as Christian rulers, creating an educational foundation that would prepare future monarchs to interact with and understand the nuances of American and European traditions and cultures. At the Royal School, Lili uokalani received specialized training in music, including lessons in piano, voice, and hymn singing. As her skills grew, she and her siblings began to compose music. 18 After her time at the Royal School, Lili'uokalani went on to marry John Owen Dominis, an American statesman who would become the governor of Oʻahu and Maui. While she did not bear any children with her husband, she took on the practice of hānai, inheriting three children for her own. She spent much of her life during this time composing while living with her mother-in-law. 19 In 1874, her brother Kalākaua ascended the throne as the monarch of Hawaiʻi. With her brother as King, she and her siblings were given the title of either Prince or Princess. Three years into her brother s reign, her elder sibling Prince Leleiohoku passed away, giving her the title of Heir Apparent and Crown Princess. She would go on to serve as her brother s regent during his trips outside of Hawai i. 20 Lili uokalani ascended the throne after her brother s death in Throughout her reign, she attempted to restore power to the monarchy, as much power was stripped away due to the increased presence of American businesspeople. As her resistance grew, however, in 1893, pro-american elements in Hawai i overthrew the Hawaiian monarchy. 18 Liliʻuokalani, The Queen s Songbook, scholarship by Dorothy Gillett and Barbara Smith (Honolulu: Hui and Hānai, 1999), Ibid., Lili uokalani, Hawaiʻi s Story by Hawaiʻi s Queen (Boston: Lee and Shepard, 1898), 53.

22 12 This action was quickly supported by the American government as troops from the United States Marines rendered Lili uokalani and her kingdom unable to defend itself. 21 Despite attempts to restore the throne, Lili uokalani was placed under house arrest by the American government and imprisoned in her own palace. While resistance to the occupation of the Hawaiian monarchy remained, Lili uokalani would never again assume the throne. She lived out the remainder of her life as a citizen of the United States of America until her death in While Liliʻuokalani held a variety of titles throughout her political career, her work and legacy as a composer remained steadfast throughout her life. The Early Compositions of Lili uokalani Upon leaving the Royal School in 1855, 17-year-old Lili uokalani was expected to be an active, social participant in the life of the kingdom s court. As a young lady tied to exuberant social activity, she hosted European monarchs and international friends of King Kamehameha IV. At these social events, she journaled about being captivated by the collection of improvised dances that were taught by European visitors after informal cultural exchanges. 23 Dorothy Gillett, one of the first Native Hawaiian scholars to publish research on the music of Liliʻuokalani, writes that missionary waltzes, polkas, and mazurkas became popular during the 1850s as the foreign presence in Honolulu increased due to continued visits by American and European ships with traveling musicians. 24 The exposure to European dance forms and meter proved significant to 21 Lili uokalani, Hawaiʻi s Story by Hawaiʻi s Queen, Ibid., Ibid., Liliʻuokalani, The Queen s Songbook, 6.

23 13 Lili uokalani, who expanded her use of meter from predominantly common time to the inclusion of triple meter. For example, she attributes her work Ahe Lau Makani (There is a Breath), one of the first pieces in the Hawaiian language written in triple meter, as being heavily influenced by the waltz. 25 This period proved to be expansive for Hawaiian choral music, as the prevailing homophonic hymn-like style of writing introduced by the missionaries gave way to European dance rhythms. At the same time, the piano began to carry more melodic weight as well. Normally, in the hymn traditions of Hawaiʻi, the keyboard instrument would play colla parte with the choir. However, since the introduction of European dance styles, the piano accompaniments of Lili uokalani expanded to include evidence of counter melody, Alberti bass, and Verdi accompaniment. For example, her work Nani Nā Pua Koʻolau (The Flower of Ko olau), abandons colla parte techniques and instead follows a consistent Alberti accompaniment with soloistic piano introductions before the entrance of the choir. 26 Nani Nā Pua Koʻolau marks a significant change in Liliʻuokalani s choice of literary themes as well. Beforehand, much of her work was labeled as a mele wahipana, a song dedicated to a place of great historical significance, or a mele haipule, a song or chant connected to the Christian church. However, during the late 1850s, Lili uokalani was courted by and engaged to Prince Lunalilo, who expressed a fondness for Lili uokalani. Although the engagement was severed for political reasons, Lili uokalani 25 Liliʻuokalani, The Queen s Songbook, Kanahele, Ka Mele Hawaiʻi a me ke Poʻe Mele, 239.

24 14 does write about the courtship as a romantic catalyst for this work. According to Hui Hānai, this is the earliest of her surviving publications. 27 Because these expressions and sentiments of love do not observe kaona, or Hawaiian poetics and metaphors, and instead were written with a Western-oriented expression of love, this piece was also translated and published in English. Therefore, an entire genre was created, where the expression of love is more closely aligned to the Western sensibilities of romance while still in the Hawaiian language. Pukui describes the genre as an expanded mele aloha, or a song of love or affection s: Composing for Solace and National Responsibility After a two-year engagement, Lili uokalani married John Dominis in Dominis, an American-born statesman, was a former schoolmate of Lili uokalani s at the Royal School. The married couple moved into Washington Place with Dominis s mother in an estate built and maintained by Dominis s father. 29 These living arrangements were not ideal for Lili uokalani, who felt that Dominis mother was threatened and angered by her presence. 30 Despite the tensions at Washington Place, Lili uokalani wrote about turning to composing for solace and escape. During this time, she began to write works for Indigenous singing schools. Her work Onipa a (Stand Firm), was utilized as a training piece for many Indigenous singing schools and was celebrated as a way to rouse nationalism amongst youth. The work urges the listener and performer to support a 27 Liliʻuokalani, The Queen s Songbook, Kanahele, Ka Mele Hawaiʻi a me ke Poʻe Mele, Mary Richards, The Chief s Children School (Honolulu: Honolulu Star Bulletin, 1937), Lili uokalani, Hawaiʻi s Story by Hawaiʻi s Queen, 24.

25 15 reformed Indigenous constitution proclaimed by the king of that time, Kamehameha V. This piece was a significant educational and political contribution by Lili uokalani, as it not only brought awareness to the need for a more codified Indigenous framework for music education, but also to the need for political reform. At this time, Lili uokalani s husband, John Dominis, was also the personal secretary to Kamehameha V. 31 Composing and working with singing schools served as a catalyst for Lili uokalani s output. Hamohamo, one of Liliʻuokalani s family residences in Waikīkī, was one of Liliʻuokalani s favorite recreational areas and provided both a sanctuary away from her mother-in-law and a place to compose. Several works were written at Hamohamo during this time, such as Ehehene Ko Aka (Giggle, Giggle Goes Your Laughter), He Ali i Nō Wau (I Am Indeed a Chief), and Pilipili Ka Ua I Ka Nahele (The Rain Clings Close to the Forest). 32 Gaining recognition as a successful composer, she was asked by Kamehameha V to compose a new anthem in Before his inquiry, God Save the Queen, a song that originated in Britain, served this purpose. However, much of Kamehameha V s reign focused on securing a rooted, Indigenous identity amongst the kingdom s populace. Lili uokalani wrote about how inspired she was at this honor and composed He Mele Lāhui Hawaiʻi (The Hawaiian National Anthem) within several days. Within a year, the Anthem was printed and available for purchase in Hawaiʻi. This was her first published piece for public use and also the first national anthem written in the Hawaiian language. 31 Liliʻuokalani, The Queen s Songbook, Bruce Irwin, I Knew Queen Lili uokalani (Honolulu: South Sea Sales, 1960), 82.

26 16 He Mele Lāhui Hawaiʻi continued to be the National Anthem until 1867, when the reigning King Kalākaua would replace it with his own Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī. 33 During the time of He Mele Lāhui Hawaiʻi, Queen Liliʻuokalani was also named as the choir director and organist at Kawaiahaʻo Church. This church was built to serve as the national church of the Hawaiian monarchy during the time of Kamehameha II and Kamehameha III. Liliʻuokalani remained in this coveted position for several years; it is there that she conducted her premiere of He Mele Lāhui Hawaiʻi. At Kawaiahaʻo, Queen Liliʻuokalani also instructed the Singing Club of Honolulu, where she began to establish herself not only as a composer but a choral pedagogue as well. 34 Her role as a choral conductor largely stemmed from her work at Kawaiahaʻo Church, with training in choral pedagogy from her time at the Royal School. During this time, the newspaper Ka Nūpepa Kuoka, one of the primary Hawaiian language newspapers of this time, mentions a young white man in an article about Liliʻuokalani s ensemble. Though he remains unnamed, Gillett suggests that the young white man was a pedagogue to Lili uokalani at this time. Under his instruction, Lili uokalani received lessons in composition and refined her skills in organ, guitar, and piano. She even wrote about the inclusion of these instruments during performances and rehearsals with her ensembles s: Composing for Political Sustainability and the Celebration of a Lineage Gillett discusses a shift in Liliʻuokalani from a focus on the composition of music to a focus on lyrics in this decade. Her argument is based on Liliʻuokalani s increasing 33 Liliʻuokalani, The Queen s Songbook, Irwin, I Knew Queen Lili uokalani, Liliʻuokalani, The Queen s Songbook, 262.

27 17 involvement in politics during this time and her need to ration her time accordingly. Therefore, in this era, Liliʻuokalani set her music by championing a new form for Native Hawaiian listeners, where the verse and chorus both utilize the same melodic material, placing more focus on text than on musical affect. 36 The year 1873 marked the arrival of Henry Berger, a Prussian Kapellmeister who also worked under Johann Strauss II. Berger was sent by the German government at the request of Kamehameha V to be the director of the Royal Hawaiian Band, a concert wind ensemble founded by Kamehameha III. Under the direction of Berger, the practice of Western performance in Hawaiʻi was elevated. He also began to compose concert band pieces dedicated to Hawaiian monarchs and pieces with Native Hawaiian titles. His dedication to his post had a great influence on Hawaiian music and on Liliʻuokalani. Once Berger started his 43-year service as the director of the Royal Hawaiian Band, Liliʻuokalani s output drastically increased, despite political responsibility. 37 However, Kamehameha V died before the arrival of Berger in 1872, only to be followed by a short reign of King Lunalilo, Lili uokalani s former fiancé, who died in This death brought a feud between the widowed Queen Emma and Lili uokalani. Queen Emma lobbied her dying husband to name her as his successor despite his constant refusal. In response to Queen Emma s behavior, Lili uokalani composed Ka Wai Ōpua Makani (Wind of the Water-of-Cloud-Banks) that shamed Queen Emma s efforts for the kingdom. After an election was held in the national legislature, Kālakaua, Liliʻuokalani s brother, was named as King. Overjoyed, Lili uokalani wrote Ka Hae Kalaunu (The 36 Ibid., Scott Smith, The Royal Hawaiian Band: Its Legacy (Honolulu: Island Heritage Publishing, 2004), 12.

28 18 Flag of the Crown). This piece is significant, as it is one of the few pieces of this decade that does not follow Lili uokalani s imposed form of verse and chorus containing the same melodic scheme. Instead, the text of the verse alludes to Kalākaua and his siblings, then transitions to a jubilant chorus, where the text disengages from allusion to blatantly celebrating Kalākaua and his siblings. This piece serves as a clear example of Liliʻuokalani s ability to traverse the intersection of Hawaiian understanding and poetic prowess and Western understanding and rhetoric. 38 Two more pieces were written in 1874, Laʻi Au Ē (Peaceful Am I) and Lei Ponimōʻī (Carnation Lei). These pieces have great ties to Kalākaua, naming Leleiōhoku, his younger brother, as the heir to the throne; they were then rehearsed and performed with Liliʻuokalani s singing groups at Kawaiaha o. During these two years, Liliʻuokalani solidified her role in utilizing choral compositions as political testimony that intertwined the wishes of the monarchy with those of the general populace. Recognizing Kawaiaha o as a beacon of faith and social gathering where many Native Hawaiians would listen to her ensembles, Liliʻuokalani understood the importance of choral anthems. Consequently, she utilized her music as a political vehicle to garner support for the royal family. 39 In 1877, Prince Leleiōhoku died at 23 years old, leaving Liliʻuokalani as heir to the throne. Despite the family tragedy, Kalākaua composed a mele inoa, a song to honor the name and family of an individual, entitled He Inoa No Kalanikauikamoku, Lili uokalani. This is a significant work, as this is one of the first mele inoa that was dedicated to Lili uokalani, marking her influence not only as heir apparent but as a significant musician in Hawaiʻi as well. Not long after the death of her brother and her 38 Kanahele, Ka Mele Hawaiʻi a me ke Poʻe Mele, Samuel Elbert and Noelani Mahoe, Nā Mele o Hawaiʻi Nei (Honolulu: University of Hawaiʻi Press, 1970), 3.

29 19 announcement as heir apparent, she set out on a nationwide tour to present herself and her new title. 40 Her tour proved to be a time of inspiration, and her output expanded exponentially during this time. As she toured islands outside of O ahu, she began to write a canon of mele inoa for her niece, Ka iulani. Allen argues that these contributions came from receiving a mele inoa from her brother and her desire to continue the royal lineage. 41 While traveling to Maui, Lili uokalani adopted a baby girl, Lydia Kaʻonohipaniponiokalani Aholo, through the Hawaiian protocol of hānai. In Maui, she composed a mele inoa called Lilikoʻi. Her time in Maui proved fruitful for composition, as she wrote five more compositions ranging from Naʻu Nō ʻOe (You Are Mine), a mele aloha in waltz form, to Aloha ʻOe (Farewell to Thee), her most published and most famous composition, and another mele inoa for Kaʻiulani. 42 Smith states that Liliʻuokalani s ascent to the status of heir apparent was the one of the main reasons that she completed more songs in the 1870s than ever before. Lili uokalani was to be the Queen of Hawaiʻi. Her family was no longer subservient to the Kamehameha lineage, and her motives to compose evolved from music as a means to achieve political sustainability to music as a celebration of life s: Composing in Times of Death and Travel This era marks a significant reduction in composition for Lili uokalani. According to Kuykendall, this diminution in repertoire was due to the inception of competing 40 Lili uokalani, Hawai i s Story by Hawai i s Queen, Allen Helena, The Betrayal of Lili uokalani (Glendale: Arthur Clarke, 1982), Liliʻuokalani, The Queen s Songbook, Ibid., 15.

30 20 nations seeking to assert power and dominance over Hawaiʻi. 44 Tabrah argues that an underlying reason could be the smallpox epidemic that occurred in the islands during Lili uokalani s regency while Kalākaua left for a tour around the world. 45 However, Liliuʻokalani did not cease composing entirely. She translated and arranged Hoʻoheno (A Tender Tribute) as an act of respect towards the composers and longtime retainers Joseph ʻAeʻa and Joseph Heleluhe. In her first published arrangement, Liliʻuokalani championed the practice of choral arranging through Western notation. In 1884, Liliʻuokalani composed A Chant for the funeral of her hānai sister, Bernice Pauahi Bishop. Defined as a mele kanikau, or a chant of mourning, these chants are normally monophonic and improvisatory. However, Liliʻuokalani evolved the genre by setting this chant in a four-part, hymn-like style with text from the biblical book of Job. This work is seen as an example of Liliʻuokalani s mastery of Hawaiian protocol and Western sensibility. Considering that Pauahi was also a devout Christian, Lili uokalani wrote this as a piece that encapsulated Pauahi s identity as a Native Hawaiian cultural practitioner and a fervent Christian. 46 In 1887, Lili uokalani suffered another death in her family with the passing of her sister Likelike in During this year, Liliʻuokalani was also invited to attend the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria of England. Before traveling to London, the Hawaiian contingency stopped in Boston, which lifted Liliʻuokalani s spirits. She wrote about how inspired she was after attending an operetta with her husband s family and dining with President Cleveland. Traveling from Boston to London, Lili uokalani composed a composition to Queen Victoria entitled The Queen s Jubilee, which was gifted to 44 Ralph Kuykendall, The Hawaiian Kingdom (Honolulu: University of Hawai i Press, 1938), Ruth Tabrah, Hawaii: A History (New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 1984), Henry Beecher, The Plymouth Collection (New York: A.S. Barnes, 1856), 45.

31 21 Queen Victoria at her Jubilee. The piece begins with the keyboard instrument imitating a fanfare, showcasing Liliʻuokalani s understanding of the use of brass fanfare entrances to mark the arrival of a British monarch. Though it was a successful trip politically for the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi, Liliʻuokalani expressed her longing for Hawai i during her stay in Europe through her composition Ka Huna Kai (The Sea Spray). This piece, while a choral work, also marks her contribution to the evolution of hula or Hawaiian dance. It was a hula kuʻi, a type of form that joined ancient dance steps with the current dances of her time s: Composing for an Annexed Kingdom The 1890s were turbulent years for Lili uokalani. She lost her brother, Kalākaua, who died of health-related issues while he was in San Francisco in Queen Liliʻuokalani took the throne shortly after the announcement of his death only to lose the entire Kingdom of Hawaiʻi to American power in After being arrested for treason against the American government, she was imprisoned in her own palace for eight months. 48 During her imprisonment, Queen Lili uokalani composed seven songs, including Kuʻu Pua I Paoakalani (My Flower at Paoakalani), a choral work dedicated to a boy who delivered her flowers from her properties around the city. In this piece, she also employs a double meaning that suggests that the flower can be a signal of opposition against the American government. During this time, Queen Liliʻuokalani turned back to 47 Liliʻuokalani, Hawai i s Story by Hawai i s Queen, Allen, The Betrayal of Lili uokalani, 381.

32 22 Hawaiian poetics to communicate opposition to the overthrow of her Native Hawaiian Kingdom. 49 Queen Liliʻuokalani received a full pardon and restoration of her civil rights from the American government in At this time, she set her text Ka Wai ʻApo Lani, a work rooted in Native Hawaiian metaphor, once more. She references taro, a symbol of life and sustenance for the Hawaiian people. Through this image, Liliʻuokalani utilizes Hawaiian metaphor to describe the ruler-subject relationship she endured during the annexation of Hawaiʻi. 50 Despite Liliʻuokalani s morbid themes before the turn of the century, she encountered great success in publishing her works. She compiled a book of her compositions entitled He Buke Mele Hawaiʻi (A Hawaiian Songbook) and sent one copy to Queen Victoria and another to the United States Library of Congress. 51 This collection includes compositions starting from her first trip to the United States. With the exception of two known compositions, Liliʻuokalani ceased to compose after compiling her songbook. She continued to endure tragedy throughout her remaining years, losing all of her hānai sons due to poor health before her death in Upon her death, the words of her choral work Aloha ʻOe were engraved at the grounds of Washington Place Lili uokalani, Hawai i s Story by Hawai i s Queen, Lili uokalani, Hawai i s Story by Hawai i s Queen, Irwin, I Knew Queen Lili uokalani, Liliʻuokalani, The Queen s Songbook, 30.

33 CHAPTER III CHORAL TONE AND BALANCE According to ethnomusicologist Elizabeth Tatar, genres of Native Hawaiian chant, monophonic communal vocal music, and Hawaiian choral music have played a more prominent role than instrumental music throughout the history of Hawaiʻi. While Western instruments were introduced to Hawaiʻi in the nineteenth century and certainly contributed to the evolution of the Hawaiian music soundscape, they have been predominantly used to accompany the choir or solo voice, just like the instruments of Hawaiʻi before Western contact. 53 For example, Western instruments such as the piano and guitar were relegated specifically for use as accompaniment by Liliʻuokalani in her own choral compositions. 54 Because of Liliʻuokalani s influence as a choral pedagogue, choral composer, and Hawaiian monarch, participation in the choral craft of Hawaiʻi was a national one. Choral music was looked upon by the Hawaiian people as an opportunity to establish and celebrate community, an important and integral concept of the Hawaiian worldview. Grimshaw makes the following comment about Polynesian choral music during the late nineteenth century: Solo singing does not attract the Pacific Islander at all; music is above all things a social function, in his opinion, and if he can get a few others to sit down with him on the ground and begin a chorus, he is happy for hours and so are they Elizabeth Tatar, Nineteenth Century Hawaiian Chant (Ann Arbor: University Microfilms International, 1987), Liliʻuokalani, The Queen s Songbook, Beatrice Grimshaw, In the Strange South Seas (Kingston, Surry: Chapel River Press, 1907),

34 24 Due to the inclusivity of choral singing, the Western protocol of auditioning to sing with an ensemble was rarely done during the nineteenth century. 56 As Stillman states, Everyone sang. Singing was everywhere. 57 Hawaiian music scholar Dr. Kanahele states that while an individual of superior musical skill and ability was celebrated in the ensemble, solos and leadership positions of the ensembles were given to elder singers. This philosophy followed the Hawaiian value of respecting and celebrating the elders of the Hawaiian Kingdom. As a result of the inclusivity of Hawaiian choral practice and its integration with Hawaiian cultural values, choral singing quickly became an integral practice throughout nineteenth century Hawaiʻi. Liliʻuokalani started traditions of secular choral singing through her repertoire at her place of worship, Kawaiahaʻo church. She also led amateur singing groups to sing her compositions in contest with her other siblings Kalākaua, Likelike, Leleiohoku. Formal and informal singing groups began to regularly rehearse and perform throughout Honolulu. Under Liliʻuokalani s influence, choral music became common practice in both sacred and secular contexts and quickly became a communal cultural practice nationwide and, therefore, a part of the cultural fabric of Hawaiʻi. 58 Hawaiian Choral Music and the Bel Canto Style As choral singing evolved nationwide, three intersections of vocal production in turn shaped Hawaiian choral tone of the nineteenth century. Before Western contact, Indigenous Hawaiian vocal production came from a tradition of Native Hawaiian chant. Upon the arrival of the missionaries, missionary singing schools were built and hymn 56 Kanahele, Ka Mele Hawaiʻi a me ke Poʻe mele, Amy Ku'uleialoha Stillman, interview by author, May 13, Liliʻuokalani, The Queen s Songbook, 9.

35 25 singing was introduced. Concurrently, as hymn singing was practiced, the Hawaiian kingdom received other visitors from across Europe, bringing access to opera and the bel canto style of singing that quickly inspired the music of Liliʻuokalani and spread throughout Hawaiʻi. 59 The bel canto style, according to vocal pedagogue Philip Duey, originated in Italy and culminated in the nineteenth century with the rise of opera. 60 While contemporary pedagogues continue to propagate new intersections and interpretations of bel canto technique within different styles and genres of singing, the majority of vocal pedagogues agree that the technique of bel canto is reliant on the following: an onset of tone that comes from the breath, a low laryngeal position, and the blending of vocal registers to maximize range. 61 This definition is one that contemporary conductors Nāhulu and Salā propagate in their ensembles. In my experience, contemporary interpretations of historically and culturallyinformed performances of Liliʻuokalani s music utilize Western bel canto vocal technique. My work as a singer and conducting protégé in the choral ensembles of Nāhulu and Salā affirm that their interpretations of bel canto techniques were passed down from their mentor, Dorothy Gillett. For example, Nola Nāhulu states that she regularly practices and subscribes to a choral tone that uses bel canto technique when performing the music of Lili uokalani. 62 This statement is significant as one of her 59 Kanahele, Ka Mele Hawaiʻi a me ke Poʻe Mele, Philip Duey, Bel Canto in its Golden Age: A Study of its Teaching Concepts (Breinigsville, PA: Duey Press, 2007), Ethan Sperry and Mary Goetze, "Vocal Versatility in Bel Canto Style," Choral Journal 55, no. 2 (2014): Nola Nāhulu, interview by author, July 14, 2016.