-VIRTUOSO-n. one with great knowledge of fine arts.

-PRODUCTION-PRODUCT-n. that which is produced.

-PATRON-n. a man who protects or supports a person,cause, entertainment,artistic production,etc.

-EXPOSURE-n. the state of being lain bare.

-EXPOSE-v.t. to exhibit.

 

Ukulele playing is a Hawai'ian way of life. I think that ukulele playing is a Hawai'ian way of life because in Hawai'i the ukulele can be heard almost anywhere. You can hear it in the homes of the locals in Hawai'i. You can hear it at school and on the radio.

 

Although the ukulele originated from Portugal, the first virtuoso ukulele player on Hawai'i was Hawai'ian born.

I've seen many tourists at the airports waiting to go home carrying an ukulele. I guess it's a souvenir of proof to show off to their friends, and family that they've been to Hawai'i.

Originally the ukulele is a Portuguese musical instrument. It's a descendent of the brahguinha or, less commonly known, machete de baga. The history of how it got to Hawai'i can be traced back to the very specific date of August 23rd, 1879. On this day a ship filled with 419 men, women and children from Madiera called the Ravenscrag arrived in Hawai'i. The travelers were thrilled to have finally reached their destination because it was a difficult four month voyage. Legend has it that when they were arriving at Honolulu Harbor, a passenger who played music named Joao Fernandez hopped onto the wharf and began jamming some tunes. Some Portuguese folk song. Some kind of thanksgiving for their safe arrival. Although he was playing for his friends, the Hawai'ian passengers couldn't help but be captured by the sweet sounds of the curious instrument on which he was playing.

For some strange reason three talented craftsmen, Augusto Dias, Manuel Nunes and Jose do Espirito Santo were on the Ravenscrag. Manuel Nunes was both an instrument and cabinet maker while Jose do Espirito Santo and Augusto Dias were both craftsmen

 

and talented musicians. These three people would soon play an important role in the development and popularization of the modern-day ukulele.

There are a lot of theories on how these instrument got the name ukulele. Two stories that circulated the most includes one about an English army officer. His name was Edward Purvis. Ed arrived in Hawai'i in 1879. This man was very skilled in playing the Braguinha. After becoming Assistant Chamberlain to the court of King David Kalakaua he entertained the court. Because Edward was small he was nicknamed ukulele, which means in Hawai'ian, "jumping flea."

Another theory would just be in the movements of a persons fingers as they would move up and down the fretboard. I guess Hawai'ians looked at the fingers and thought that they looked like jumping fleas.

Queen Lili'uokalani looked at it in a more poetic translation of the Hawai'ian word uku as "the gift" and lele "to come." She looked at it as a gift that came from Portugal.

 

Although many people looked for job's in Hawai'i's sugar plantations,Augusto Dias wanted to find a job in the woodworking industry. Dias was a fine musician who also played the guitar and sang on the Ravenscrag. In August of 1879, Dias arrived in Honolulu disappointed to learn that many men on the ship were into being laborers in the fields.

There were alot of growing interest for the braguinha/ukulele in Honolulu but there was no one to build them. I guess you could say it was a real market opportunity. Manuel Nunes was the first person to open his own shop in the "Independent Manufacture and sale of Ukuleles" in 1880. According to a great grandson of Manuels, Dias and Santo were two of his employees. In 1884 Dias split from Nunes and made his own instrument making and repair shop on King Street in Honolulu. Santo also opened a shop. A guitar and ukulele shop in 1888.

Dias had a long-standing relationship with King David Kalakaua. He regularly performed at social functions at Iolani Palace. there he demonstrated the picking of melodies rather than the strumming of chords. When the King had weekly poker games Dias would play the ukulele accompanied by a flute Robert Louis Stevenson played.

 

The reason why there was an acceptance of the ukulele was because of King David Kalakaua. Because of his influence of the ukulele and his back ground of being a composer who loved the ukulele he played an important role in the acceptance of the ukulele. King David Kalakaua learned about ancient Hawaiian music from his grandmother. He also learned about contemporary music through his teachers at the Royal School. David played piano, accordion, guitar and later, the ukulele. His brother and two sisters all became known as song writers and all played ukulele.

David was so influenced with the ukulele that after he learned to play it he added it to traditional hula. He was so I love with the ukulele that he even learned to design and build his own from Augusto Dias.

The ukulele was King David Kalakaua's favorite instrument. And because of this he made every effort to include it in all of his musical activities. The first time the ukulele was used in hula dancing was in 1886 at the Kings Jubilee celebration. The ukulele began featuring in Glee Clubs. It was also written into the music of Royal composers.

Because of the Royal family's enthusiasm there was even more acceptance of the ukulele. Another thing that influenced the ukulele was its redesigns. Redesigns done by Nunes. Some changes included increasing the size and slightly altering the shape, replacing the metal strings with "catgut," and changing the tuning for easier chord formations.

 

In 1880 tourism in Hawaii was born. Even before a group of businessmen overthrew the Hawaiian Monarchy in 1893. In 1900, Hawaii was admitted as U.S. territory, and the Merchants Association of Hawaii was seriously looking for ways to encourage visitors to the islands. One way was making a picture of a bewitching maiden in a grass skirt and lei, strumming the ukulele. This covered alot of ground. By adding a moonlit sandy beach the lure is complete.

The Hawaiian Glee Club, in 1901, took their ten-piece, back-up band along with four ukuleles to several big mainland cities. The ukulele hit big in the mainland in 1915. This was the year the Panama-Pacific International Exposition was held in San Francisco. The Exposition offered Hawaii the opportunity to promote its product, land and people. The Hawaiian legislature approved the building of the Hawaiian pavilion. This pavilion was one of the most popular attractions. The pavilion offered several shows featuring hula dancing and singing. These shows really gave the ukulele many international exposure....In closing, "the ukulele is a Hawaiian was of lyph." (quote by Dustin Valdez)