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Information on this page courtesy The Royal Hawaiian Band

The Friends of the Royal Hawaiian Band

Preserving Hawaiian Music Since 1979

Requests for appearances by the Royal Hawaiian Band should be made in writing. Please identify the nature of the requesting organization as well as the date, time, place and type of event. Mail requests to: The Office of the Mayor, City and County of Honolulu, 530 S. King Street, Room 300, Honolulu, HI 96813. For further information phone (808) 523-4141.

About the Royal Hawaiian Band

From its royal beginnings in 1836, the Royal Hawaiian Band has entertained audiences here in the islands and around the world for over 150 years. The "King's Band," as it was once known, was founded by King Kamehameha III and became a staple of daily life by performing for state occasions, funerals, and marching in parades. The band accompanied reigning monarchs of the time on frequent trips to the outer islands and brought their music to remote destinations of the kingdom such as the leper colony of Kalaupapa on the island of Molokai.

Royal Hawaiian Band with Bandmaster Henry Berger on the steps of `Iolani Palace in 1916.
Photo courtesy of the Hawaii State Archives

Leading the band at that time was Heinrich (Henry) Berger, who remains the most influential bandmaster to shape the band as we know it. His musical setting of the "Hymn of Kamehameha I" would eventually become the Hawaiian national, and now state anthem "Hawai`i Pono`

." Thus for his contributions to the band and Hawaiian music in general, Berger became known as the "Father of Hawaiian Music."

As the band grew in prominence, it made its first voyage outside of the kingdom to participate in a band competition held in San Francisco. There the band took first prize amidst stiff competition from bands all across the country. This would mark the first of many major trips undertaken by the band which would draw attention to the beautiful music of the Hawaiian Islands. Since then, the band has traveled to Japan, Canada, Europe, and various points across the US, including a performance at Carnegie Hall in New York City. In September 2005, the band took a goodwill tour to Japan where it performed with ten Japanese hula h

lau, enthralling audiences out of their seats!

Today, the Royal Hawaiian Band is an agency of the City and County of Honolulu and is the only full-time municipal band in the United States with 40 full time positions. The band performs and marches in over 300 concerts and parades each year. Venues include: city, state, and military functions; schools, community centers, shopping malls, retirement communities, graduations, and private events. Weekly public performances are held on Fridays at `Iolani Palace and Sundays at the Kapi`olani Park Bandstand.

About the Music

Hawaiian music is at the heart and soul of the Royal Hawaiian Band and at every concert audiences are treated to songs of the islands from the past to the present. In fact, many popular Hawaiian compositions heard today being sung by popular artists have their roots in the Royal Hawaiian Band. The band breathes life into the music composed during the time of Hawai`i's monarchy, many pieces of which were composed by the bandmaster of that time, Henry Berger, who lead the band during the reigns of King Kal

kaua and Queen Lili`uokalani. He introduced and stylized Hawaiian melodies in a variety of European musical forms such as marches, polkas, and waltzes; as well as arranged pieces composed by the royalty themselves as they were also prolific musicians and songwriters. The most famous song of which is "Aloha `Oe," composed by Queen Lili`uokalani, and it can be heard at the closing of every Royal Hawaiian Band concert. Berger would also arrange transcriptions of European orchestral literature for the band and thus, the monarchy of Hawai`i would dance to the same waltzes of their European counterparts, whom the monarchy was heavily influenced by.

Program: Emma Square January 18,1873; Ka Moi Lounalilo March (new) - Berger; Air, Opera Fallstaff - Balfe; Coronation March (new) - Meyerbeer; Lancers Quadrille (new) - Faust; God Save the King March - Berger; To conclude with a march around Emma Square; H. Berger Band Master

Photo courtesy of the Hawaii State Archives

During the early 20th century when Hapa Haole music (Hawaiian music with English words) was all the rage, the Royal Hawaiian Band kept with the time and adopted many pieces into its literature. Classics such as "Waikiki," "Sophisticated Hula," and "Hukilau" can still be heard today at a band concert.

In addition to Hawaiian music, the band performs many pieces from the United States and all over the world, from past to present. Concerts today may include marches, orchestral transcriptions, standard band repertoire, pop music arrangements, Broadway musicals, movie soundtracks, television shows, and even cartoons (for the younger audiences). The band also performs a variety of ethnocentric literature that it uses when participating in many of the cultural festivals that it is invited to. Such festivals include the annual Korean festival, Okinawan festival, and Vietnamese festival.

References
Stone, Scott C.S. The Royal Hawaiian Band: Its Legacy. Waipahu: Island Heritage, 2004.
Kanahele, George S. Hawaiian Music and Musicians. Honolulu: University Press of Hawaii, 1979.

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