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Kapila Kane
Ha`aha`a
USA
1051 Posts |
 Posted - 11/28/2004 : 12:15:13 AM
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So, is there info avaiable on what the music was that was played in the 1840's by the Mexican Vaquereros when they came to Hawaii?
Was it more like Mexican folk tunes, a little classical?, or other influences? ...or what other stuff that might have been the first Non-missionary "outside" music in Hawaii.?
Also, what was the nature of the music on the ships of the early explorers?
I've heard that they used music to communicate and break the ice with people of unknown language and cultures?
Bet they did double duty...
I thought, wow, what a great idea!
It'd be like working an early cruise ship with pirate scum and lice! But hey, a gig's a gig.
Well, guess Voyager had a diverse selection of music on it--don't know if there was any slack key. And say, do aliens use cd's or 8 tracks?...
Anyway, but I know from experience that vinyl tends to warp in space.
Has there been a guitar in space yet?
Which guitar should I take?
And of course, there's transport questions...
Anyway, I just want to be taken seriously as a writer.
Mahalo,
Conan the Music Librarian...
Geez, I'm really serious about the initial questions...the history stuff.
Gotta go, the ship's here!
G
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Konabob
`Olu`olu
USA
928 Posts |
Posted - 11/28/2004 : 07:31:27 AM
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Gordo, you would really enjoy talking to John King. I met him in Honolulu at the Ukulele Guild's Expo last week. He did a short program on the history of the ukulele. Telling the audience that the original ukulele and fiddle tuning from Portugal was D-G-B-D (hmmmm, sounds somewhat familiar). He proceeded to play several popular Portuguese songs from the mid 1800's - they were very beautiful, and sounded somewhat like popular European lute music.
I later asked him about the fiddle in Hawaiian music, as I have always understood the word "Kanikapila" actually translates as "Kani (sound of) Ka (the) Pila (fiddle). He said that this was true, but that in early Hawaiian/European encounters, any instrument with strings was referred to as a fiddle. So it does not necessarily mean a bowed instrument. The fact that the word Pila exists, however does indicate that the fiddle was heard in those times.
Just found an interesting book by Jim Beloff on Amazon [ http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0879307587/ref=sib_dp_pt/103-0300390-3210271#reader-page ] that talks about this stuff.
The Kona Historical Society (I was trained as a tour guide by this organization) told me that they really have no record of how many Vaqueros actually came to Hawaii. There are only 2 recorded names, although we suspect that there may have been a few more. But there were no crowds of them singing around the campfire. These guys showed up from Mexico and possibly South America, and were thought to be of Spanish/Indian decent. They would have been singing popular songs that they learned from the trading ships that came from Spain, and Portugal. It was probably not "cowboy music", as the term "cowboy" had not been invented. The Vaqueros left after a short time (probably less than 2 years). There was a later influx of German and Portuguese who were brought in to work in the sugar plantations, but this was almost 50 years later.
Of course, outside music continues to shape Hawaiian music. Some day historians will be saying "the influence of Jamaican and Reggae music was brought about because the Hawaiian radio stations were all purchased by mainland corporations. These corporations simply imported the same play lists that they used in California. Young Hawaiians incorporated this music into their popular music and it became "Jawaiian", their music of choice". There is also a new wave of music coming in with the immigrant coffee pickers from Mexico. We are hearing Nortainia and Mariachi music here on the Big Island.
As far as outer space is concerned, I would go with a metal body guitar. They block gamma rays.
Aloha,
-Konabob
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Konabob's Walkingbass - http://www.konawalkingbass.com
Taropatch Steel - http://www.konaweb.com/konabob/
YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=&search_query=Konabob2+Walkingbass |
Edited by - Konabob on 11/28/2004 4:27:21 PM |
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Fran Guidry
Ha`aha`a
USA
1579 Posts |
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Russell Letson
`Olu`olu
USA
504 Posts |
Posted - 11/28/2004 : 09:26:27 AM
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As Konabob suggests, information on early post-Contact musical imports is pretty fragmented--I have relied mostly on the 30-year-old research in Hawaiian Music and Musicians (which means mostly Elizabeth Tatar's work), plus some speculations from Mike McClellan about what instrument the vaqueros might have actually played.
I'm not sure about any regular practice of using music as an early-contact ice-breaker, but you can be sure that the sailors' own social/work music got noticed and absorbed by the Islanders, and it seems that before the introduction of the concertina (invented around 1830), the fiddle and guitar were the portable-music favorites of sailors. Tatar writes that the guitar was popular in New England ("home of the missionaries and most whalers arriving in Hawai`i"), and we know that C.F. Martin established himself as a guitar-maker in New York in 1833, having apprenticed in Germany for years before that. So there are many directions from which guitars and guitar music must have entered the Hawaiian cultural environment.
I'm inclined to think that the very earliest guitar music was from working people, sailors as well as cowboys, with the more refined "parlor" music not far behind (that New England missionary influence), so that the famous 1840 music-store ad for guitar strings was likely aimed at the well-to-do rather than the deck-hand (let alone the stock-herder out in the boonies). And that genteel tradition must have been pretty strong--the royal family had Western-style musical training--so that by the coronation of King David Kalakaua (1874) the guitar was ready to be integrated into traditional music in hula ku`i. There is plenty of evidence for the porosity of Hawaiian musical culture, along with a relative lack of class barriers, so that tunes and instruments could move from working stiffs to the parlor with some ease--as the `ukulele did.
I'm sure Peter Medeiros can offer a more up-to-date and scholarly take on this--but my intuition is to follow the patterns of in-migration and figure that the Hawaiian gift of absorbing and remaking what shows up on their shores has operated pretty uniformly for the last 200-plus years.
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Edited by - Russell Letson on 11/28/2004 09:27:20 AM |
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Mark
Ha`aha`a
USA
1628 Posts |
Posted - 11/28/2004 : 10:49:45 AM
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quote:
I'm inclined to think that the very earliest guitar music was from working people, sailors as well as cowboys, with the more refined "parlor" music not far behind (that New England missionary influence), so that the famous 1840 music-store ad for guitar strings was likely aimed at the well-to-do rather than the deck-hand (let alone the stock-herder out in the boonies).
There has been extensive research on the early 19th century music of working sailors, as well as quite a bit on early Californio music from the period of the first paniolo.
As for Yankee sailors -- guitars may have been on board a few ships -- but probably not before the mast. A sailor's belongings were severly restricted as to size and type - think about what exactly could fit into a sea chest. Fiddlers, pipers and other players of small, portable insturments were important members of the crew- both for their entertainment value and, at least on some ships, for excercise. But sailor's wages were pretty sparse, and guitars and concertinas were pretty dang expensive... not to mention exceedingly fragile. That doesn't mean they weren't any around, just that it's unlikely.
As for the music of the vaqueros: yep, there were never more than a few of 'em in Hawaii, at least as far as I have been able to discover. Michael McClellan says that the early music in New Spain (BTW California was actually part of Mexico as of 1825) was likely not played on the guitar. However, numerous contemporary writers mention hearing the guitar played at fandangos -- dances at the ranchos. "The evenings were given over to pure merriment. Every hacienda had it's stringed band of several peices: the harp, guitar, and violin -- once in a while a flute." (Vallejo, quoted in "The Music of Old California by Lee Birch, 1996.)
Lee is a founding member of the musical revival group "Los Californios" who specialize in early California music. I've had numerous talks with Lee and other members of the group for years on the subject of how exactly slack key is related to the music of the first paniolo. The conclusion? It may or may not be. There are some really intereresting parrallels to the music of Madeira and the Azores, however....
So this is a great field for study -- and wide open. The one thing I do know is that much of what has been written about it is not to be taken litterally. Yes, sailors in movies played the concertina -- and yes, some sailors in late 19 century photos played the banjo. So, sure, some may have played the guitar. Did they bring it to Hawaii?
Likewise, in the Northeast US the guitar was a very popular ladies parlor instrument at the time of the missionaries. But I've never found a reference to one in any missionary diary I've read. Were they brought to Hawaii by a missionary's wife who taught the popular "Spanish Fandango," thereby creating the myth that the "Spanish" brought the guittar to Hawaii? Maybe, maybe not.
And yes, you can read in Cook's journals, as well as other ship's logs, that the sailors would "treat the natives" to a concert and dancing --- was that enough to get things started?
It's all a great deal of fun, isn't it? Russel, hurry up and finish your book -- I want to know how the story ends!
Cheers,
Mark
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sandman
Lokahi
USA
181 Posts |
Posted - 11/28/2004 : 4:04:16 PM
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Ray Kane has some interesting comments on the origins of slack key and Mexican vaqueros in the film/video "Hawaiian Rainbow." He also demonstrates his idea of how Spanish tuning was slacked down to Hawaiian tuning. Ricardo Trimillos and George Kanahele also address this issue. Edgy Lee includes some ideas in her film "Paniolo," which unfortunately appears to be out of print. Neither film includes any academic citations, however.
Sandy |
Leap into the boundless and make it your home.
Zhuang-zi |
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Lawrence
Ha`aha`a
USA
1597 Posts |
Posted - 11/28/2004 : 7:20:39 PM
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This is all really interesting stuff !
Just want to let Gordon know that he can also read the
thread on "Spanish Fandango" on this site. Some Historical
references are given in the John Stropes Tab book which I
am using to learn Norman Blake's arrangement of "Spanish
Fandango", but as Mark has already indicated, the Fandango
was a Dance Music form (like the Tango) and there were
many variations on the fandango theme, but with strong
similarities in melodic and rhythmic structure (Just like
how Tangos are related). This tune (these tunes) apparently
were very, very, popular from about 1830 to 1870, about when
the Paniolos arrived, but any string instrument player
arriving from the east would probably have played these
tunes.
"As far as outer space is concerned, I would go with a metal body guitar. They block gamma rays."
Yes, and you should use an under-saddle pickup made from
di-lithium crystal, that way your playing can reach warp speed.
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Mahope Kākou...
...El Lorenzo de Ondas Sonoras |
Edited by - Lawrence on 11/28/2004 7:26:36 PM |
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Karl Monetti
`Olu`olu
USA
756 Posts |
Posted - 11/28/2004 : 8:37:01 PM
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Mister-Know-It-All says......"yeah, some clown took a Martin Backpacker up in space one time...checked it out on the internet myself, so it must be true..."
About as low-tech a guitar as you can get...I travel with one always (except this next trip to Hawaii, where i have some lessons lined up, and i want to at least be able to hear myself above the instructor)
My wife gave me mine for a birthday gift, and it sujre has come in handy on flights all over the country because it fits anywhere. Souoinds like garbage, but that could just be because of who is playing it. And, it IS a guitar, which is better than NO guitar, especially when visiting family....you can just sneak off anywhere and play to your heart's content!
Gordon, about the writing career?..........don't quit the day job just yet. |
Karl
Frozen North |
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Auntie Maria
Ha`aha`a
USA
1918 Posts |
Posted - 11/29/2004 : 05:10:23 AM
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Re: Edgy Lee's beautiful film, "Paniolo" -- it can be ordered directly from the production company's website (DVD or video format):
http://www.filmworkspacific.com
Tidbit re: earliest vaqueros
In the early days of Dancing Cat Records, I remember hearing one of their lecturers say that the first vaqueros to arrive in Hawai`i, came with the first shipment of cattle -- which set out from the port of Monterey, California.
Re: earliest paniolo music
Has anyone emailed the folks at Dancing Cat to see if they have info on this subject?
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Auntie Maria
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Reid
Ha`aha`a
Andorra
1526 Posts |
Posted - 11/29/2004 : 08:55:23 AM
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About missionarys' wives bringing guitar to the Islands: it would have been very unlikely. Recall that Hiram Bingham I (there were 3), Dwight Baldwin, and the others from Yale, were Congregationalists, and the character of the denomination was very unlike what it is now. "Calvinist" is the word most often used. Read: exceedingly strict and strait-laced. This was the time of the "Great Awakening" and all were in high fervor around here.
However, there were others from my home town who were in Hawai`i at about the time of Kamehameha's consolidation of the islands, including the New Haven sea captain who brought `Opukaha`ia (1792 - 1818), later named "Henry", and 2 other youths, back to this place from the Big Island. The captain and his officers, and the several others like them in other ships from around here, might have had guitars, where ordinary seaman would not have - of course this is only speculation.
...Reid |
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Mark
Ha`aha`a
USA
1628 Posts |
Posted - 11/29/2004 : 09:45:14 AM
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If you are interested in the music of Old California -- which would be the same music heard, and possibly played, by the first paniolo, I'd suggest going to the source: Los Californios.
There are actually two of 'em -- one in San Diego, one in Northern California. The Southern one is led by Vykki Mende Gray, a skilled musician, writer and folklorist who has done extensive research on the topic. I'd strongly suggest picking up their CD if you are interested in hearing what was most likely played at those fandangos!
Here's a very informative page about Californio music and album notes for the CD: http://www.beardshampoo.com/Loscalifornios/Flowers.html
The northern group also issued a CD - it's a tad more, ummm, diverse and incldes some Hawaiian tunes played on lap steel (!) www.institutefortraditionalstudies.org/californios.html. And yes, the two groups get along --- sorta like people from San Francisco get along with Angelinos....
(BTW: For a really interesting take on just how old the "Northern California vs Southern California" nonesense is, see Richard Henry Dana's "Two Years Before the Mast.")
Here's a link to some information on the song collector Charles Lumis -- with photos of Californio musicians playing guitars, among other things: http://www.beardshampoo.com/Loscalifornios/Lummisrecordings.html
Here's a link to more info about early preservationists and researchers, which includes a link for sheet music: http://www.beardshampoo.com/Loscalifornios/History.html
I learned the song Las Blancas Flores from Los Californios. In creating the arrangement for my CD, I consulted with Pat O'Scannell, whose group The Terra Nova Consort has researched the music of New Spain during the early colonial period. We decided to use a viola da gamba as a second instrument, even though it came from an earlier era. Why? Because it was (is) very common in colonial cutures to presever older forms of music and language. For a related example, look at the persistance of the Appalachian dulcimer in the New World long after it dissappeared in Europe.
Once again, this is a wide open topic. I can say from almost 30 years of chasing down fragments of traditional music and traditional intrumental styles that most of what is accepted as "fact" does not stand up to close inspection. Far too many writers rely on earlier writings -- again, look for all the references that say the fretted dulcimer or banjo are American inventions.
The bulk of what I have read about the relationship between the paniolo music and slack key guitar (including what's printed by Dancing Cat) simply repeats the same stories. Just as Keola and I did in our book. Why? Because these are the stories that are culturally important to Hawaiians.
Are they the "real-true" story? At the risk of offending some very dear friends... maybe yes....maybe no.
I'd love to really know why there are open-tuned (ie slack key) guitar traditions all over the Pacific, yet the paniolo only came to Hawaii. I have personal experience with Tongan and Rarotongan slack key, and I have heard recordings of Tahitian slack key. Are there others?
Enquiring minds want to know.
cheers,
mark
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Russell Letson
`Olu`olu
USA
504 Posts |
Posted - 11/30/2004 : 08:53:50 AM
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Mark wonders, "I'd love to really know why there are open-tuned (ie slack key) guitar traditions all over the Pacific. . . ."
In the absence of specific evidence to the contrary, I'm usually open to the idea of parallel (cultural) evolution and invention, especially with something like scordatura, which is a pretty widespread notion and seems the sort of thing that people will come up with on their own over and over under the right circumstances. If the same non-obvious tuning were to turn up all across Polynesia (especially if its spread could be connected to, say, trade routes), then I'd entertain a radiation model. I'd like to talk to some ethnomusicologists and anthropologists about cultural exchange patterns among Pacific Islanders--that would give an idea of what gets passed around and what might get independently reinvented out of commonly held materials and habits when some new item like the guitar or `ukulele shows up on the local scene.
BTW, in my earlier post I got Kalakaua's coronation year wrong--it's 1883, not 1874. Can't even read my own research notes.
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hapakid
Luna Ho`omalu
USA
1533 Posts |
Posted - 11/30/2004 : 09:39:26 AM
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At the June workshop on Maui, Bob Brozman said that every non-European culture that adopted the guitar uses open tunings in some way. He added that most are open G, like taropatch, because it's the least number of loosening turns to get to an open tuning.
He also added that only cultures where people trim round bushes into squares, i.e. Europe, would tune a guitar so it sounds like "nothing" when you strum it.
FWIW,
Jesse Tinsley |
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Reid
Ha`aha`a
Andorra
1526 Posts |
Posted - 11/30/2004 : 2:31:59 PM
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Jesse,
Brozman was right. As a matter of fact, he did not go far enough. Open tunings, especially G, were a constant feature of early European tunings of stringed instruments. It is not only that there is the least number of dropped strings - because "Common Tuning" (I refuse to call it "Standard") is a relatively late invention, wherein any scale octave can be played within 3 frets' distance (as long as you are willing to fret every string). Basically, from a mechanical perspective, it is that the 3rd string is a weak link, and the highest it can be tuned to, with most common practical scale lengths, without snapping, is G. Even then, moving the 3rd string up and down invites disaster. It is a problem with "gut" stringed guitars as well as "steel" stringed instruments.
I once blundered into a nasty classical guitar newsgroup, and, apart from defaming my ancestry, and Queen Lili`u's level of civilization, it was claimed that the Russians invented Open G and brought it to the Islands on one of their few Imperial boat trips. Yeah...
...Reid |
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Bill Neubauer
Aloha
USA
34 Posts |
Posted - 11/30/2004 : 3:57:07 PM
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..."trimming round bushes into squares"...aren't these also the people that, in Hawaii, on October 15, put away their "summer" clothes and got out the long johns?
And speaking of Open G, wasn't that also sometimes called "Spanish Tuning"? So couldn't one speculate that the Vaquero's guitars might have already been tuned to...Taro Patch?  Sorry, maybe I shouldn't think out loud. |
Kika Pila |
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RJS
Ha`aha`a
1635 Posts |
Posted - 11/30/2004 : 8:44:05 PM
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I think that the importance of the Vaquiero legend to the Hawaiian people is absolutley right on -- (Now pardon one bit of theory before the "juicy" part) However, it makes much more sense to take these stories as "myth-legends" in which case their importance isn't historical accuracy but rather to present a structure of images which on the one hand point to the core realities (that's what "origin" myths do) and help each person some relate more fully to the ultimate mystery which is life --
In the case of slack key -- the vaquiero story points to three realities -- slack key has its origins (heart, essence) in the beautiful way that Hawaiians are able to extend Aloha to foreigners (The Mexicans reciprocated the Hawaiians aloha with gifts of the guitars)--- it speaks to the richness of a culture which is secure enough in itself to be able to take in a foreign influence and make it part of its own -(the Hawaiians took the guitars and "made them their own")-- and it speaks of a powerful connection to the 'aina. -- -- the paniolo were very much rooted to their land --
To me the vaquiero legend of the origins of slack key is absolutely correct -- it situates me dead center in a tradition of Aloha, rooted to the 'aina, willing to be open to new influences and use them to express my view of beauty. |
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