(1897, 2003)
These lists are a gift to all who love to sing Hawaiian songs. Most of our personal and published song-collections include only text and chords, and all we need to launch into singing a song is get the first few notes or the first musical phrase. All too often the lament, "Eh, how does this song go...?" can dampen an otherwise enthusiastic family kanikapila ("domestic music making") session. This reference website exists solely to help keep alive our kanikapila tradition.
This is a reference collection of incipits, that is, the first few notes of a song. Because this is an incipit reference list, no current or former copyrighted ownership is infringed upon, and none intended either. This purely instructional list is a teaching reference, assembled as a gift for those who love to kanikapila for their personal domestic/school use. These webpages offer two means to recall a song:
1) Solfege Musicologists have long used "solfege" as non-notational recalling device. Solfege explanation.
2) Midi (.mid) Soundclips If your computer sound-card is configured properly, you can listen to these. There are several types of soundclips: a) The M (entire melody line) of the song: b) Mondoy Music's arrangement. Use of any midi accompaniment must not go beyond instructional home/school use. Mondoy Music has some sheet music; Click here to see a sample of sheet music piano accompaniment.
Some of these Hawaiian lyrics can be found in the recently published He Mele Aloha A Hawaiian Songbook (‘Oli‘Oli Productions, LLC, Honolulu; 2003)
Please support the continued growth of Hawaiian music in our community by purchasing composers' published song books and other Song Collections, as well as recordings of Hawaiian music. Many books may be out of print but available at public libraries; please mälama these old and venerable books, and do return them.
These web pages are for home/school study purposes only. Karaoke-style use of soundclips is kapu; legally forbidden. There is no claim of definitive rendition of these songs, just approximations of current (sometimes former) usage - Different performers and island locales and venues provide a variety of interpretations. This is an on-going project that will take time to complete. Your suggestions, corrections and insights (and historical data) may prove helpful; do keep in touch. Mahalo!
The texts/songs in this collection are in the public domain.
Go fetch your instruments and Ka Buke Mele o Nä Hïmeni Hawai‘i book and enjoy your kanikapila!
Created Feb 2004 ©2004 Mondoy Music | Last updated: 06/13/2011
