''By the Blue Hawaiian Waters'' is a piece of
light classical music for orchestra by
Albert Ketèlbey
Albert William Ketèlbey (; born Ketelbey; 9 August 1875 – 26 November 1959) was an English composer, conductor and pianist, best known for his short pieces of light orchestral music. He was born in Birmingham and moved to Lon ...
. He composed the "tone-picture" in 1927. The piece was published by Bosworth the same year.
History
Some of the music of ''By the Blue Hawaiian Waters'' had been
incidental music
Incidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, or some other presentation form that is not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead as t ...
in a play ''Ye Gods'' in 1916. Ketèlbey wrote the "tone-picture" in 1927. It was probably first performed in
Harrogate
Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor at ...
the same year, and published that year, also in versions with piano.
Theme and music
A synopsis of scenes by the composer mentions that after a short introduction and a vigorous
hula dance
Hula () is a Hawaiian dance form accompanied by chant (oli) or song (mele). It was developed in the Hawaiian Islands by the Native Hawaiians who originally settled there. The hula dramatizes or portrays the words of the oli or mele in a visual ...
, a lover plays his "native love-call", followed by the "Song of the Hula Girl".
The work is concluded by a lively dance at a betrothal ceremony.
The piece in
C major
C major (or the key of C) is a major scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. C major is one of the most common keys used in music. Its key signature has no flats or sharps. Its relative minor is A minor and ...
and
common time is marked ''Allegretto dolce (with flowing movement)''.
The melody of the love-call is played by the clarinet.
In 1929, it was recorded, conducted by the composer.
He made only minor cuts, and added a
Hawaiian guitar, played by Len Fellis, "a star of many a dance band".
Ketèlbey replaced the clarinet by an
alto saxophone
The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in E, smaller than the B tenor ...
for the love-call, making it "one of the earliest recordings of a standard orchestra to include a saxophone".
It was reissued in 2002 in a collection of his light music.
A review notes that the work "treads a dangerous and ultimately unsuccessfully schizophrenic path between the hula and urbane romanticism."
A recording with
Frieder Weissmann conducting the Berliner Symphoniker, possibly in March 1931, also used the saxophone and Hawaiian guitar, but additionally
gong,
xylophone
The xylophone (; ) is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets. Like the glockenspiel (which uses metal bars), the xylophone essentially consists of a set of tuned wooden keys arranged in the ...
and a
men's chorus singing without words, because it was coupled with ''In a Chinese Temple Garden'' which requires the larger ensemble.
References
External links
The Music of Albert W. Ketèlbey / A Catalogue compiled by Tom McCanna
* Philip L. Scowcroft
{{italic title
1927 compositions
Compositions by Albert Ketèlbey
Compositions in C major
Compositions for symphony orchestra