Charles Edward King (January 29, 1874 – February 27, 1950) was an educator, Hawaii territorial legislator, and a songwriter who is most widely known as the composer of "
Ke Kali Nei Au". King was inducted into the
Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame
The Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame is an organization dedicated to recognizing the cultural importance of the music of Hawaii and hula. Established in 1994, the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame promotes the appreciation and preservation of Hawaiian cultur ...
in 1995.
Music historian
George Kanahele
George Hueu Sanford Kanahele (1930–2000) was a native Hawaiian activist, historian and author.
Biography
George Hueu Sanford Kanahele was born October 17, 1930, in Kahuku on the island of Oahu of Hawaii.
Kanahele graduated from Kamehameha Scho ...
regarded King as the "Dean of Hawaiian Music", although this
sobriquet
A sobriquet ( ), or soubriquet, is a nickname, sometimes assumed, but often given by another, that is descriptive. A sobriquet is distinct from a pseudonym, as it is typically a familiar name used in place of a real name, without the need of expla ...
is more associated with
John Kameaaloha Almeida.
[ Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame]
Teaching and legislative career
Charles E. King was born of part Hawaiian ancestry, at the Nuʻuanu Valley estate of
Queen Emma of Hawaii
Emma Kalanikaumakaʻamano Kaleleonālani Naʻea Rooke (January 2, 1836 – April 25, 1885) was queen of Hawaii as the wife of King Kamehameha IV from 1856 to his death in 1863. She was later a candidate for the throne but King Kalākaua was elec ...
, in Honolulu, to Walter and Mary Ann Brash. He was adopted by his maternal grandfather John Lewis King after the death of his mother, and was christened by his godmother Queen Emma at
St. Andrew's Cathedral.
King was educated in public schools in Hawaii and the
Kamehameha School for Boys.
Following his 1891 graduation from Kamehameha School,
Charles Reed Bishop
Charles Reed Bishop (January 25, 1822 – June 7, 1915) was an American businessman, politician, and philanthropist in Hawaii. Born in Glens Falls, New York, he sailed to Hawaii in 1846 at the age of 24, and made his home there, marrying into the ...
, husband of
Bernice Pauahi Bishop
Bernice Pauahi Bishop KGCOK RoK (December 19, 1831 – October 16, 1884), born Bernice Pauahi Pākī, was an '' alii'' (noble) of the Royal Family of the Kingdom of Hawaii and a well known philanthropist. At her death, her estate was the la ...
, paid his tuition at
Oswego Primary Teachers Training School in New York. He returned to Hawaii, teaching music in the
Kailua-Kona
Kailua-Kona is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States. It is also known as Kailua (a name it shares with a community located on the windward side of Oahu), as Kona (a name it share ...
school district, and also at Kamehameha School for Boys. In 1914, Kamehameha alumni circulated a petition requesting that King be named school principal, but Ernest C. Webster was chosen instead.
When Bishop Estate trustee
Samuel Mills Damon
Samuel Mills Damon (March 13, 1845 – July 1, 1924) was a businessman and politician in the Kingdom of Hawaii, through the Republic of Hawaii and into the Territory of Hawaii.
Life
Damon was born in Honolulu on March 13, 1845.
His father was ...
resigned in 1916, the trustees named former teacher William Williamson, a white man, to fill the vacancy. As established by the original trust deed, any trustee appointment had to be approved by the Supreme Court of the Hawaiian Islands. With his post-teaching success in business, Williamson's nomination easily received that approval. The nomination ran into trouble with Judge C. W. Ashford of the probate court that was charged with overseeing trusts. Ashford decreed that the slot should be filled by someone of Hawaiian ancestry, and therefore representative of the very people for whom the trust was established. He appointed alumnus King, who had spoken openly about his concerns that the school was under-performing academically and not adequately preparing its graduates for career or economic success. Ashford's appointment of King was overturned on appeal in the
ninth circuit court
The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (in case citations, 9th Cir.) is the U.S. federal court of appeals that has appellate jurisdiction over the U.S. district courts in the following federal judicial districts:
* District ...
, which ruled in favor of the original Williamson appointment having been in strict accordance with the trust deed.
After considering a run for various elected offices in 1917, King successfully ran on the Republican ticket in 1918 for a seat in the
Territory of Hawaii
The Territory of Hawaii or Hawaii Territory ( Hawaiian: ''Panalāʻau o Hawaiʻi'') was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from April 30, 1900, until August 21, 1959, when most of its territory, excluding ...
senate. The College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts of the Territory of Hawaii was authorized by the legislature in 1907 and first began operating in 1908 on Young Street in Honolulu. The institution's name was changed in 1911 to College of Hawaii and relocated to the
Manoa
Mānoa (, ) is a valley and a residential neighborhood of Honolulu, Hawaii. The neighborhood is approximately three miles (5 km) east and inland from downtown Honolulu and less than a mile (1600 m) from Ala Moana and Waikiki at .
Neighbo ...
valley. A community need to expand the school's curriculum and offer university-level degrees, led to King's introducing Senate Bill 76 in 1919, creating the legislation to establish the
University of Hawaii at Manoa
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...
. While still serving in the legislature, he also led campus song concerts at the university.
Music career
He grew up surrounded by traditional Hawaiian ''
mele'' style of music and was a musical protégé of
Liliuokalani. King began pursuing songwriting sometime in mid-life, publishing the first two of his three books of sheet music when he was 42 years old.
"Kamehameha Waltz" was penned by King as a
paean
A paean () is a song or lyric poem expressing triumph or thanksgiving. In classical antiquity, it is usually performed by a chorus, but some examples seem intended for an individual voice ( monody). It comes from the Greek παιάν (also πα ...
to his alma mater and to Bernice Pauahi Bishop who created the trust fund that established the school, "Majestic stands Kamehameha/My home of education"..."For you, O great Pauahi, high chiefess/Our exclamations of joy". The song was performed in 1914 by the King Glee Club as part of ''The Woods of Hawaii'' musical presentation at the Honolulu Opera House, sponsored by the Christian youth organization Young People's League. It was first recorded on May 18, 1928 by the Charles E. King Male Chorus on the
Columbia Records label. Since then, it has become a standard at the school's annual song contest.
His compositions were favored by Hawaiian lap steel guitarist
Sol Hoʻopiʻi who, along with Glenwood Leslie and
Lani McIntyre Lani McIntire (sometimes spelled Lani McIntyre, 15 December 1904 – 17 June 1951) was a Hawaiian guitar and steel guitar player who helped to popularize the instrument, which eventually became a mainstay in American country and western music. ...
as Sol Hoopii's Novelty Trio, recorded 17 of King's songs from 1927–1931.
The most famous song associated with King, "Ke Kali Nei Au" (Waiting For Thee), is known to today's audiences as the ''
Hawaiian Wedding Song
"Hawaiian Wedding Song" originally entitled; ''"Ke Kali Nei Aua"'' (Waiting There for Thee) was adapted from a 1926 love song written by Charles E. King and originally recorded by Helen Desha Beamer in its original ( Hawaiian language) version but ...
.'' Recorded by numerous modern-day artists, King's original lyrics are not the same as the 1958 translation by Al Hoffman and Dick Manning. King's version was not a wedding song but one of several tunes written for his Hawaiian-language opera ''The Prince of Hawaii''. At its May 4, 1925 premiere,
Ray Kinney
Ray Kinney (September 26, 1900 – February 1, 1972) was a singer, musician, composer, orchestra leader, and performer on radio, stage and screen.
Biography
Kinney was born in Hilo, Hawaii to Irish-Hawaiian parents William & Pilialoha Kinney. ...
starred in the lead of Prince Kauikalu, with
Rose Tribe as Queen Kamaka, and
Joseph Kamakau as King Kalani. The production toured the mainland United States with King in 1926. "Ke Kali Nei Au" was first recorded in Honolulu on May 22, 1928 on the Columbia Records label as a duet with
Helen Desha Beamer
Helen Kapuailohia Desha Beamer (September 8, 1882 – September 25, 1952) was a musician, composer of songs in the Hawaiian language, hula dancer and coloratura soprano of Hawaiian ancestry. Her descendants have also become accomplished artist ...
and Sam Kapu Sr. accompanied by the Don Barrientos Hawaiia n Orchestra.
At the 1917
state funeral of his musical mentor Liliuokalani, King led the Young People's League in singing her composition "
Aloha ʻOe" on the balcony of ʻIolani Palace as her
catafalque
A catafalque is a raised bier, box, or similar platform, often movable, that is used to support the casket, coffin, or body of a dead person during a Christian funeral or memorial service. Following a Roman Catholic Requiem Mass, a catafalque ...
was carried out to take her casket for entombment in the Kalākaua Crypt of the
Royal Mausoleum of Mauna ʻAla.
He served as conductor of the
Royal Hawaiian Band
The Royal Hawaiian Band is the oldest and only full-time municipal band in the United States. At present a body of the City & County of Honolulu, the Royal Hawaiian Band has been entertaining Honolulu residents and visitors since its inception i ...
for two non-sequential periods, 1932–1934 and 1939–1941.
Personal life
In 1911, King's wife Jean Bates died of cancer and was buried at
Kawaiahaʻo Church
Kawaiahaʻo Church is a historic Congregational church located in Downtown Honolulu on the Hawaiian Island of Oʻahu. The church, along with the Mission Houses, comprise the Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site, which was designated a U.S. Nati ...
cemetery.
Through his musical work with the Young People's League, he became acquainted with Emma Liftee of Kona. The couple was married by Rev.
Akaiko Akana
Akaiko Akana (1884–1933), became the first Kahu (pastor) of Hawaiian ancestry at Kawaiahaʻo Church in 1918. He served in that capacity until his death in 1933.
Background
He was born December 24, 1884, to Chun Akana and Harriet Kahema in the ...
on July 26, 1915.
When the United States entered
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, King relocated to
Elmhurst, New York, with his last wife Regina P. Hughes and began pursuing his music publishing interests. He died on February 27, 1950.
Publications
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Compositions
Partial listing. Sources: DAHR, UC Santa Barbara
an
huapala.org
*"Aloha Oe E Kuu Lei"
*"An Island Serenade"
*"Elue, Mikimiki"
*"Hawaii"
*"Hawaiʻi Kuʻu Home"
*"Hawaii Nei"
*"Hawaiian Mother's Lullaby" (co-wrote with Frances H. Gerber)
*"He Nohea Oe I Kuu Maka"
*"He Olu Ia No'u"
*"Hi‘ipoe Like I Ke Aloha"
*"Honolulu Maids"
*"Honolulu, You're the Home of the Moon"
*"Hoʻokahi No Pua Lawa Kuʻu Lei"
*"Hoohihi Oe Ke Ike Mai"
*"Huehue"
*"Imi Au Ia Oe" (from ''The Prince of Hawaii'')
*"Imua Kamehameha" (from ''The Prince of Hawaii'')
*"Kaala"
*"Ka ʻAnoʻi"
*"Ka Ipo Poina Ole"
*"Ka Hana Ia A Ke Aloha"
*"
Kaimana Hila"
*"Kalena Kai" (
Liholiho chant set to music by King)
*"Kamaile Waltz"
*"Kamehameha March"
*"Kamehameha Waltz"
*"Ka Ulua"
*"Ke Kali Nei Au" (from ''The Prince of Hawaii'')
*"King's Serenade"
*"Ku‘u ‘I‘ini"
*"Kuu Leialoha"
*"Kuʻu Lei Lehua"
*"Kuu Lei Mokihana" (from ''The Prince of Hawaii'')
*"Kuu Lei Pikake"
*"Lehua"
*"Lei Aloha Lei Makamae"
*"Lei Gardenia"
*"Lei Ilima"
*"Leilani"
*"Leilehua" (from ''The Prince of Hawaii'')
*"Leilehua-ahula"
*"Lei Leihua O Pana ʻewa"
*"Lei Lokelani"
*"Maile Laulii"
*"Mai Nuha Mai ʻOe "
*"Maui Ka' Oeoe"
*"Mauna Loa"
*"May Day is Lei Day Too"
*"Mi Nei"
*"Momi O Ka Pākīpika"
*"My Dear Hawaiʻi"
*"Na Lei O Hawaii" (aka "Song of the Islands" from ''The Prince of Hawaii'')
*"Na Moku O Hawai`i"
*"Neʻeneʻe Mai A Pili"
*"Nênê Hanu `A`ala" (co-wrote with Mary Jane )
*"O Oe Ka'u"
*"Paahau Waltz"
*"Pa`au`au Hula" (co-wrote with John U. Iosepa)
*"Pehea Ho`i Au"
*"Palolo"
*"Pauoa Liko Lehua"
*"Pidgin English Hula"
*"Pô Mahina"
*"Pua Onaona"
*"Pua Roselani" (from ''The Prince of Hawaii'')
*"Pulupe Nei Ili"
*"Uheuhene"
*"Wahiikaahuula" (co-wrote with Ruth Lilikalani)
Notes
Footnotes
Citations
References
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External links
Charles E. King recordingsat the
Discography of American Historical Recordings.
{{DEFAULTSORT:King, Charles E.
1874 births
1950 deaths
Politicians from Honolulu
19th-century American guitarists
19th-century conductors (music)
20th-century American musicians
20th-century conductors (music)
American people of Native Hawaiian descent
Kamehameha Schools alumni
State University of New York at Oswego alumni
Native Hawaiian musicians
Members of the Hawaii Territorial Legislature
20th-century American legislators
American male guitarists
20th-century American male musicians
People from Elmhurst, Queens