''Music of Hawaii'' is a

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

containing five 78rpm records of Hawaiian music issued by Decca Records.

Background

Historically, the term "

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

" was applied to a collection of various items housed in a book format. In musical usage the word was used for collections of short pieces of printed music from the early 19th century. Later, collections of related 78rpm records (singles) were bundled in book-like albums (one side of a 78 rpm record could hold only about 3.5 minutes of sound). The only way an “album” could be put together was to sell three or four 78s in a bound set of sheathes. These sets, known as folios were increasingly popular. Whilst they had originally been neutral – blank albums into which the distributor could insert whatever 78s he liked – the idea of using a theme to link the records in the folio was catching on. By the late 1930s, this trend had developed to the point where artists were going into studios to record six or eight titles with a folio set in mind. This in effect was the birth of the

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...

, although it would not be until LPs became commonplace that the phrase gained any currency. The first album issued by

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American ...

, probably in 1938, was ''Moussorgsky Songs'' by ''

Vladimir Rosing Vladimir Sergeyevich Rosing (russian: Владимир Серге́евич Розинг) (November 24, 1963), also known as Val Rosing, was a Russian-born operatic tenor and stage director who spent most of his professional career in the United ...

'', on catalogue number A-1. Another early concept album was ''Music of Hawaii'' and eight songs were recorded for this in 1938. Possibly to boost its commercial appeal, two Hawaiian songs by

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

, which had been recorded two years earlier, were added to the album.

Track listing

These reissued songs were featured in a 5-disc, 78 rpm album set, Decca Album No. A-10. Disc 1: (880) Disc 2: (1908) Disc 3: (1909) Disc 4: (1910) Disc 5: (1911)

References

{{Bing Crosby 1939 compilation albums Bing Crosby compilation albums Decca Records compilation albums Albums conducted by Ted Fio Rito Albums conducted by Harry Owens Albums conducted by Ray Kinney Music of Hawaii