Rose Kalamahaaheo Otis Tribe Tyson (July 15, 1890 – February 18, 1934) was a soprano soloist 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 ...
, and was a protégée of
Queen Liliʻuokalani
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mothe ...
.
Early life
She was born of Hawaiian ancestry in
Lahaina
Lahaina ( haw, Lāhainā) is the largest census-designated place (CDP) in West Maui, Maui County, Hawaii, United States and includes the Kaanapali and Kapalua beach resorts. As of the 2020 census, the CDP had a resident population of 12,702. Lah ...
,
Maui,
Kingdom of Hawaii, and was primarily known as a soprano soloist. A graduate of
Kamehameha School for girls, she was hand maiden to
Queen Liliʻuokalani
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mothe ...
and traveled with the queen's
retinue. She was positioned as the royal musical protégée, groomed by the queen herself to convey Liliʻuokalani's compositions in the manner in which they were originally composed. In 1915, she married Leopold W. Tribe.
Professional career
After Liliʻuokalani's death, she began performing publicly as a soloist, accompanying herself on the
ukulele
The ukulele ( ; from haw, ukulele , approximately ), also called Uke, is a member of the lute family of instruments of Portuguese origin and popularized in Hawaii. It generally employs four nylon strings.
The tone and volume of the instrumen ...
, eventually becoming known as "the soprano with the million dollar smile". She was a popular featured soloist on radio stations KGMB and
KGU.
Tribe worked off and on with composer
Charles E. King
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 "Hawaiian Wedding Song, Ke Kali Nei Au". King was inducted into the Hawaiian ...
, who had also been a musical protogée of Liliʻuokalani's. She was cast in his Hawaiian-language opera ''The Prince of Hawaii''. At its May 4, 1925 premiere, Tribe appeared as Queen Kamaka, with
Joseph Kamakau as King Kalani and
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. ...
in the lead of Prince Kauikalu.
She was sent to Portland, Oregon as part of the Honolulu Ad Club representatives to draw delegates to a 1928 convention in Honolulu. Singing the Charles Alphin composition "What Aloha Means", she received a standing ovation from the estimated 800 delegates in the audience.
Later life and death
On April 15, 1932, Tribe married KGU announcer Homer N. Tyson. Afterward, she was professionally referred to as both Rose Tribe and Rose Tribe Tyson. She died on February 18, 1934, from complications of a
stroke.
In later decades, Hawaiian opera tenor
Charles K.L. Davis attributed much of his repertoire to a songbook once owned by Tribe.
Discography
Tribe recorded four songs for
Columbia Records[; ; ]
;Singles
*"Old Plantation:
*"What Aloha Means"
*"Ku'u Home"
*"Pauoa Liko Lehua"
References
External links
Rose Tribe on Territorial Airwaves
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tribe, Rose
1890 births
1934 deaths
People from Maui
Hawaiian Kingdom people
People of the Territory of Hawaii
20th-century American musicians
American radio personalities
Hawaiian music
Musicians from Honolulu
Native Hawaiian musicians