Helen Kapuailohia Desha Beamer (September 8, 1882 – September 25, 1952) was a musician, composer of songs in the Hawaiian language, hula dancer and

coloratura Coloratura is an elaborate melody with runs, trills, wide leaps, or similar virtuoso-like material,''Oxford American Dictionaries''.Apel (1969), p. 184. or a passage of such music. Operatic roles in which such music plays a prominent part, an ...

soprano of Hawaiian ancestry. Her descendants have also become accomplished artists in the U.S. state of Hawaii. In 1928, her duet of " Ke Kali Nei Au" with Sam Kapu Sr. on

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

was the first commercial recording of the

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 ...

composition. She 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.

Early life

Helen Kapuailohia Desha was born on September 8, 1882, in Honolulu, on the island of

Oahu Oahu () (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering place#Island of Oʻahu as The Gathering Place, Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over t ...

, in the

Kingdom of Hawaii The Hawaiian Kingdom, or Kingdom of Hawaiʻi ( Hawaiian: ''Ko Hawaiʻi Pae ʻĀina''), was a sovereign state located in the Hawaiian Islands. The country was formed in 1795, when the warrior chief Kamehameha the Great, of the independent island ...

. Her parents were George Langhern Desha and Isabella Hale'ala Miller. Her mother and grandmother, Kapuailohiawahine Kanuha Miller, taught hula in secret when the dance was banned. Her grandmother was a notable hakumele, Hawaiian for composer of music. Helen was a graduate of

Kamehameha School Kamehameha Schools, formerly called Kamehameha Schools Bishop Estate (KSBE), is a private school system in Hawaii established by the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Estate, under the terms of the will of Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, who was a formal membe ...

for Girls, where the school's music director noted her talent as a pianist and as a song composer. Kamehameha Schools was established by the estate 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 ...

to provide education for children of Hawaiian ancestry. She was also the organist at

Haili Church The Waiākea Mission Station was the first Christian mission on the eastern side of the Island of Hawaii. Also known as the Hilo Station, the latest structure is now called Haili Church. The first mission The American missionaries Asa Thurston ...

Hilo Hilo () is a census-designated place (CDP) and the largest settlement in Hawaii County, Hawaii, Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States, which encompasses the Hawaii (island), Island of Hawaii. The population was 44,186 according to the 2020 United ...

Professional career

She had a

soprano range and was a recording artist for

. In 1928, she and artist Sam Kapu Sr. made the first commercial recording of 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 ...

," which had been written by composer

as "Ke Kali Nei Au".; She was the composer of numerous songs in the Hawaiian language that are still being recorded by contemporary Hawaiian artists.

Personal life and legacy

Helen Desha married Peter Carl Beamer of Hilo. The couple had five children. She was the matriarch of a musical dynasty that includes her grandson,

falsetto ''Falsetto'' (, ; Italian diminutive of , "false") is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous ed ...

singer

Mahi Beamer Edwin Mahiai (Mahi) Copp Beamer (December 5, 1928 – July 14, 2017) was a tenor falsetto singer, composer and hula dancer of Hawaiian ancestry. He was born in Honolulu in the Territory of Hawaii and is the grandson of Helen Desha Beamer. His f ...

, who was inducted into the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame in 2006; granddaughter Winona (Nona) Beamer; and Nona Beamer's two sons, Keola and Kapono. She died in 1952 and is buried at Homelani Memorial Park in Hilo. In 1995, she was inducted into the

Compositions (partial list)

Source: allmusic *"Halehuki" *"He Makana" *"Ka'ahumanu" *"Kawohikukapulani" *"Ke Ali'i Hulu Mamo" *"Keawaiki" *"Ke Ha'a la Puna" *"Kimo Hula" *"Kinue" *"Lei O Ha'ena" *"Mahai'ula" *"Moanike' ala" *"Pua Malihini" *"Pupu Hinuhinu" *"Pu'uanahulu" *"Pu'uwa'awa'a (Pihanakalani)"

Family tree

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beamer, Helen Desha 1882 births 1952 deaths Native Hawaiian musicians People from Hilo, Hawaii People from Oahu Hawaiian Kingdom people People of the Republic of Hawaii People of the Territory of Hawaii American sopranos Hawaiian songwriters 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers