Sanford Dole, an American lawyer who had served the Hawaiian kingdom as a Supreme Court justice, became leader of a “Provisional Government,” with the goal of convincing the United States to annex Hawaii and consolidating control of the islands in the hands of the island’s American plantation owners. She explained her decision in a statement to President Benjamin Harrison: “This action on my part was prompted by three reasons: The futility of a conflict with the United States the desire to avoid violence, bloodshed, and the destruction of life and property and the certainty which I feel that you and your government will right whatever wrongs may have been inflicted on us in the premises.” ( Hawaii’s Story, 395) To avoid an outbreak of violence, Lili‘uokalani abdicated the throne. Stevens, the United States’ minister to Hawai’i. They were supported by a contingent of United States marines sent by John L. Calling themselves the “Committee of Safety,” the group created a militia which gathered outside the royal residence of Iolani Palace on January 17, 1893. When she proposed to reverse the Bayonet Constitution, restoring power to the monarchy, a group of American businessmen who owned lucrative plantations on Hawaii conspired to stage a coup. In 1891, Lili‘uokalani ascended the throne after the death of her brother, King Kalākaua.
As is the case with most of her compositions, Lili‘uokalani wrote both the lyrics and the musical setting. The King “admired not only the beauty of the music, but spoke enthusiastically of the appropriate words, so well adapted to the air and to the purpose for which they were written.” ( Hawaii’s Story, 31-32)
Lili‘uokalani, who was then serving as choir director at Kawaiahao Church in Honolulu, conducted her choir in the premiere of the new anthem, He Mele Lāhui Hawai`i ( Song of the Hawaiian Nation). In one week’s time I notified the king that I had completed my task.” ( Hawaii’s Story, 31) Each nation, he said, but ours had its expression of patriotism and love of country in its own music but we were using for that purpose on state occasions the time-honored British anthem, ‘God save the Queen.’ This he desired me to supplant by one of my own composition. he brought to my notice the fact that the Hawaiian people had no national air. Lili‘uokalani composed one of her first important early works in 1866. She tells the story herself in Hawaii’s Story : “In the early years of the reign of Kamehameha V. In her autobiographical and political book, Hawaii’s Story, Lili‘uokalani reflected, “To compose was as natural to me as to breathe and this gift of nature, never having been suffered to fall into disuse, remains a source of the greatest consolation to this day ….Hours of which it is not yet in place to speak, which I might have found long and lonely, passed quickly and cheerfully by, occupied and soothed by t he expression of my thoughts in music and even when I was denied the aid of an instrument I could transcribe to paper the tones of my voice.” ( Hawaii’s Story, 31). This skill, which depends on the ability to read and hear music accurately in one’s mind, served her well throughout her life: when she became a political prisoner with no access to a piano, the Queen was still able to compose. When she was a schoolgirl, her instructors discovered her remarkable talent for sight-singing. S he would assume the name Lili‘uokalani when she was named heir-apparent to the Hawaiian throne. Whale songs really must be heard in person to fully appreciate their beauty.The Queen was born Lydia Kamaka‘eha on September 2, 1838. Even more astounding: while in Hawaii, every male humpback will sing the exact same song throughout their stay here, changes and all!.Adding to the complexity is the fact that while whale songs change throughout the season, as each new season begins, the current season’s song picks up from where the last season left off, effectively making for one continuously evolving piece of music throughout the years.Whale songs are extremely complex in structure with units, phrases, and themes throughout.While singing, the humpback whale will stay in one spot, nose pointed downwards with their tail pointed towards the surface.Whale songs are typically sung 50-60 feet below the waters’ surface, for anywhere between 20 and 40 minutes at a time.Male humpback whales love to sing in our waters while it is not entirely clear why, researchers believe they do as both a way to attract females, and to ward off encroaching male whales.Here are a few fun facts on the hows and whys of these fabulous underwater songs. As just about anyone who has joined us on one of our Maui whale watch adventures can attest humpback whales are known to sing beautifully throughout their stay in Hawaii’s waters.