THIS IS AMERICA - Hawaiian Music

THIS IS AMERICA -January 21, 2002: Hawaiian Music

By Paul Thompson
VOICE ONE:

The American state of Hawaii is a group of islands in the North Pacific Ocean. Its people, culture and music are
different from the rest of America. I’m Doug Johnson.

VOICE TWO:

And I’m Sarah Long. The music of Hawaii is our report today on the VOA Special English
program, THIS IS AMERICA.
((CUT ONE: KUMA HULA)
)
VOICE ONE:

The kind of singing you just heard is very old. It is the voice of a Kuma Hula, a teacher of the
Hawaiian dance called the hula. The song she is singing is as old as the people and culture of Hawaii. This kind
of song is called a chant. It is extremely important in Hawaii. It helps to connect the ancient Hawaiian culture of
the past with the present and the future.

The Kuma Hula is teaching¹ a class of children, some as young as five years old. Already they perform the slow
ancient dance steps with a sure knowledge they will carry into the future. Without this strong connection to the
past, the music of Hawaii would slowly die and disappear.

VOICE TWO:

The words the Kuma Hula sings are in the language of Hawaii. The language has
become important in recent years. If you use a computer to look on the World Wide
Web, you can find lessons in the old language. It is now popular in Hawaii to learn the
language. The Hawaiian language is important to the music. It is also important as a
connection with the past.

Something is unusual about both the lessons for young hula dancers and those who are
learning² the language. Not all the students are Hawaiian by birth.

The people who live in Hawaii today are a mix of many different cultural groups. There
are people whose ancestors are Hawaiian. Others came from Japan, China, Korea, and the Philippines. Some
people who live in Hawaii are from American Samoa or the mainland³ of the United States. Still others came from
Mexico and Portugal.

Almost all these people are citizens of the United States. But they also consider themselves to be Hawaiian. And
many have learned⁴ to enjoy the rich musical tradition of the Hawaiian culture.

VOICE ONE:

A good example of this tradition is the beautiful guitar music played in Hawaii. You cannot hear it anywhere else
in the world. It is called slack⁵ key. The guitar came to the islands of Hawaii in the early Eighteen-hundreds with
Mexican cowboys who worked on cattle ranches⁶.

The people of Hawaii took the guitar and changed the sound by making the strings⁷ much looser. There are
several different methods used to tune⁸ a slack key guitar. How it is tuned⁹ depends on what the guitar player is
trying to do.

Listen for a few minutes to a slack key guitar that produces a very deep, rich sound. This sound also provides


feelings that very closely¹⁰ represent the Hawaiian culture, both past and present. John Keawe (KEY-Why) plays
the guitar. The name of the song is “Whale Talk.
”
((CUT TWO: WHALE TALK)
)

VOICE TWO:
Slack key guitarist Ozzie Kotani really represents modern Hawaii. The music he plays is a rich mix of ancient
and modern Hawaiian sounds played on the slack key guitar. Mister¹¹ Kotani is also a good example of the mix of
cultural groups that are the people of Hawaii.

Mister Kotani’s ancestors came to Hawaii from Japan. But he is truly a Hawaiian. He is also one of the best
Hawaiian slack key artists in the Islands. Listen as Ozzie Kotani plays a song he wrote, “My Old Guitar.
”
((CUT THREE: MY OLD GUITAR)
)

VOICE ONE:
Another stringed instrument used in Hawaiian music is extremely important. People who came from Portugal
brought it to the Islands. It looks like a very small guitar or a child ’s toy. It only has four strings. It is called an
ukulele (oo-koo-LAY -lay)
.

It may look like a child’s toy but in the hands of an expert it can produce very serious music. Listen for a
minute to part of a song played on a ukulele. It is called “Morning Dew¹².
”
It is played by Israel
Kamakawiwo’ole (KA-MA -KA-WEE-WHOA -OLAY).

((CUT FOUR: MORNING DEW)
)
VOICE TWO:
We have played some Hawaiian slack key guitar, and you have just heard the Hawaiian ukulele. To better

understand Hawaiian music, you must hear a song sung in the ancient language.
This song is performed by singing extremely high notes. This kind of singing is called falsetto. The use of
a

falsetto voice lets the performer sing low notes and extremely high notes. It also lets the performer bring a very
different sound to the music.
It is extremely difficult to do well. Here is Israel Kamakawiwo’ole singing a song called “Kuhio(KU-HI -O)

Bay.
”
((CUT FIVE: KUHIO BAY)
)
VOICE ONE:

Now, we will put the slack key guitar together with the ukulele and add a song in the Hawaiian language with
normal and falsetto voice. The singer again is Israel Kaamakawiwo’ole. This song is called “Ka Huila Wai”
(ka-he -la-WAI). It is a combination¹³ of very ancient and modern music. It is the sound of Hawaii today.

((CUT SIX: KA HUILA WAI)
)
VOICE TWO:
Many different kinds of music are played in Hawaii today. Many very good songs are sung in English. Many

modern electric musical instruments are used. Much of this kind of music is very popular with the people of

Hawaii and those who come to spend their holidays in these famous islands.
However, for the music of Hawaii to carry on in the future, the musicians will continue to look to the traditions of
the past.


((CUT SEVEN: HAWAII ’78))
VOICE ONE:

This program was written by Paul Thompson. It was produced by Caty Weaver¹⁴. Our studio engineer was Mick
Shaw. I’m Doug Johnson.
VOICE TWO:
And I’m Sarah Long. Join us again next week for another report about life in the United States on the VOA

Special English program THIS IS AMERICA.
((SLACK KEY GUITAR INSTEAD OF THEME)
)

 

Email this article to a friend
Printer Friendly Version

1 teaching   

n.教学，执教，任教，讲授；(复数)教诲

参考例句：

• We all agree in adopting the new teaching method. 我们一致同意采取新的教学方法。
• He created a new system of teaching foreign languages.他创造了一种新的外语教学体系。

2 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

3 mainland   

n.大陆，本土

参考例句：

• The new bridge will link the island to the mainland.新的桥梁将把该岛与大陆连接在一起。
• Hong Kong's prosperity relies heavily on mainland.香港的繁荣在很大程度上依赖于大陆。

4 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

5 slack   

adj.松弛的，萧条的，懈怠的；vt.使松弛

参考例句：

• Slack off those ropes there,there's a storm coming!把那里的绳索放松，暴风雨就要来了！
• Some are hard at work and some are slack in work.有的勤奋工作，有的则消极怠工。

6 ranches   

大农场， （兼种果树，养鸡等的）大牧场( ranch的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They hauled feedlot manure from the ranches to fertilize their fields. 他们从牧场的饲养场拖走肥料去肥田。
• Many abandoned ranches are purchased or leased by other poultrymen. 许多被放弃的牧场会由其他家禽监主收买或租用。

7 strings   

n.弦

参考例句：

• He sat on the bed,idly plucking the strings of his guitar.他坐在床上，随意地拨着吉他的弦。
• She swept her fingers over the strings of the harp.她用手指划过竖琴的琴弦。

8 tune   

n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整

参考例句：

• He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
• The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。

9 tuned   

adj.调谐的，已调谐的v.调音( tune的过去式和过去分词 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调

参考例句：

• The resort is tuned in to the tastes of young and old alike. 这个度假胜地适合各种口味，老少皆宜。
• The instruments should be tuned up before each performance. 每次演出开始前都应将乐器调好音。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 closely   

adv.紧密地；严密地，密切地

参考例句：

• We shall follow closely the development of the situation.我们将密切注意形势的发展。
• The two companies are closely tied up with each other.这两家公司之间有密切联系。

11 mister   

n.(略作Mr.全称很少用于书面)先生

参考例句：

• Mister Smith is my good friend.史密斯先生是我的好朋友。
• He styled himself " Mister Clean ".他自称是“清廉先生”。

12 dew   

n.露，露水

参考例句：

• His new shoes were wet with dew.他的那双新鞋被露水弄湿了。
• The dew on the branches drizzled our hair and shoulders.枝头上的露珠润湿了我们的头发和双肩。

13 combination   

n.组合，合并，联合；

参考例句：

• He carried on the business in combination with his friends.他与朋友们合伙做生意。
• The materials can be used singly or in combination.这些材料可以单独使用也可以混合用。

14 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。