Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1916-10-25
UKULELE INDUSTRY
RAPIDLY ATTAINING
Big PROPORTIONS
Southern California Dealer Has
"UkuIele Week; Attracts
PhiIadeIphia's Attention


Unique advertising for the islands
was given for week by the Frank j.
Hart Southern California Music Com
pany OF Los Angeles.
This big company, one,of the largest
importers Of ukuleles in the states, de.
voted its display window for a week
exclusively to ukuleles, taro-patcil
fiddles and steel guitars A handsome
photograph of the display has been
sent to the Hawaii Promotion Com
mittee. The ukuleles, fiddles and
guitars are attractiyely displayed with
Hawaiian sheet music and decorated
with scores of leis.
I'VE believe you will agree with us
it is a good advertisement for made
in-Hawaii instruments the company
writes to the Promotion Committee.
Another striking illustration of the
tremendous vogue which the Ha-
waiian ukulele has attained is given
In the Philadelphia Public Ledger Of
Sunday, October g. The Ledger de-
votes nearly column editorial to a
semiihumorous discussion of "ukulele-
fits" Says the editorial:
"Since the days when ii was the
best form for the sweet young thing
TO play the piano while the gallant
swain-they are always gallant In so
cial Northumberland the flute, the
instrumental diversions of youth have
shifted away from the wind to the
strings. And whether it be the man
dolfn and guitar boys, satirized by
George AIDE, or the banjo boys OF
school and college days, or the rag
time specialist who entertains at
studio parties, the strings still have
II and their vogue is far from declin.
: ing. At the same time, there are fash
ions in art as well as in clothes, AMI
recently we seem to be going in
strongly for the latest novelty in that
the little native guitar of Hawaii, the
ukulele, is supplanting in the affec-
tions Of those who never take their
music very seriously all the oder
plucked instruments that have done
duty these many years under the sum-
mer moon In boat and on land. One
is not much surprised, therefore, to
learn that the ukulele factories in Ha-
wall are running overtime and are un.
equal to the demand, or to hear the
slur of the rising note and the tinkIes
of the twanged accompaniment on
every hand.
so far as the instrument itself
goes, the ukuleie is not very different
from the mandolin tribe and IL would
hardly displace the mandolin, or the
guitar, or the very American banjo.
which is capable of amazing effects,
were it not that the supposed lido
matte music that goes with the uku-
lele, the native Hawaiian, calls for
the instrument to give it's full exotic
effect of primitive plant and quayer.
But, as is true of the so-called Ha'
waiian music itself, there is more or
less Of innocent humbug about the
effects of the ukulele, and, like the
balalaika of the Russians, 1t is more
the oddly that gives the vogue than
any considerable difference OF type or
timbre. And so with the melodies
The old Hawaiian music, like al
primitive music, is very simple, plain
tive and confined TO few notes and OF
limited range. repetition. which IS al
the base OF all its mel0dic and emo.
tional effects, doing duty In place OF
the complexify Of modern music But
when the old Hawaiians. as was also
true of the Southern negroes, heard the
songs and the hymns OF the mission
aries, they invented a new series ct
melodies that had the spirit OF the
old with the modified form Of the mis-
sionary tunes. And, for the most
Dart. il is an imitation OF these tunes,
which are at their best somewhat
wierd that PASS for Hawaiian music
with us today.
But. again, not satisfied with these
tunes. once the Hawaiian became
part and parcel Of our theatrical and
vaudeville life, as in the case of the
negro spirituals also, the musical COM
edy writer started in TO initiate the
Hawaiian missionary music. And Tor
many people this imitation OF an lni-
tation does full duty for the native
music, provided II has a tremuious
rising cadence and long glissando
with the plectrum for the final wrench
of your susceptible heartstriRgs.
While no one can deny the uncanny
effect of the most idicmatic Hawaiian
tunes, it is hardly necessary to say
that ukuleleitis will have its day
and the guitar and banjo and mandolin
will once more come into their own;
so the ukulele factories and the uku-
lele professors had better make hay
while the Hawaiian sun shines, for 4
will not last forever"
These are Illustrations of the rapid
ly increasing export trade and de-
veloping industry for Hawaii-the
manufacture and sale abroad of ukG-
leles, which promises in the next two
years to grow into tremendous proper
TONS.
TRIP TO HOSPITAL Is