Invention of the Ukelele (c. 1880)

Tahiti - Ukulele Song



The ukulele is a chordophone classified as a plucked lute, generally with four strings or four courses of strings.

The ukulele is commonly associated with music from Hawaii, where the name roughly translates as "jumping flea." It was developed there in the 1880's, based on portuguese small guitar-like instrument, the cavaquinho, introduced to the Hawaiian Islands by Portuguese immigrants (mainly from Madeira Island).

Ukuleles are generally made of wood, although variants have been made composed partially or entirely of plastic. Cheaper ukuleles are generally made from ply or laminate woods, in some cases with a soundboard of an inexpensive but acoustically superior wood such as spruce. Other more expensive ukuleles are made of exotic hardwoods such as mahogany. Some of the most valuable ukuleles, which may run into the thousands of dollars in price, are made from koa (Acacia koa), a Hawaiian wood known for its fine tone and attractive colour and figure.photo

The Tahitian ukulele, also called "Tahitian banjo," is an 8-stringed open-backed ukulele.

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Vincent Rose (born 1880 in Palermo, Italy; died 1944 in Rockville Center, NY, USA) was a musician and band leader.

Vincent Rose has one of the longest histories as a band leader. He achieved much popularity with his Montmartre Orchestra in the 1920s, and recorded with the group for RCA. The same personnel later recorded for the Columbia label as the Hollywood Orchestra. After leaving California, he settled in New York, but continued to record as "Vincent Rose and His Orchestra" for various labels throughout the 1930s.

He was very active as a songwriter, publishing well over 200 songs. Among his hits are:

1920 "Whispering"

1921 "Avalon", with lyrics by Al Jolson and B.G. DeSylva, a big hit for Jolson.

1923 "Linger Awhile"

1940 "Blueberry Hill"

There's an interesting sidelight to the song "Avalon". In 1921, the estate and the publisher of Puccini's operas, G. Ricordi, sued all parties associated with that song, claiming the melody was "lifted" from the aria "E lucevan le stella" from Puccini's opera "Tosca". The Court found for Puccini and his publisher, and they were awarded $25,000 in damages, plus all future print royalties earned by "Avalon." The composer and his heirs, however, continued to receive performance royalties under an agreement reached with Ricordi for payment of only $1. Such royalties amounted to a very significant amount of money during the remainder of the 20th century, certainly far more than the $25,000 paid in damages to the publisher.

[8881 Bartok / 8880 Ukelele / 8880 Mariachi]

Mexico - Mariachi Music (c. 1880)

Mexico is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the North Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico.

Covering almost 2 million square kilometers,Mexico is the fifth-largest country in the Americas by total area and the 14th largest in the world. With an estimated population of 109 million, it is the 11th most populous country and the most populous Spanish-speaking country in the world.



Mariachi is a type of musical group,



originally from Cocula, Jalisco, Mexico. Usually a mariachi consists of at least three violins, two trumpets, one Mexican guitar, one vihuela (a high-pitched, five-string guitar) and one guitarrón (a small-scaled acoustic bass). They dress in silver studded charro outfits with wide-brimmed hats. The original Mariachi were Mexican street musicians or buskers.

Many mariachis are professional entertainers performing in the mainstream entertainment industry. Professionals are normally skilled at more than one instrument, and they also sing.

Although mariachis are hired to play at events such as weddings and other formal occasions, such as a quinceañera (15th-birthday celebrations for girls), they are very often used to serenade women because many of the songs in a typical repertoire have as a theme the desire to touch the heart of the opposite sex. Some of the songs are sad; others are about how much that special someone appreciates your company. Trios of mariachis can be found for hire in different places at night (the best known venues are Plaza de los Mariachis in Guadalajara and Plaza Garibaldi in Mexico City) for the purposes of serenading. Mother's days are also another popular occasion for mariachis.

Tourists frequently confuse mariachis with all types of buskers seen in Mexico, such as jarochos. Mariachi refers to musicians who dress and play in a style typical of the Mexican state of Jalisco, although the style and music played has spread far beyond the limits of Jalisco and jalisciense music itself. Generally a guitarrón and a vihuela must be included for a group to be considered a mariachi.

Mariachi music resulted from the confluence of several different influences: European-styled concert ensembles on haciendas composed of violins, harp, guitars, jawharps and other instruments, simpler coastal folk ensembles whose African influence gives mariachi some of its key rhythmic elements, and the harp and violin ensembles of the tierra caliente.

The style originated in the Mexican state of Jalisco, in the town of Cocula, in the 19th century, the first example cited in print dates from 1880.

By the end of the nineteenth century, the vihuela, two violins, and the guitarrón which had replaced the harp, were the instruments of the mariachi(s). Trumpets, now a key part of the mariachi sound were introduced later, during the early days of broadcast radio.

Mexico - Mariachi - Las Mananitas



El Jabali (The Boar)



[8880 Ukelele / 8880 Mariachi Music / 8879 Respighi]