By the Blue Hawaiian Waters

By the Blue Hawaiian Waters is a piece of light classical music for orchestra by Albert Ketèlbey. He composed the "tone-picture" in 1927. The piece was published by Bosworth the same year.

By the Blue Hawaiian Waters
Light music by Albert Ketèlbey
KeyC major
Published1927 (1927)
Scoringorchestra

History

Some of the music of By the Blue Hawaiian Waters had been incidental music in a play Ye Gods in 1916. Ketèlbey wrote the "tone-picture" in 1927. It was probably first performed in Harrogate the same year, and published that year, also in versions with piano.[1][2]

Theme and music

A synopsis of scenes by the composer mentions that after a short introduction and a vigorous hula dance, a lover plays his "native love-call", followed by the "Song of the Hula Girl".[2] The work is concluded by a lively dance at a betrothal ceremony.[2]

The piece in C major and common time is marked Allegretto dolce (with flowing movement).[3] The melody of the love-call is played by the clarinet.[2]

In 1929, it was recorded, conducted by the composer.[4] He made only minor cuts, and added a Hawaiian guitar, played by Len Fellis, "a star of many a dance band".[5] Ketèlbey replaced the clarinet by an alto saxophone for the love-call, making it "one of the earliest recordings of a standard orchestra to include a saxophone".[2] It was reissued in 2002 in a collection of his light music.[6] A review notes that the work "treads a dangerous and ultimately unsuccessfully schizophrenic path between the hula and urbane romanticism."[5]

A recording with Frieder Weissmann conducting the Berliner Symphoniker, possibly in March 1931, also used the saxophone and Hawaiian guitar, but additionally gong, xylophone and a men's chorus singing without words, because it was coupled with In a Chinese Temple Garden which requires the larger ensemble.[2]

References
  1. McCanna, Tom. "Works for orchestra". albertketelbey.org.uk. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
  2. McCanna, Tom. "By the Blue Hawaiian Waters". albertketelbey.org.uk. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  3. By the Blue Hawaiian Waters. Bosworth. 1927.
  4. Manheim, James. "Albert Ketelbey: In a Monastery Garden; In a Chinese Temple Garden; Sanctuary of the Heart; Will You Forgive? / By the Blue Hawaiian Waters, Tone Picture". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  5. Woolf, Jonathan (2003). "British Light Music / Albert Ketèlbey (1875–1959) / In a Monastery Garden". musicweb-international.com. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  6. "Ketelbey: In a Monastery Garden (Ketelbey) (1924–1932)". Naxos. 2002. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
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