Royal Hawaiian Band in 1889 (PPWD-1-3-012)

The Royal Hawaiian Band is the oldest and only full-time municipal band in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. At present a body of the

City & County of Honolulu Honolulu County (officially known as the City and County of Honolulu, formerly Oahu County) is a consolidated city–county in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The city–county includes both the city of Honolulu (the state's capital and largest city ...

, the Royal Hawaiian Band has been entertaining Honolulu residents and visitors since its inception in 1836 by Kamehameha III. During the monarchy it was nominally a military band. It reached global prominence under the leadership of

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an ...

n Heinrich "Henri" Berger, an officer of the imperial German army loaned to the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1872. Berger composed many beloved marching tunes and other melodies, and would later be honored with the title of "Father of Hawaiian Music." He collaborated with King

Kalākaua Kalākaua (David Laʻamea Kamananakapu Mahinulani Naloiaehuokalani Lumialani Kalākaua; November 16, 1836 – January 20, 1891), sometimes called The Merrie Monarch, was the last king and penultimate monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi, ...

in creating '' Hawaii Ponoi,'' the national anthem of Hawaii; it is still used today as the official state song. During its long and distinguished history, the Royal Hawaiian band inspired the development of other brass bands in Hawaii, and possibly elsewhere in Polynesia and the Pacific. According to researcher Patrick Hennessey, the band may even be credited for originally introducing Hawaii's world-renowned song " Aloha 'Oe" to the United States mainland."Interesting Notes" published by The Royal Hawaiian Band, The City and County of Honolulu and The Honolulu City Council , the Royal Hawaiian Band is composed of 40 full-time musicians under the baton of Bandmaster Clarke Bright, previously conducted by Michael Nakasone. The band performs every Friday at noon on the grass grounds of the historic

Iolani Palace Iolani is a masculine Hawaiian name meaning "royal ''hawk''." It comes from the Hawaiian words ''ʻio'', meaning "Hawaiian hawk," and ''lani'', meaning "royal." It may refer to: *ʻIolani School, a private school located in Hawaii *ʻIolani Palac ...

in downtown Honolulu and on Sundays at two o'oclock at the

Kapiolani Park Queen Kapiolani Regional Park is the largest and second-oldest public park in Hawaii, located in Honolulu on the east end of Waikiki just beyond Kuhio Beach Park and the Waikiki residential neighborhood. The park, named after Queen Kapiolani, ...

Bandstand in

Waikiki Waikiki (; haw, Waikīkī; ; also known as Waikiki Beach) is a neighborhood of Honolulu on the south shore of the island of Oahu in the U.S. state of Hawaii. Waikiki is most famous for Waikiki Beach, which is one of six beaches in the district ...

References

External links

Royal Hawaiian Band
* David Bandy:
Bandmaster Henry Berger and the Royal Hawaiian Band
'. In: ''Hawaiian Journal of History'', Volume 24, 1990, pp. 69–90 *
The Royal Hawaiian Band in U.S. Newspapers
'
Aloha 'Oe, the Song at Pier 10 (A Tall Tale), by John Tanaka
Musical groups from Hawaii Culture of Honolulu 1836 establishments in Hawaii Tourist attractions in Honolulu Government of Honolulu Military of the Hawaiian Kingdom {{Hawaii-stub