"" is a traditional

Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...

an farewell song.

Origin

The origin of this song is disputed. One versions holds that

Turaga In Fijian, Turaga is the word for a man. The ''Turaga-ni-Koro'' is a title for the head of a village (''Koro''), who is usually elected or appointed by the villagers. As kind of city administrator or mayor, he plays a key role in the modern Fiji ...

Bale na Tu'i Nayau, Ratu Tevita Uluilakeba composed it in 1916 for Adi Litia Tavanavanua (1900–1983), when she visited Tubou, Lakeba, in 1916."Isa Lei (Fijian Farewell Song)"
by Wiliame Gucake Nayacatabu, FijianLyrics.com, 25 October 2015 The Fiji Museum holds Uluilakeba's manuscript, but according to its description he composed the song in 1918 while he was in training as a civil servant in

Suva Suva () is the capital and largest city of Fiji. It is the home of the country's largest metropolitan area and serves as its major port. The city is located on the southeast coast of the island of Viti Levu, in Rewa Province, Central Divi ...

. Tevita Uluilakeba was the father of Ratu Sir

Kamisese Mara Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, (6 May 1920 – 18 April 2004) was a Fijian politician, who served as Chief Minister from 1967 to 1970, when Fiji gained its independence from the United Kingdom, and, apart from one brief interruption in 1987, the fi ...

, founding father of the modern nation of Fiji. Alternatively, "Isa Lei" is the Fijian version of a Tongan love song ("") used to court the then Princess Salote (later

Sālote Tupou III Sālote Tupou III (born Sālote Mafile‘o Pilolevu; 13 March 1900 – 16 December 1965) was Queen of Tonga from 1918 to her death in 1965. She reigned for nearly 48 years, longer than any other Tongan monarch. She was well known for her height ...

). It was written in 1915 and was heard by a visiting Fijian sergeant. From there, the Fijians adopted it to a farewell song, but they kept the Tongan melody. Lieutenant A. W. Caten, a bandmaster from the Fijian Defence Forces, created a

foxtrot The foxtrot is a smooth, progressive dance characterized by long, continuous flowing movements across the dance floor. It is danced to big band (usually vocal) music. The dance is similar in its look to waltz, although the rhythm is in a tim ...

arrangement in 1932; he is often credited in modern recordings of the song, including in versions by The Seekers, and

Ry Cooder Ryland Peter "Ry" Cooder (born March 15, 1947) is an American musician, songwriter, film score composer, record producer, and writer. He is a multi-instrumentalist but is best known for his slide guitar work, his interest in traditional music, an ...

and V. M. Bhatt on their album '' A Meeting by the River''. It was regularly performed by Fijian singer

Sakiusa Bulicokocoko Sakiusa Bulicokocoko (born 1950 or 1951 in Namara, Tailevu, Fiji; died August 2007 in Hawaii

Melody

\header \layout global = verseA = \lyricmode verseB = \lyricmode verseC = \lyricmode sopranoVoice = \relative c' right = \relative c' left = \relative c sopranoVoicePart = \new Staff \with \addlyrics \addlyrics pianoPart = \new PianoStaff << \new Staff = "right" \with \right \new Staff = "left" >> \score \score Source: Shown at

Origin

Melody

Fijian text

Tongan text

See also

References

External links