It might be small in size, but the humble ukulele has a fascinating history and is becoming more popular every year By Maria Photo by Alexandra Tran on Unsplash It might be a sweet instrument, but is there another connection between the Hawaiian ukulele and sugar? Actually, there is and it’s a very significant one. Back in the 1800s, Hawaii was known for its sugar plantations and had not yet been annexed by the US (1898). Portuguese migrants would go to the island to work on the sugar plantations and it was they who originated the ukulele. Three immigrants from the Portuguese island of Madeira - Manuel Nunes, José de Espírito Santo and Augusto Dias - developed the ukulele in the 1880s based on the look and sound of certain Portuguese instruments, such as the cavaquinho, machete, timple, and rajão. Hawaiians were impressed by the Portuguese creation and days later the instrument was played for the Hawaiian royals, King Kalakaua and Queen Emma. The name of the ukulele in the Hawaiian language means “jumping fleas”, probably because of the player’s fingers jumping from string to string. Decades later, the ukulele was exported to America and became a kitsch instrument, for example in films set in Hawaii. It was not taken seriously like the piano or the guitar and was sometimes seen as a children's instrument. In recent times the Ukulele has experienced a boost in popularity thanks to its use by artists such as Billie Eilish and Taylor Swift and people have started to gain more respect for the instrument. Organizations like Rockschool in the UK have started to provide accredited training courses for the ukulele just like they do for the guitar and piano. It is no longer seen as the toy it once was. And phenomenal ukulele players like Jake Shimabukuro have highlighted what a versatile instrument it is, allowing players to play all genres of music. To learn about the fascinating history of the ukulele in more detail, listen to this BBC World Service The Forum podcast, which features ukulele experts discussing its past, present and future (39 minutes).
We have been talking about the history of the ukulele, but what about its future? Will the Ukulele continue to tell interesting stories? And maybe you can be one of them. After all, if it’s good enough for kings and queens, it’s worth trying out for yourself.
1 Comment
Gabii
19/4/2024 08:21:53
Hi bestie love the article byeee
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