The question of why so many Hawaiian piano rolls were produced in
the early part of this century has surfaced from time to time.
The answer has remained elusive to modern day player piano
enthusiasts, and finding information on Hawaiian music in the
early part of the twentieth century is almost as elusive.  After
doing some delving into the subject, I think I can provide some
insight, or at least speculation, into this mystery.

Hawaii was annexed by the United States in 1898, five years after
settlers deposed the monarchy.  These events increased awareness
of the Islands, and stimulated interest in them.  Around the time
that these events took place, the player piano industry was also
growing.  Was it possible that these two interests somehow
intertwined?  I needed some evidence to verify my speculation
that Hawaiian music was popular during that same era that player
pianos were popular.  Information on the topic was sparse and
indexes of articles from that time period are not always reliably
catalogued, making it even more difficult to find anything.

After a few unproductive searches, I found an article by Theodor
Hoeck called "The New and Popular Hawaiian Music" published in
The Delineator in July 1916.  The opening paragraph confirmed my
speculation:

     "Within the last year or so we all have been hearing a
     great deal about Hawaiian music.  Phonograph companies
     report that they have few records that are growing more
     rapidly in popular favor than their so-called `Hawaiian
     records.'  In restaurants and in the theaters this new
     type of music is heard more and more, while there is a
     great demand for bands having native Hawaiian musicians
     in them."

At last, I had found written confirmation in a publication of
that era.  In his article, Hoeck describes development of several
Hawaiian musical instruments, most notably, the ukulele, a small,
guitar-shaped instrument with only four strings.  He wrote:

     "The ukulele was introduced into this country about
     fifteen years ago [around 1901] and, probably on
     account of its being very easy to learn, and its
     peculiar tone, all the strings being gut, it very soon
     became a fad, and now thousands are sold in every part
     of the country.  The demand soon exceeded the supply of
     native-made instruments, and now the guitar
     manufacturers in this country are turning out an
     instrument which is said to be superior to the native-
     made.  The dealers say that now more ukuleles are sold
     than mandolins."

Since both Hawaiian music and ukuleles were popular during that
era, it is conceivable that others also tried to cash in on
their popularity.  Piano roll producers evidently responded to
the public's demand; they produced a number of Hawaiian rolls,
many of which are still in existence today.

However, the popularity of ukuleles and Hawaiian music did not
last, and Hoeck gives us a couple of reasons.  He correctly
predicted that:

     "The facts that the [ukulele] is so easy to learn, and
     that there are only a few solos which can be played on
     it, will, I'm afraid make its popularity short-lived."

He also noted the incongruous nature of listening to Hawaiian
music in a setting other than Hawaii:

     "Heard in the soft beauty of the Islands, accompanied by
     the beat of the southern seas, the effect must be far
     more moving than when transported to American
     vaudeville."

Listening to Hawaiian music played on instruments of non-Hawaiian
origin, such as a piano, would also detract from its inherent
beauty.  The piano was not well suited for this type of music.

I hope this provides some insight into the mystery of Hawaiian
piano rolls.  I welcome comments from other MMD'ers.

Joyce Brite
Player Piano and Mechanical Music Exchange     * Buy - Sell - Trade *
http://www-personal.ksu.edu/~brite/

 [ Hawaiian music played on the mostly-percussive mechanical musical
 [ instruments is indeed different from strumming ukuleles and guitars.
 [ Yet the melodies -- both native and from Tin Pan Alley -- were so
 [ good that they nonetheless caught the fancy of the American public.
 [ Band organ fans: what titles were popular on the band organ rolls?
 [ Thanks for your fine article, Joyce!  -- Robbie