Ukulele Research Paper

745 Words3 Pages
The ukulele has been an icon in Hawaiian music for over 120 years, but it did not originate from there. The original ukulele was a combination of different instruments from the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. It was brought to Hawaii along with the plantation workers in the 1880s. 1 The name ukulele is the traditional Hawaiian name that was given to a smaller instrument called the machete (machete de braga).5 The machete is a descendent of the early European and Middle Eastern plucked stringed instruments, similar to the lute.5 It is believed that Manuel Nunes, Augusto Dias and Jose do Esprito Santo were the first makers of the Hawaiian “ukulele”.4 There is many speculation about how the ukulele got it is name. The translation of ukulele in English is ‘jumping flea’. One of the speculation of how the ukulele got its name is that when one of the passengers on the Ravenscrag, Joao Frenandes, reached the Honolulu port, he was overjoyed after being on the boat for several months at sea that he jumped off the ship and began to play the instrument, machete. His fingers…show more content…
It began in 1880s when it was first brought and spread like a wild fire throughout Hawaii. The ukulele has made its trade mark in the music. Its unique sound and style changed the preference from the steel-string guitar to the uke. It provided the youth of jazz and the swinging era.2 The ukulele has continued to become a popularity and then fade out of popularity in other places, especially the mainland. The ukulele had its fall out but thanks to the internet it is still blooming. The internet has helped bring musicians around the world who play the ukulele. For example, there is an annual ukulele festival in Hawaii, it is called Ukulele Festival Hawaii.6 It happens every year and it is just a big gathering of people to hear and participate playing the ukulele. It attracts people from all over the world and is main focus is to remind people of the
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    History Of The Ukulele The name 'ukulele' is the traditional Hawaiian name that was given to a small instrument called the machete (machete de braga), which was originally developed in the Madeira Islands of Portugal. The machete itself is a descendent of the early European and Middle Eastern plucked stringed instruments (such as the lute), is a member of the guitar family, and goes by several different names including the cavaquinho, braguinha, manchhete and cavaco. The machete was brought into

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