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Rose Publications (The Rose Ensemble)
Hawaiʻi Aloha
James McGranahan
Beloved anthem honoring the Hawaiian people, their land, and history.
SATB a cappella
Expressing a sense of nostalgia and cultural pride, Hawaiian audiences often rise, hold hands, and join in the singing of this unifying and emotionally stirring chorus. The score contains source information, historical context, editorial notes, performance suggestions, and a translation above the staff. A brief Hawaiian diction guide is included. Featured in HBO’s The White Lotus.
Composer’s Notes
Rev. Lorenzo Lyons (also known as “Makua Laiana”) arrived as a missionary in 1832, became fluent in Hawaiian at an astonishing speed, and translated more than 900 Christian hymns. While both the music and text of this piece appeared earlier, the first mention of their pairing appeared in the December 11, 1886, issue of the Hawaiian newspaper Ka Nupepa Kuokoa. In a brief tribute following Lyons’ death, Rev. Enoka Semaia Timoteo, pastor of Oʻahu’s Waialua Hawaiian Church, shared the full hymn text along with a reference to “G. H. IV No. 18”—“I Left It All With Jesus” by James McGranahan (in the collection used as a source for this arrangement).
With its powerfully nationalistic text, extolling the virtues of the Hawaiian landscape and its resilient people, this hymn has become one of the most treasured expressions of love for Hawaiians everywhere.
Text
1. E Hawaiʻi, e kuʻu one hānau e,
Kuʻu home kulaīwi nei,
ʻOli nō au i nā pono lani e.
E Hawaiʻi, aloha e.
E hauʻoli e nā ʻōpio o Hawaiʻi nei
ʻOli e! ʻOli, ʻoli e! ʻOli e!
Mai nā aheahe makani e pā mai nei
Mau ke aloha, nō Hawaiʻi.
2. E haʻi mai kou mau kini lani e,
Kou mau kupa aloha, e Hawaʻi,
Nā mea ʻōlino kamahaʻo nā luna mai.
E Hawaiʻi, aloha e.
3. Nā ke Akua e mālama mai iā ʻoe,
Kou mau kualono aloha nei,
Kou mau kahawai ʻōlinolino mau,
Kou mau māla pua nani e.
O Hawaiʻi, O sands of my birth,
My native home,
I rejoice in the blessings of heaven.
O Hawaiʻi, aloha.
Happy youth of Hawaiʻi
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Gentle breezes blow
Love always for Hawaiʻi.
May your divine throngs speak,
Your loving people, O Hawaiʻi,
The holy light from above.
O Hawaiʻi, aloha.
God protects you,
Your beloved ridges,
Your ever glistening streams,
Your beautiful flower gardens.
-Lorenzo Lyons “Makua Laiana” (1807–1886)
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