(source: a quiet revolution blog)
The Uke has been growing in popularity in recent years, ask any guitar store and you’ll hear the mass of sales in the last year compared to the last ten! So where did this exciting little instrument come from?
The Ukulele:
The Ukulele, Ukelele (as it is sometimes spelt in England), or Uke, is from Hawaii. The ukulele is commonly associated with music from Hawai‘i where the name roughly translates as “jumping flea”, reminiscent of the playing style. The ‘American English’ pronunciation of “ukulele” is {yoo-kuh-ley-lee}, however, many choose to use the original Hawaiian pronunciation: {oo-koo-ley-ley}. According to Queen Lili’uokalani, the last Hawaiian monarch, the name means “the gift that came here”, from the Hawaiian words uku (gift or reward) and lele (to come). One of the most important factors in establishing the ukulele in Hawaiian music and culture was the ardent support and promotion of the instrument by King David Kalakaua. A patron of the arts, he incorporated it into performances at royal gatherings
The Uke originated in the 19th century as a Hawaiian interpretation of a small guitar-like instrument brought to Hawaiʻi by Portuguese immigrants. It later gained popularity during the early part of the 20th Century on the mainland of the United States, and from there spread internationally. The instrument was a favourite of the Tin Pan Alley songwriters, and was popular among jazz musicians throughout the 1920′s, and in Vaudeville, in fact the publication of ukulele chord books would make the ukulele the popular amateur instrument of its day – this would later be supplanted by the guitar with the influence of rock and roll. The ukulele and the banjo ukulele would be at the height of its popularity around the time of the second world war. In England it is perhaps most famously associated with George Formby who has become a national icon. After the birth of rock and roll the ukulele and its various associated instruments (banjolele, etc) would fall out of fashion until the 1990′s.
George Formby
The 1990′s would see the birth of Ukulele orchestra’s, you tube stars, virtuoso’s, and a variety of indie bands taking up the ukulele as theirs… the Ukulele is the once again the coolest instrument in the world. Right back in its rightful place!
(source: mostly from wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukulele
).
