Aloha 'Oe, the Song at Pier 10

by John Tanaka

Aloha 'Oe, The Song at Pier 10 is a tale of love between Hawaiian Queen Lili'uokalani and the Prussian Kappellmeister (Bandmaster) Heinrich Berger, the first Bandmaster of the Royal Hawaiian Band. Berger, 28, arrived in Hawai'i in 1872 to take King Kamehameha V's discordant marching band to the next level. He met a native lady, Lili'u Kapa'akea Dominis. They developed a relationship more than close. Berger quickly took the King s band to the next level, all the while composing and arranging hundreds of Hawaiian songs and saving over a thousand local tunes for posterity. Lili'u was named Princess Lili'uokalani by the new King Kalakaua, her brother, who later appointed her Heir Apparent. After King Kalakaua's premature death in 1891, Lili'uokalani ascended to the Throne. Berger s bond with Queen Lili'uokalani tightened as he helplessly watched, with dismay, her rapid decline and fall two years later, ending Hawai'i's treasured monarchial times. Through this distressful time, Berger remained closest to Lili'uokalani's troubled, lonely heart. How close were they? They keep us guessing.

Genres: Fiction

220 pages, Paperback

Published May 1, 2009

Reviews

[Magda]

Light and enjoyable to read, with a sweet, understated background for the story, at the same time, this novel accurately and concisely sums up the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy and the greed-driven American annexation and absorption of the Kingdom of Hawaii. Definitely a good introduction to a lot of topics. Including the music that we hear and sing today here in Hawaii.

[Rocks]

It was interesting in that it was historical, but it's hard to imagine the characters in certain conversations. It's at least made me more inclined to investigate the overthrow and the sugar plantation owners involvement.

[Aurora Shele]

Didn't finish. Went halfway through it. It writes like a local talks. Kapena and Lili'u don't even meet halfway through the book. It talks a lot about history and not enough about their relationship. I didn't find the writing interesting enough to continue reading it.

[Rhinehart]

A historical fiction book of Hawaii that is a quick read. It’s a great way to learn about the overthrow of the Hawaiian kingdom and that events that were going on.

[Kevin Wright]

Subtitled "a tall tale" and purpoted to be a tale of love between Hawaiian queen Lili'uokalani and Prussian bandmaster Heinrich Berger, I half expected something torrid and over-the-top, like a Hawaiian-flavored "Fifty Shades of Grey." Instead, Tanaka gives us a compelling, apparently well-researched (sadly, there's no bibliography) and fully fleshed-out biography of Henri Berger, a musical genius who composed and arranged hundreds of Hawaiian music standards and preserved hundreds more native tunes for posterity.

Berger's time in Honolulu as leader of the Royal Hawaiian Band coincides with the most politically tumultuous decades in Hawaiian history. Tanaka explores the political history of the islands in detail as Berger interacts with all the major players and serves three kings, a queen, a provisional government, a republic, and finally a U.S. territory.

Tanaka is rather coy in is speculations about the relationship between Lili'uokalani and Berger. It seems like they hardly interact. The real focus of the novel is on the power of music. Every scenario in the book illustrates the Berger quote intoned in the preface, "The power of music melts hate and unites mankind." We see Berger's faith in this idea and the tangible effects of it in everything he does, as he transforms the lives of hardened young criminals, hopeless lepers, underprivileged school children, powerless native Hawaiians, and even the lovelorn Lili'uokalani.

Aside from providing an in-depth look at a fascinating historical figure, the real value of the book is to remind us of the transformative power of music.