by Craig Stark #123, 16 June 2008

A flashpoint for you today - Charles E. King. If you have a background in collecting or selling sheet music, it's highly likely that you've encountered more than a few examples that were either composed by King or feature his lyrics. "Hawaiian Wedding Song" "("Ke Kali Nei Au") and "Song of the Islands" are especially common and exist in more than a few cover art variants, all of which are quintessentially Hawaiian.

One quarter Hawaiian himself, King was born in Oahu in 1874 and raised by Hawaiian nobility. The legendary Queen Lili'uokalani, an accomplished composer and last monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaii, was his first music instructor - and apparently her teaching took hold: King later became known as the Father of Hawaiian Composers. Not only did he write the words and/or music for many now classic Hawaiian songs, but he also did much to collect, preserve and advance Hawaiian music.

In addition to numerous examples of sheet music that bear his name, two primary songbooks were produced in the early 1900s, both originally published (and republished) countless times by King, some of which contain music that otherwise might have been lost for good. This week's QMR Book of the Week, King's Songs of Hawaii, was published subsequent to King's Book of Hawaiian Melodies.

King believed that Hawaiian songs should be written with Hawaiian lyrics, feature Hawaiian themes, and express nahenahe - the soft, gentle essence of Hawaii. His preference for authenticity is partly what makes his sheet music and songbooks collectible today, this and his ability to compose more complex, sophisticated music that notwithstanding retained the traditional Hawaiian spirit. All publications, as far as I can tell, are presently out of print, but some were reprinted by other publishers over the years. The songbooks especially are still sought after by Hawaiian musicians and scholars - often at QMR levels. Look especially for early examples in VG or better condition, also for less common King songbooks - for example, Hawaiian Hulas. Typically, King sheet music will do well if grouped into lots.

You'll see 100 profit-producing books like this every 3 months in BookThink's Quarterly Market Report of Common, Profitable Books, each one presented in a clear format with bibliographic essentials and links to photos. Here is the actual entry for King's Songs of Hawaii, #45 in QMR, issue #5 (soon to be published):

TITLE: KING'S SONGS OF HAWAII
AUTHOR: n/a
ILLUSTRATOR: n/a
EDITOR: n/a
PLACE: Honolulu, HI
IMPRINT: Charles E. King and others
COPYRIGHT DATE: Various dates
BINDING: Hardcover and softcover
COMMENTARY: King songbooks, of which there are three primary titles, are sought after by Hawaiian musicians and scholars today - often at QMR levels - partly because his music was based on authentic Hawaiian tradition, partly because he composed more than a few Hawaiian standards, including HAWAIIAN WEDDINGN SONG. Look especially for early examples in VG or better condition, also for less common King songbooks - for example, Hawaiian Hulas. Typically, King sheet music will do well if grouped into lots.

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