Ukuleles have been around for hundreds of years, but their origin is quite interesting. Ukes are commonly associated with Hawaiians, but they actually were developed in the 1880s, based on a Portuguese string instrument, the machete de braga. About 100 years after the ukulele was developed it gained popularity in the U.S. and internationally. So how did this all happen?
Portuguese immigrants came to Hawaii about 125 years ago from the island of Madeira with the intention of working in the sugar fields. When they arrived safely, they celebrated by playing the four-string instrument known as the machete, while they sang folk songs. Stories were told of these immigrants and word traveled of these new instruments. Along with the sugar cane workers came three men who could make furniture. All three of these men helped popularize the machete in Hawaii by opening up instrument stores after recognizing its popularity among the locals.
The machete was renamed in the Hawaiian language as ukulele, which means “jumping flea” because musicians would quickly move their fingers along the strings. King David Kalakaua was a musician, composer and huge proponent of ukuleles. Augusto Dias, one of the three cabinetmakers, actually taught King Kalakaua how to make ukuleles and played for him at the palace. The materials that were used to produce the machete were strictly from Portugal, so the instrument was redesigned to have different wood and different tuning. Hawaii used native koa wood for the ukuleles, which helped the nationalistic theme of the ukulele. Ukuleles became the instrument of Hawaii and were the love of the land, even helping Hawaii politically when the monarchy was trying to maintain Hawaii’s independence.
In America, the ukulele was popularized even before World War II. It was an icon of the jazz age and was so popular because it was relatively inexpensive, easy to learn, portable, and unique. A lot of string instrument manufacturers produced ukuleles because of the increase in demand, which helped the circulation of the instrument. In the early years of rock and roll, the ukulele was used alongside the guitar, and even utilized for early country music. Jimmie Rodgers and Ernest V. Stoneman both played the instrument in addition to several early string bands.
One of the most interesting aspects of the ukulele is that it had such a diverse role in shaping the music world. The ukulele contributed to so many genres over such a long period of time and still gains recognition today. Even though the ukulele’s popularity died after the 1960s, Israel Kamakawiwo’ole revived it with his well-known songs “Over the Rainbow” and “What a Wonderful World” in the 1990s. YouTube is also credited with popularizing the ukulele in modern times. Viral videos like Jake Shimabukuro’s rendition of “My guitar gently weeps" gave a lot of recognition to the beloved instrument.
