I'll Come Sailing Home to You. [Hawaii; King Kalakaua]

Honolulu, T.H.: Johnny Noble (1930). [4]pp. Sheet Music. 12 x 9 inches. Bifolium. Half tone cover illustration from a photograph. Lyrics in English. Music is for both piano and ukulele. Near Fine.

Sheet music for Ruth Florence's I'll Come Sailing Home to You with music for piano and ukulele by King Kalakaua and Johnny Noble, both honorees of the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame. On the final page of the sheet music are two additional songs with lyrics in Hawaiian: Lei Ohi, a Hawaiian hula, and Heeia, an ancient Hawaiian hula.

Published in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii by Noble's own company, the cover of the sheet music shows him with his Moana Hotel Orchestra. Born in Honolulu and trained as a musician, composer, and arranger, Noble (1892-1944) developed the hapa haole style of Hawaiian music and was instrumental in popularizing Hawaiian music in the United States in the 1920s and 1930s.

The musical composition is co-credited to Noble and to Hawaii's King Kalakaua (David Kalakaua, 1836-1891). During King Kalakaua's reign, from 1874-1891, Hawaiian culture was actively promoted, especially music and, in particular, the use of the ukulele. It seems possible that Noble may have based the music here on an earlier composition by King Kalakaua or attributed to him. King Kalakaua was himself a proficient ukulele player, often playing for guests accompanied by his personal musical group, Kalakaua's Singing Boys.

Note: The sheet music is accompanied by a modern greeting card reproducing an old photograph of King Kalakaua and his friend, author Robert Louis Stevenson.