Old Plantation

The Hawaiian Scrapbook

by: Webley Edwards, published in the Honolulu Star Advertiser Sunday December 31, 1950

The Hawaiian singers held a sustained and solid four part chord then eased into a plaintive minor and back to a big finish of the song. Its was Kuu Home, the song of the Old Plantation, and it was good music. Everybody there in the dusk gave a little sigh of satisfaction over the way it was sung.

  And of the large gathering there, only one or two of us thought of David Nape, who wrote the music for the song. For it is a remarkable thing that the songs of David Nape - one of the greatest of Hawaii's many great songwriters are better known than his name. 

Among his songs are Pua Mohala, Oha Oha, Kamakani O Kohala, Tomi Tomi and the great and unforgettable Old Plantation.

He was very likely the first Hawaiian composer to introduce the studied minor chord into his harmony; use of the major scale for a good portion of the song, then spreading of the harmony, so to speak, into a minor. It was a most effective addition to Hawaiian music, and it became very popular  as the years went by.

David Nape was born in Hilo in the year 1869. He died while on a trip with his orchestra to Oregon in 1910. His mother according to old timers, was known as the prima-donna of Hilo, and was one of the greatest singers the Big Island has ever seen or heard. Mrs.Nape had music to her very finger tips, and her two children inherited her talent. 

David was a fine musician and songwriter. His sister Mrs. W.H. Field was also a fine musician. David came to Honolulu, became a member of the Royal Hawaiian Band, and formed a close friendship with such band members and songwriters as Kalani Peters and Mekia Kealakai. The three spent many an hour when not playing with the band, in working out musical forms and little arrangements. 

The late Charlie King, who knew David Nape, once told me he was one of the highest musicians Charlie had ever known or heard, and Charlie heard most of them. David played the clarinet, flute, zither, guitar, saxophone and used whatever instrument he found at hand to experiment in music and music forms which he applied to the then existing songs or to little melodies he was carrying in his head for his own compositions.

But David didn't write the words to his greatest song, Old Plantation. The words were written by a Mrs. Montano and her daughter Rose Davison. They had what they thought were a good set of lyrics for a song about the old Ward place, on what is now South King street opposite Thomas square. But they needed music for their words and went to Charlie King.

King, himself already a prominent and busy songwriter, was tied up at the time, and anyway he said, “There are just two men in Honolulu who can write you the kind of music you want for that song. One is Mekia Kealakai and the other is David Nape. They are both good musicians with the Royal Hawaiian Band but they’re not playing today and you’ll more than likely find them at Mekia Kealakai’s little thirst parlor down in Kakaako.”

Now it must be told that Rose Davison was a fine, strapping woman, some six feet two, and, in addition, she was a policewoman. She finally found the two musicians, Kealakai and Nape. Sure enough, they were in Mekia’s Kakaako place, and David was looking upon certain foaming beakers with considerable satisfaction. 

Rose Davison arrived, somewhat flushed, for it was warm. She had a look of determination on her face, for she had been searching for some time. The two men took one look and thought they were about to be arrested. She finally persuaded them her visit was not official, but rather to get either of them to write some music for her lyrics.

Finally Kealakai said to David Nape, “go ahead and write the music, David, and I will give you one glass of beer.” And David said, “only ONE glass of beer!” Finally Kealakai said, “you write a good music for that song and I will give you all the beer you want.”

Well, Nape went out back, as Kealakai later told the story, and in an hour he came back with the music. And that is how one of Hawaii's greatest songs, “Kuu Home, the Old Plantation” was written- in less than one hour.