Queen Lydia Lili'uokalani's (1838-1917) Aloha Oe was composed in 1877/78, and originally meant as a goodbye to a lover.

In 1893 when the Kingdom of Hawai'i was overthrown and Queen Lili'uokalani was imprisoned in Iolani Palace, the song took on a different meaning. Goodbye to the Hawaiian Kingdom, Hawaiian Sovereignty, and Hawaiian autonomy. Within this, a more hopeful message arises: "until we meet again"—a promise that one day Hawaiians will have their own autonomy once more.

With this arrangement, I have adapted Robert Schumann's (1810-1856) Widmung (1840) to fit the Queen's tune. I had to adapt the accompaniment pattern from a 3/4 meter to a 4/4 meter, and also had to harmonize the melody as needed.

The last refrain from the Schumann song quotes Ave Maria, intentional on part of Robert and meant as a message to Clara. My arrangement quotes the melody of the line "until we meet again."

Recorded by Brent Nitta on August 26 at the Masaki School of Music.