[4] In 1903 he composed My Waikiki Mermaid, the earliest known hapa haole song.
In 1905 sextette led by Cunha played the entire summer season at a California beach resort in Santa Cruz.
[3] In 1914 he published the first hapa haole songbook, Famous Hawaiian Songs.
[5] He played piano, sang and led a dance orchestra in Honolulu for many years, toured the mainland, founded the Cunha Music Company (which sold instruments and presumably sheet music).
He also served as a member of the House of Representatives in the Hawaii Territorial Legislature from 1923 to 1924.