on Lake George, New York – New Orleans Mardi Gras 2007
Joshua C. Stoddard of
Worcester, Massachusetts patented the calliope on October 9, 1855, though his design echoes previous concepts, such as an 1832 instrument called a
steam trumpet, later known as a
train whistle. In 1851, William Hoyt of Dupont, Indiana claimed to have conceived of a device similar to Stoddard's calliope, but he never patented it. Later, an employee of Stoddard's American Music, Arthur S. Denny, attempted to market an "Improved Kalliope" in Europe, but it did not catch on. In 1859, he demonstrated this instrument in
Crystal Palace, London. Unlike other calliopes before or since, Denny's Improved Kalliope let the player control the steam pressure, and therefore the volume of the music, while playing. While Stoddard originally intended the calliope to replace bells at churches, it found its way onto riverboats during the
paddlewheel era. While only a small number of working steamboats still exist, each has a steam calliope. These boats include the
Delta Queen, the
Belle of Louisville, and
President. Their calliopes are played regularly on river excursions. Many surviving calliopes were built by
Thomas J. Nichol,
Cincinnati, Ohio, who built calliopes from 1890 until 1932. The Thomas J. Nichol calliopes featured rolled sheet copper (as used in roofing) for the resonant tube (the bell) of the whistle, lending a sweeter tone than cast bronze or brass, which were the usual materials for steam whistles of the day. David Morecraft pioneered a resurgence in the building of authentic steam calliopes of the Thomas J. Nichol style beginning in 1985 in
Peru, Indiana. These calliopes are featured in Peru's annual Circus City Parade. Morecraft died on December 5, 2016. Stoddard's original calliope was attached to a metal roller set with pins in the manner familiar to Stoddard from the contemporary clockwork
music box. The pins on the roller opened valves that admitted steam into the whistles. Later, Stoddard replaced the cylinder with a keyboard, so that the calliope could be played like an organ. Starting in the 1900s calliopes began using
music rolls instead of a live musician. The music roll operated in a manner similar to a
piano roll in a
player piano, mechanically operating the keys. Many of these mechanical calliopes retained keyboards, allowing a live musician to play them if needed. During this period, compressed air began to replace steam as the vehicle of producing sound. Most calliopes disappeared in the mid-20th century, as steam power was replaced with other power sources. Without the demand for technicians that mines and railroads supplied, no support was available to keep boilers running. Only a few calliopes have survived, which, unless converted to a modern power source, are rarely played. A relatively recently built calliope is that of Carl Bergman of
Aspen, Colorado, which was built in the mid 1970s. The 6 foot tall wood-fired steam boiler was originally used by miners at
Independence Pass and requires its owner to maintain a boiler operator's license. The calliope produces 10 notes and takes 8 hours to get ready. ==Pronunciation==