Tooting Joy, Tooting Hope, I am the Calliope! Circus music was a large part of the circus experience, and one unique feature of circus parades was the musical wagon called the calliope. Calliopes make their distinct, loud sound when steam travels through large whistles. Originally, they were locomotive whistles – an example of the important role trains played in the growth of the American circus. Consider how loud train whistles are – they can be heard for miles! Calliopes are no different, and there’s no way to change its tone or volume. Calliopes can be played by a person at a keyboard, or mechanically with a roll like a player piano. This type of calliope was often installed in steam- powered carousels. Unknown artist, Circus Parades – a Photographic History: Ringling Bros. Calliope, no date. Tibbals Digital Collection This instrument is named after the Greek muse Calliope, whose name is pronounced ka-LIE-oh-pee. Calliope was the mother of Orpheus and chief of the muses. Her name means “beautiful voice,” and she is associated with elegance and epic poetry. The circus community generally pronounces the name of the instrument as kal-ee-OHP. Poking fun at the dispute of pronunciation, a 19th century magazine published this rhyme:

Proud folk stare after me,

Call me Calliope;

Tooting joy, tooting hope, I am the calliope.

Poem in Reedy’s Mirror, 1877, according to Ted Guillaum in “MQ Calliope Press Release – Part 2.” Simon Vouet, The Muses Urania and Calliope , Retrieved from steamboats.org. 1634 (detail). Creative Commons.

In today’s Family Workshops, we made calliopes from red oaktag and decorated them with gold buttons and glitter glue. We made the wheels from skewers, straws and funky buttons! While real calliope pipes are made from brass to resist the heat and moisture of the steam, we made ours from fat milkshake straws! Try cutting the straws to different lengths and seeing what different pitches you hear when you blow across them. Most calliopes have 32 whistles, but it might be hard to fit that many into your wagon!

Circus musicians are known The Ringling has another pretty as windjammers, because spectacular organ! Although it they would “jam wind” into can’t travel like a calliope, the their instruments. Aeolian Organ at Ca’ d’Zan works much the same way. Its Check out this CD of circus 61 pipes were originally hidden music for the calliope! in the walls of the house, which was built to accommodate it. Imagine that – it’s kind of like living inside a musical instrument!

Organ made by the Aeolian Skinner Organ Company. Bequest of John Ringling, 1936.