Unit 3: Calypso with Etienne
Melody will take us on a journey from Colombia to Trinidad to meet our next performer, Etienne. Use SG19, SG20 and SG21 to meet Etienne and prepare students to learn about calypso.
Genre Overview
Calypso traces its roots to West Africa in the 1600s, drawing on traditions of social commentary and improvisational lyrics in song. Modern calypso was born in Trinidad and Tobago in the early 1900s, when these West African traditions mixed with chantuelle, a Creole vocal tradition that accompanied stick fights known as kalenda. Calypso developed in tandem with Carnival and Kambule. Kambule is the solemn costumed procession commemorating the emancipation of enslaved Africans, and Carnival is the pre-Lenten ritual brought to Trinidad by French Catholic settlers. It was within this fertile breeding ground of masquerades, parades, and musical competitions that all the elements of calypso were developed, including the steel pan and steel band. As the century progressed, well-known calypso singers began performing and recording in New York, which led to a New York version of calypso that dealt with themes specific to life in the city.
Meet Etienne Charles
Etienne was born in Trinidad and grew up with calypso, as well as many other kinds of music. He went on to study jazz trumpet, first in Florida and then in New York. As a trumpet player, bandleader, and composer, he is drawing constantly on his Afro-Caribbean roots. “Jazz is creole music,” he says. “As a person in the new world, I’ve been influenced by so much music. I come from a fusion of rhythms, a fusion of cultures.”
Lesson 1: Learning “Mary Ann”
Students learn to sing the chorus to “Mary Ann” and explore calypso rhythms with found percussion instruments.
→ Go to Lesson 1: Learning “Mary Ann”
Lesson 2: Learning “J’ouvert Barrio”
Students learn to sing and dance to “J’ouvert Barrio,” and explore rhyme in calypso lyrics.
→ Go to Lesson 2: Learning “J’ouvert Barrio”
Learn more!
Readings:
- Calypso Calaloo: Early Carnival Music in Trinidad by Donald Hill
- Music from Behind the Bridge: Steelband Aesthetics and Politics in Trinidad and Tobago by Shannon Dudley
Listening & Viewing:
- Listen to SMF’s Calypso playlist on Spotify
- Etienne Charles: Carnival: The Sound of a People, Vol. 1 (Culture Shock Music, Inc.)
- Lord Kitchener: Klassic Kitchener, Volumes 1–4, London is the Place for Me, Volumes 1–4 (ICE)
- Mighty Sparrow: Volumes 1–4 (ICE)
- Mighty Spoiler: Unspoilt (ICE)
- Roaring Lion: Sacred 78s (ICE)
- Steel Band: Trinidadian Panharmonic Orchestra (Smithsonian Folkways)
- West Indian Folksongs for Children (Smithsonian Folkways)
- Calypso Awakening: From the Emory Cook Collection (Smithsonian Folkways)
- Etienne has a concert online as part of Lincoln Center’s #ConcertsforKids series.
- Calypso Dreams (directed by Geoffrey Dunn and Michael Horne, 2004)
- PAN! Our Musical Odyssey (directed by Jérôme Guiot and Thierry Teston)
Additional Teaching Resources:
-
“Steel band Style, Calypso Culture and Childhood Chants: Trinidadian Music for the Classroom” on Smithsonian Folkways Recordings: Learn. Smithsonian Folkways has a number of lesson plans designed for traditional and contemporary music from around the globe.
Unit 3: PDF Downloads
SG19 Let’s Explore Calypso! ↓ Download File
SG20 Meet Etienne! ↓ Download File
SG21 We asked Etienne… ↓ Download File
SG22 Explore the Steel Pan ↓ Download File
SG23 Calypso Rhymes ↓ Download File