![]() ![]() The Funambules originally hosted only acrobats and mimes. Only the Théâtre Déjazet would remain following Baron Haussmann’s rebuilding of Paris, during which most of the theatres were demolished to make space for an enlarged Place de la République. The Funambules had opened in 1816 on the Boulevard du Temple, known locally as the Boulevard du Crime owing to the number of crime dramas which were shown nightly in the boulevard’s numerous theatres. Born in 1796, Deburau began appearing in Paris at the Théâtre des Funambules some time around 1819, having adopted the stage name Baptiste. Jean-Gaspard Deburau, a mime from Kolín in Bohemia which is now part of the Czech Republic, lies at the heart of modern conceptions of Pierrot. It was the 1800s before Pierrot grew in stature and began to reach out across the arts, emerging as an emblem and muse for writers and painters. The essence of the character – his unrequited love for Columbine, who prefers Harlequin – was sometimes lost, and he was frequently portrayed for purely comic purposes, foolish and bumbling. Through the eighteenth century the character began to appear on stage in European centres beyond Italy and France, though often in minor and fairly disparate roles. Pierrot therefore took on a second life in Italy, and returned to France anew when the Italian troupes were permitted to return to the country over the following decade. Pierrot was well established in the Italian comic theatre by the time of their expulsion from France, by Royal decree, in 1697. With Molière and Biancolelli working in such close proximity, the interplay and cross-pollination between the troupes soon led the commedia dell’arte to incorporate Pierrot into their repertoire. They included Domenicio Biancolelli, already famous for his performances as the chequered comic Harlequin.įrom Italy the commedia dell’arte flourished across seventeenth-century France, and in fact the character of Sganarelle already drew much from the Italian comedians. By 1662, Molière’s acting troupe was sharing the venue with a troupe of Italian commedia dell’arte performers. The Palais-Royal theatre had been established by Cardinal Richelieu, in the east wing of the Palais-Royal in 1637. Pierrot is the name of a peasant character who appears in the second act of the play, as the fiancé of Charlotte. Pierrot, the sad clown in white face and loose blouse, expressing slowly and subtly in the liminal space beyond words, emerged in the nineteenth century from his roots in stock comedies and pantomimes to become the embodiment of a certain strain of artistic sentiment: sensitive, melancholy, and intrinsically alone, playful and daring through the subversion of language while suggesting the fraught and facile nature of gender.Īs a stock character, Pierrot can be traced back to Molière and Don Juan or The Feast of the Stone, which was first performed in February 1660 at the Palais-Royal theatre in Paris, with Molière himself playing the role of Sganarelle.
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![]() 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. In 1859, he demonstrated this instrument in Crystal Palace, London. Denny, attempted to market an "Improved Kalliope" in Europe, but it did not catch on. Later, an employee of Stoddard's American Music, Arthur S. ![]() In 1851, William Hoyt of Dupont, Indiana claimed to have conceived of a device similar to Stoddard's calliope, but he never patented it. 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. 1901) built by George Kratz and used on the showboat French's New Sensation at The Mariners' Museum History Calliope on the Minne-Ha-Ha, a stern-wheeler on Lake George, New York Kitch Greenhouse Steam Calliope at the Ohio Historical Society – July, 2006 Fairground calliope trailer being hauled by a U.S.-built traction engine – New Orleans Mardi Gras 2007 Steam calliope (c. A calliope may have anywhere from 25 to 67 whistles, but 32 is traditional for a steam calliope. Since the pitch of each note is largely affected by the temperature of the steam, accurate tuning is nearly impossible however, the off-pitch notes (particularly in the upper register) have become something of a trademark of the steam calliope. The whistles of a calliope are tuned to a chromatic scale, although this process is difficult and must be repeated often to maintain quality sound. Some calliopes can also be played via a MIDI interface. Some instruments have both a keyboard and a mechanism for automated operation, others only one or the other. Mechanical operation may be by a drum similar to a music box drum, or by a roll similar to that of a player piano. This was in part to resist the heat and moisture of the steam, but also for the golden shine of the highly polished keys.Ĭalliopes can be played by a player at a keyboard or mechanically. Steam instruments often had keyboards made from brass. Other circus calliopes were self-contained, mounted on a carved, painted and gilded wagon pulled by horses, but the presence of other steam boilers in the circus meant that fuel and expertise to run the boiler were readily available. The traction engine could also supply electric power for lighting, and tow the calliope in the circus parade, where it traditionally came last. Circus calliopes were sometimes installed in steam-driven carousels, or supplied with steam from a traction engine. Riverboats supplied steam from their propulsion boilers. In both cases, a steam supply was readily available for other purposes. In the age of steam, the steam calliope was particularly used on riverboats and in circuses. The air-driven calliope is sometimes called a calliaphone, the name given to it by Norman Baker, but the "Calliaphone" name is registered by the Miner Company for instruments produced under the Tangley name. The steam calliope is also known as a steam organ ( orgue à vapeur in Quebec) or steam piano ( piano à vapeur in Quebec). Musically, the only expression possible is the pitch, rhythm, and duration of the notes. There is no way to vary tone or loudness. ![]() ![]() Even some small calliopes are audible for miles. Problems playing this file? See media help.Ī calliope (see below for pronunciation) is an American and Canadian musical instrument that produces sound by sending a gas, originally steam or, more recently, compressed air, through large whistles-originally locomotive whistles.Ī calliope is typically very loud. |
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