History of Carnival

Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago is celebrated before the commencement of the Lenten season.
From 1783 for half a century, the French developed their Carnival, which was noted to be a season
of gay and elegant festivities extending from Christmas to Ash Wednesday. These festivities
consisted of dinners, balls, concerts and hunting parties.
The Africans started to participate in the festivities from 1833 after the Emancipation Bill was
passed. The Africans brought Canboulay to its festivities. Canboulay was first played on August 1st,
Emancipation Day, but subsequently took place after midnight on Dimanche Gras, the Sunday
before Carnival.
In early celebration of the festival by the masses activities were held over the three days preceding
Ash Wednesday. However in the face of over 60 years of criticism from the upper class about the
low standard of Carnival and strong feelings expressed about the desecration of the Sabbath, in
1943 Carnival on the street was restricted to the Monday & Tuesday.

HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE STEEL PAN

Carnival celebrations in the late 1800s were marked by disturbances which
prompted the authorities to prohibit the unlicensed playing of all percussion, string
and wood-wind instruments by way of legal ordinance. This led to the development
of the Tamboo-Bamboo as a musical instrument. The Tamboo-Bamboo was made
from bamboo cut to various lengths and its sound was produced by stamping onto
the ground. Carnival celebrations in the five decades from 1884 to the late 1930s
witnessed the growing rhythms of Tamboo-Bamboo musical ensembles in street
processions with accompanying brass and string instrumental bands.
Several problems with the bamboo material, including its tendency to splinter
easily, resulted in experimentation with other materials such as metal containers, to
produce various sound effects. These experiments resulted in the discovery of the
steel drum since it proved to be more durable than other material and capable of
greater tonal versatility.
This drum, originally used to store petroleum, evolved into the steel pan by making
cross-sections cut into the 55-gallon metal container. Through further
experimentation, percussive sounds of various pitches were produced by indenting
and tempering the concave metal surface. The steel drum therefore was used in the
creation of what is known today as the steel pan, and although there have been
several competing claims to its invention, it is generally accepted that the steel pan
was first made around 1939 in Trinidad and Tobago.
Carnival of 1940 witnessed the first public appearance of the steel pan and it has
since evolved through the ingenious innovations of various contributors. These
innovations have resulted in instruments of different tonal ranges which now
comprise the musical ensemble of the modern steelband.
The steelpan has risen from the deprived urban tenements of Port-of-Spain where it
was forged, to acceptance and promotion by the international community. What has
brought this instrument forward onto the world stage was the devotion, talent and
industry of its early followers. This is a significant achievement in the face of the
finan

10 calypsonians

Slinger Francisco Mighty sparrow

Calliste Black Stalin

Leroy

McCartha Lewi Calypso rose

Roberts Lord Kitchener

Aldwyn

Sandra des Vignes Millington Singing Sandra

Rawlins Cro Cro

Weston

Winston Henry Explainer

Francine Francine Edwards

Scrunter Owen Reyes Johnson

Winston Bailey

Chutney soca monarch

of the band

KI Persad
Dallsingh

singing

Shadow

Carnival queen

Gloria

Soca monarch

Ted eustase
voice

Groovey soca monarch

Power soca monarch

Kerwin du boise
Marchel montano

Marchel montano