Circus calliope, lithograph by Gibson & Co., 1872.

A calliope is a musical instrument, played with a keyboard. It produces sound by sending steam through whistles. Joshua C. Stoddard of Worcester, Massachusetts invented the calliope in 1855. The calliope is also known as a "steam organ" or "steam piano." It was often played on riverboats and in circuses. Image File history File links Calliope! The wonderful Opernicon or steam car of the muses. ... Image File history File links Calliope! The wonderful Opernicon or steam car of the muses. ... A musical instrument is a device that has been constructed or modified with the purpose of making music. ... Roland EXR-3 Keyboard Three-year-old girl playing with a keyboard The musical keyboard, also known as the piano keyboard is the set of adjacent depressible levers on a musical instrument which produce notes. ... In physical chemistry and in engineering, steam refers to vaporized water. ... Nickname: The Heart of the Commonwealth, The City of the Seven Hills, Wormtown, Woo-town Location in Massachusetts Founded  -Incorporated 1673 1722  County Worcester County Mayor Timothy P. Murray (Dem) Area  - Total  - Water 99. ... 1855 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

Starting in the 1900s, calliopes began using piano rolls (also called music roll) instead of a live musician. The music roll operated in a similar manner to 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. Events and Trends Technology Lawrence Hargrave makes the first stable wing design for a heavier-than-air aircraft Orville and Wilbur Wright make the first documented flight in a powered heavier-than-air aircraft Mass production of automobile Wide popularity of home phonograph Panama Canal is built by the United... Example of a piano roll being punched. ... The player piano is a type of piano that plays music without the need for a human pianist to depress the normal keys or pedals. ...

Most calliopes disappeared in the mid-20th century, as steam power was replaced. Without the demand for technicians that mines and railroads supplied, no support was available to keep boilers running. Only a few calliopes have survived, and these are rarely played. (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the...

Even small calliopes produce sound that can travel for miles.

While Stoddard had originally intended the calliope to replace bells at churches, it found its way to riverboats during the paddlewheel era. While only a small number of steamboats still exist, each one has a steam calliope. These boats include the American Queen, Belle of Louisville, Delta Queen, Julia Belle Swain, Mississippi Queen, and Natchez. Their calliopes are played regularly on river excursions.

Tom Waits' 2002 release Blood Money features a track written for trumpet and calliope. Tom Waits Tom Waits (born Thomas Alan Waits on December 7, 1949 in Pomona, California) is an American singer-songwriter, composer and actor. ... Blood Money is an album by Tom Waits. ...

Related instruments

The calliope is similar to the pyrophone; the difference between the two is that the calliope is an external combustion instrument and the pyrophone is an internal combustion instrument. A pyrophone, also known as a fire/explosion organ or fire/explosion calliope is a musical instrument in which notes are sounded by explosions, or similar forms of rapid combustion, rapid heating, or the like. ...

At 1998's burning man, a pyrophone referred to as "Satan's Calliope" was powered by detonating propane inside resonant cavities. Thus this device was incorrectly referred to as a "calliope", since a calliope is an external combustion instrument. See Metro Santa Cruz article Image 1998 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... Burning Man is a week-long festival with international draw, held annually on the week prior to and including Labor Day weekend in the United States. ...