A Calypsonian is a musician, usually from Trinidad, who has studied calypso and memorised its traditional tunes and stanzas. A Calypsonian composes calypsos on topical subjects. The best can sing extemporaneously, that is improvise a calypso on any subject.
Calypsonians traditionally take on important sounding names, although this practise is becoming less common.
Calypsonians compete with each other, originally in ad-hoc sessions during Trinidad's carnival but since the 1950s in organised calypso competitions. A traditional calypso form, War, would close calypso shows with the calypsonians taking turns to improvise verses lauding themselves and disparaging the others.
Calypsonians (singers) perform to the accompaniment of brass and rhythm sections.
The Trinidadian calypsonian Lord Caresser, for example, was heard in these early years on the CBC radio's French network and International Service during a sojourn in Montreal.
Both Caribbean and Canadian calypsonians, however, are disadvantaged by the seasonal disposability and quickly-dated, parochial thrust of the calypso repertoire and by their resulting inability to establish a year-round commercial infrastructure for their music.
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