Throughout this unit we have seen the power that steel band, calypso, and other such things give to the people of Trinidad and Tobago. Often, there can be stereotypes made about exactly what steel bands are -- thoughts of Caribbean vibes and authentic calypso come to mind. In reality, the genres that steel bands cover can be just as diverse as any Western group, as we will soon see. The fact that emphasis can be put on more than one genre in steel pan shows the versatility of the instrument and the people that play them!
This is a steel band playing an arrangement of Rossini’s overture to “Semiramide". The performance won them the 2005 Orchestra Grand Finals of the World Steelband Music Festival in Trinidad and took them to the final round in New York, where they also won. The orchestra category of the event, which is where this recording took place, requires the band to play a European classical piece (or piece clearly of that nature) as well as a piece of their choice. This shows that just as much emphasis is put on the Classical performance as well as a performance of other music.
It’s interesting that these performances become a hybrid of stereotypical Western Art Music performances and stereotypical steel band performances. The music is very well arranged in a way that relates it closely to the original, but the setting and manner of performance remind me more of the Trinidadian performances I have seen. For one, the music is memorized and there is great emphasis on intrapersonal communication between members of the band. The Berlin Philharmonic might perform this in a different setting, with sheet music, and with a different purpose in mind. We don’t often think of these classical pieces as competition oriented.
Once steel pan ensembles began performing classical European music the role of the arranger became irreplaceable. Turning a musical piece that is arranged for a traditional European orchestra into something that is not only playable by a steel band, but also has a Trinidadian flavor to it is not an easy task. Trinidadian arrangers and composers began to meet and work with European musicians to help understand their culture. Through the 1940’s and 50’s steel pan bands classical performances became so widespread that a competition known as the “Bomb” was born. The “Bomb” got it’s name from the surprise and astonishment that was felt when steel pan ensembles firsts came to a concert with Bach and Tchaikovsky by their side.
This performance was in the Orchestra Grand Finals in Trinidad at the World Steelband Music Festival in 2004, however, we can imagine the awe and conflict this created when Trinidadian audience were used to only hearing pieces like the one below performed at the “Panorama” competition.
When Trinidadian arrangers began creating this style of Classical music it opened the cultural gates that had previously divided the nations. When Trinidad showed the world that they could reach up and use music from a countries that are far more powerful and influential than themselves allowed other smaller countries to do the same and expand their musical horizons. Since then, society has embraced this new style of music and has changed the course music on an international level.
We thought this was similar to modern day performances of classical pieces with a modern twist. Often times, to make classical music more accessible, people will put it in a modern setting. Take this performance of Beethoven’s 5th on guitar:
Many people know the tune to Beethoven’s 5th, just as they know the theme to the 1812 overture. Putting it into context can make people otherwise unfamiliar with European music begin to get a taste of what it is about. Trinidadians putting European music into their national music style is the same idea!
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