This section is dedicated to those who remember the sweet, powerful sounds of them, whether in the streets of Amsterdam or a carousel in New Jersey. Sit back all ye visitors and listen to the chiff of the flutes, the sweetness of the diapasons , the rumble of the bourdons and the clatter of the drums. Anny de Leeuw , in Holland, has done some interesting midi files, and a trip to her site is well worth while. It was invented in the United States about 1850 by A.S. Denny and patented in 1855 by Joshua C. Stoddard. The calliope consists of a boiler that forces steam through a set of whistle pipes.
Water is heated to produce steam in the boiler by burning wood in the fire box.
The steam whistles, controlled by a keyboard similar to that on an organ, produce very loud music. Calliopes were used on the Mississippi steamboats during the 19th century and also by the circus to attract the curious. The steam calliope, found special favor on steamboats for announcing the arrival of the boat. When used in other applications such as the circus, a separate boiler was required to generate the steam. All the songs contained in this site are believed to be in the public domain.