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What is the Calypso? Calypso is a style of music that originated in the Caribbean and is primarily attributed to Trinidad and Tobago. Despite some disputing the origins of calypso in Trinidad, Trinidad is associated with nearly every significant achievement and event related to this music genre. Historical records of this genre unequivocally trace back to Trinidad. Before we delve into the main content of this post, let's highlight some of these achievements.

Did you know the following?

• Calypsoes were first sung in French Creole then a mix of Patois and English
• The Rhythm of Calypso (beat) is done in 2/4, 4/4 time (see "Meter" at this link for an explanation of Rhythm (beats in the music))
• The first-ever Calypso instrumental recording was done in 1912 by Lovey's Orchestra.
• The first-ever vocal Calypso recording was made in 1914 when the "Duke of Iron" teamed up with Jules Sims. “Iron Duke in the Land” is a calypso by Henry Julian (a.k.a. Julian Whiterose)
• The first-ever Calypso tent opened in Port-of-Spain in 1921 and was the "Railway Douglas Tent."
• The first-ever female to sing in a calypso tent was "Lady Trinidad" in 1935.
• The first-ever female Calypsonian to cut a record was "Lady Trinidad" in 1937.
• The first-ever "Young Brigade Tent" opened in 1947 by 24-year-old Lord Kitchener, featuring Lord Melody, Mighty Spoiler, and Mighty Viking.

That was a minor historical review of Calypso. If you want to get additional information, we recommend the Trinidad and Tobago government site NALIS. Having said that, you can also review our Calypso post. Here is the link to the post: Trinidad's Calypso Music.

Now that we have your attention, it's possible that you are reading this article out of curiosity about this site or to gather information for a project. Maybe you just love the culture and want to learn as much as you can about it, especially from Calypso, the mother of SOCA music. This article provides information about the different categories of Calypso music. Within Calypso, there are different types of Calypso songs or categories.  

The previous post (Part 1) featured political, Social and humorous content; this post will focus on party, Extempore and nation-building calypsos.

Calypso categories:

• Political
• Social
• Humor
• Party
• Extempo
• Nation Building

Party Calypsos

Party calypsos are songs meant for parties. They are usually upbeat and fast. Recently, political and social commentary has taken precedence over party calypsos. If one looks back at Calypso before the advent of Soca, most of the Calypsonians developed songs for dance and the steel bands, and yes, there were Calypsos delving into strong political and social commentaries. Sparrow and Kitchener, they all delivered dance calypsos, especially Black Stalin's creativity. It feels like every song he delivered, one could dance to even if he delivered strong social commentary. The art seems lost with today's calypsonians. Having said that, one cannot ignore the sweet voice of Baron, and as a result, the music video we selected to highlight this category is one that features the songs of Baron and Sugar Aloes. If, and when, we get a DJ to provide a selection of Dance Calypsos, we will feature that mix in this space.

Baron and Sugar Aloes Dance Calypsos curated by DJ Smally Golden Touch 

Extempore Calypsos

Extempore (done without preparation) calypsos are lyrically improvised forms of calypso music that consist of performers improvising in song or in rhythmic speech on a given theme before an audience. Extempore competitions usually take place during carnival and is seldom done outside of the festival. The King of Extempore is Winston Gypsy Peters. The following clip is from Wikipedia, and it explains the Art of Extempore.

"It is characterized either by the “single tone”, consisting of four-line stanzas or the “double tone”, which has eight-line stanzas. There are four basic melodies common to extempore: “Sans Humanite”, “Matilda”, “Miss Mary Ann”, and “Big Bamboo”. The most widely used is "Sans Humanite"(Without Mercy). Another characteristic of extempore is that the performer must be able to think quickly since the subjects are handed out on the spot and the lyrics are then improvised". Wikipedia

The History of Extempo | #RomeInCarnival

Nation Building Calypsos

Nation Building Calypsos promote national unity and pride. They are meant to inspire people to work together for their country. There are some really special songs in this category and one of the most famous is "Progress" by King Austin. We have selected a YouTube video that lists fifty-three songs. Hopefully, this video selection will be of interest to you, and we hope you will enjoy it. 

Nation Building Songs Curated by Andy Wong Kee

In conclusion, calypso music has different categories such as Political, Social, Humor, Party, Extempore, and Nation Building. Party calypsos are meant to be played at parties. Extempore Calypsos are lyrically improvised forms of calypso music that consist of performers improvising in song or in rhythmic speech on a given theme before an audience. Nation Building Calypsos promote national unity and pride.

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