Photo © PanTrinbago
Publication Note: This piece was first shared on Sokah2Soca (July 13, 2022) and is now presented in a reformatted version for Kaiso Dial.
This is the story of a magical instrument created in The 21 St. Century on the island of Trinidad (the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago): our beloved National Instrument: The Steelpan.
As a Patriotic 'Trinbagonian' living abroad for more than two decades now, I have to confess the sounds of the steel orchestras performing for Pan in the 21st. Century churned raw emotions into tears of joy! The pan orchestras were incredibly sweet, and the accompanying arrangements were truly exceptional. There is certainly a difference in listening to pan for our panorama competition compared to the use of the national instrument to showcase the music and instruments on the world scene—truly amazing!
These are the types of music that anyone who listens to American Pop and R&B can easily identify, allowing them to appreciate the beautifully syncopated resonance of the steelpan as played by the pan orchestra, which consistently amazes people around the world with the ingenuity of the music arrangers and pan players. The Calypsos may be unfamiliar to some listeners, which can result in the scintillating renditions being overlooked by foreign audiences. So as a Trinbagonian, I celebrate the beauty and the creativity of generations past to have created the only new musical instrument of the 21 Century – it’s we ting, shout it from the mountain tops—yes, take dat! It is pan in ‘yuh pwefen, pan in yuh rukunkunk,’ and no one in the world can do it like we do… But wait; is it really “we ting,” as we boastfully chant in 'Trini' colloquialism? There are US and European Patents claiming that it is not "We Ting," but rather someone else's invention. How did this travesty come about?
You've got to know/understand your past to mold and truly understand your future; in other words, you have to creep before you learn to walk. Let us now look back to see how the pan, as a musical instrument, was born. This will help us understand the journey that so many Trinidadians took to bring the steelpan to that which it is today. It will also put into perspective the travesty that exists today regarding the ownership of the various patents for the steelpan.
First and foremost, the history and development of the steelpan are rooted in Afrocentrism, as African slaves brought to Trinidad for plantation work used drums during their religious celebrations and practices. This was eventually banned because the slave masters believed that the slaves used the drums to communicate with each other from estate to estate. The British and the Catholics would not permit the slaves “to communicate” in this manner because the goal was to control and convert these subjects of the slave owners—as a result, it was banned. The end of Slavery on July 1, 1834, led to celebrations on August 1, 1834, the celebration of Canboulay with the burning of the sugar cane before harvesting. However, the British allowed the people to participate in a restricted celebration without the drums in what we know as Carnival, beginning at dawn on the Monday before Ash Wednesday. So to fill the void, the African slaves turned to bamboo cut to different lengths—tamboo bamboo. The biscuit tin replaced the tamboo bass eventually to avoid injury to the feet of the players.
Laventille and John John in particular then came into the spotlight. “Andrew Beddoe was one of the district’s finest Orisha drummers and the best biscuit pan drummer in the ‘John-John’ tamboo band, who sparked the critical transition from tamboo bamboo to pan with his magical drumming fingers.”
www.steelisland.com/history.asp
www.steelisland.com/history.asp
This is where the story gets muddled and claims of the true inventor come into play. However, everyone believes that Winston Spree is the one person who “provided the link from biscuit tin to steel pan.” This was the "bad-john" era and rivalries between "bands" led to clashes that had people scampering away for their safety. Ping pong was born with four notes hammered out by Winston Spree Simon. By 1946, the steelpan had developed to include 14 notes and was played using sticks that did not have rubber tips. Today the pan is not beaten but played with sticks with rubber on the ends.
There are many written documents that chronicle the history of the steelpan as a musical instrument. However, there is one written by Christopher D. Walborn that I found to be informative and a very pleasant read. Indeed, there has been much controversy about who invented the pan, but after reading several articles, one can appreciate the multiple hands that went into creating the steel pan. Ellie Mannette significantly influenced the development of the steelpan, leading me to refer to him as the godfather of the steelpan as we know it ("Father of the Modern Steel Drum").
Photo via Pinterest © Drums Art
“Ellie Mannette was not the only builder developing the steel drums, however. As already noted, Alexander Ford was the first to bang on the garbage can, and Winston "Spree" Simon was the first to play notes on his drums. Tony Williams introduced the Cycle of 5ths to the steel drum world. Bertie Marshall created the Double Tenors and was the first person to put the octaves and 2nd octaves into the notes. Rudolph Charles created the Quads. Ellie is one of the most respected early builders for improving the drums' tone quality, though he wasn't the only one. Where the Carnival players went for drums that were brilliant and loud, Ellie chose a mellower tone as a foundation to build upon, a palette of tones he felt could be used with greater complexity and subtlety.”
When one looks at the impact of Ellie Mannette on the development of the 55-gallon steelpan, one has to give him credit as the creator of the steelpan as a musical instrument as we know it today. Just look at some of his achievements as chronicled in Mr. Walborn's article:
Chronology
Following is a brief chronology of Ellie Mannette's drums:
| Date 1937 1946 1946 1947 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1960 |
Instrument The first drum with a concave surface. Lead (Ping-Pong) Tuned-Boom Single Second Single Guitars Triple Bass Double Seconds Double Guitars Triple Cellos Tenor Basses |
Notes * First drum from a 55-gal. barrel The precursor to the Cellos Balay Grundig/length of the skirt - 15 inches * * The length of the skirt is 15 inches. * Four panels/length of the skirt is 30 inches. |
Amazing, isn't it? There is a vast history associated with the steelpan, and researching the development of the instrument up to today’s Genesis pan, which was recently unveiled to an audience in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, could take a considerable amount of time. Having seen the pan's rich history and some of its pioneers, we must return to the present.
I would like to think that this rich history and glorious instrument that was born out of slavery and given to the World by a people that were humiliated through slavery should always be part and parcel of the rich heritage of Trinidad and Tobago. Trinidad and Tobago will always identify this as our mark and heritage. Our African brothers in our very cosmopolitan society gave us a gift that is now being claimed by so many through Patents issued in the United States and Europe. This is neither the time nor the place to lay blame on anyone for this misfortune. The founders and creators of the only musical instrument of the 20th Century did not benefit from their creation as much as many people using it today. In the United States and Europe, people who had nothing to do with the development of the steelpan as a musical instrument own patents for the lifeblood of Trinidad and Tobago. Again, I have to say it: what a travesty!
I wonder if the people who own these patents know of Winston “Spree” Simon, Ellie Manette, Neville Jules, Anthony Williams (spider web pan better known as “fourths and fifths”), Bertie Marshall, who was the leader of the defunct Highlanders steel band of Laventille in 1957 and creator of the amplified pans and the “Bertiphone” that combined tone control and amplification and Denzil “dimes” Fernandez, who invented the “bore pan.” So many Trinidadians played such an integral role in the creation and development of the steelpan, yet still, none of their names are etched on a Patent. While it While it is understandable that these "so-called owners" of the steelpan pursue profitable opportunities, it is also important for people to acknowledge and credit the contributions of those who truly deserve recognition. We know that it belongs to the people of Trinidad and Tobago and that is etched in history.
The steel pan was born in Trinidad, so if you're not a Trinidadian, how can you own the patent for the pan? Well, that is a different story because there is so much that goes into the patenting of anything. An idea to do something different could land you a patent, so we should be careful with our criticisms of these people. As an example, I would like to cite Hydro Steel LLC founders George Whitmyre and Harvey Price, along with their European counterpart Judith Spoo. They own a patent for the creation of the steel pan using stainless steel, eliminating the need to chrome the pans. Wikipedia has this to say about this company: "Two Americans, George Whitmyre and Harvey J. Price, have secured a United States patent for 'the process of formation of a Caribbean steelpan using a hydroforming press.'" This patent is being challenged by the Trinidad and Tobago Legal Affairs Ministry since many Trinbagonian drum makers have used similar methods for years. Their pan-making company, Hydroforming, has gone out of business.”
It has always been said that Trinidadians don’t appreciate what they have—that is true to a point. However, I would like to point my fingers at the government of Trinidad and Tobago and that includes every manifestation of those political regimes. They have done very little to secure and protect the steel pan. Trinidad, the birthplace of the steelpan and calypso, has not done enough, either as a nation or as a government, to properly honor its creators and the instrument that has become a sensation in the music world today. The government of the day has invested in the creation and development of the Genesis Pan, which is the rave of the island. We don’t know much about the Genesis Pan, except that it is larger than the traditional pan, has more musical notes, and produces a "bigger" sound, which may lead to smaller orchestras. Kudos is the order of the day and must be extended to the government and Prime Minister Patrick Manning for this endeavor and for securing the patents for the new instruments. We now also have the launch of the National Steel Symphony Orchestra that will be used to represent the country—the pannists are trained in music theory and receive a salary from the government—well done!
So where do we go from here? Recently WACK Radio 90.1 FM, on Damion Melville’s Bassa Bassa segment, asked a question regarding the launching of the Genesis Pan. He asked the listeners for their opinion regarding the fact that no calypso was played, but several classical pieces, along with local compositions (not calypsos), were used to showcase the versatility of the new pan. Do you think that the station was deluged with calls? If you guessed yes, then you were absolutely mistaken. As is so typical of Trinidadians, we always choose to complain but resist the desire to act. This may be part of the problem and explains why so many patents exist today for the original pan—none of which are owned by Trinbagonians.
The discussion will continue, and arguments will abound, but one thing is certain: the steelpan belongs to the people of Trinidad and Tobago. Regardless of the ownership of patents by individuals who are not Trinidadians, nothing can erase the history and ownership of our national instrument, which is part of our National Heritage.
The link below provides a timeline of the history and development of the steelpan. Please take a read:
There are no apologies and no compromises regarding "When Steel Talks"—you have just read a brief history of Pan, so now do yourself a favor and listen to the "niceness" of Pan on the net at the link below:
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