J. E. Henry Calliope Circus Music
Posted By thecircusblog on December 28, 2011
01 01 Track 1 06 06 Track 6 14 14 14 Track 14 13 13 13 Track 13 12 12 Track 12 11 11 Track 11 10 10 Track 10 09 09 Track 9 08 08 Track 8 07 07 Track 7 02 02 Track 2 03 03 Track 3 04 04 Track 4 05 05 Track 5
I discovered these wire recorded spools; I had no idea what they were. These were recorded on old disk records then were transferred to wire recordings. This is what the technician told me; it took him about two years to put this music onto a C.D. We found out after listening that these were from my grandfather’s circus. From the 1920s and 30s the calliope music was used for the “Come in.” The calliope was played in parades, as well as in front of the marque before show time. The musician’s name is Konki, that is all I know. I remember Konki from childhood on the Yankee Patterson Circus, in the early 1940’s……… Pick from the different tracks and enjoy. If you wish to record, do so but please give credit due.
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thecircusblog
My name is Ivan M. Henry and I am the 4th generation of a circus/show business dynasty. I hope you enjoy the blog.Comments
2 Responses to “J. E. Henry Calliope Circus Music”
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Boy, don’t that bring back the good old days on the jenny love ya dad.
Dear Mr. Henry,
This is not for posting, but I wanted to contact you about the J.E. Henry Calliope circus music you posted. I work at the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where we are preparing to install a miniature circus that we have in our collection. It was made by Windy Morris, Amarillo, TX, and is modeled after the railroad circus of the 1920s and 1930s. The exhibition will be on display April 3, 2016 through January 1, 2017, and we would like to have music as part of the show. The tracks you posted are perfect and I am writing to seek permission to use them for our exhibition, to set the period, mood, and multisensory experience of the circus. Because they would be used in a public setting, I wanted to seek your permission to use them. We would of course give you credit and I can include information on your blog and the history of your family’s circus in our reading area in the museum’s gallery if you have any information to provide. Also in the exhibition will be material from a former clown with the Cole Bros circus, as well as work by a former circus sign painter.
Here is my contact information:
Laura Addison
Curator of N. American & European Folk Art
Museum of International Folk Art
laura.addison@state.nm.us
505 476 1224
Would love to talk to you about the music and your family’s circus.
Thank you!
Laura