Brief History of the Steelpan

The Steelpan is the only acoustical musical instrument invented during the 20th Century and originated on the Caribbean Island of Trinidad where, today it is the national instrument.

There are various versions of precisely how the Pan evolved. However, there is general agreement that it emerged in the late 1930's, when African descendents whose traditional skin drums and tam-boo tam-boo bands having been outlawed since the days of slavery, started to beat out rhythms and melodies on pieces of metal in search of an outlet for their musical talents.

Steelpan music, by it's very nature is both infectious - it makes you want to dance and move around. In the early days of the 1930's and 40's, the effect of this "hot music" on the young, gave rise to concern amongst older generations, not unlike that of Rock 'n' Roll in the 60's and Glam rock and Punk in the middle to late 70's.

However, with the passage of time, the Steelpan came of age and the decision to send a steelband to the UK as part of the Commonwealth celebrations in the 1950's helped to identify the Pan as an important element of the cultural fabric of Trinidad.

In the 1960's, the steelpan featured heavily in Trinidad's independence celebrations and the first National Panorama Steelband Competition, an annual event that continues to today, was held in February 1963. Thus the pan movement became organised on a far larger scale.

Today, the Pan is an internationally recognised art-form and steelbands play the world over - even in Japan. 

So, in the space of 60 years, it has matured considerably and it's versatility enable it to be played alone, as part of a large orchestra or blending in with other instruments.

However, the Pan's appeal will always remain in its humble beginnings and the evocative  visions that its music creates.