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Welcome, Kathy, to today’s Wait Lifters – Uplifting content for every kind of downtime. I put Whistling Month on my April planning calendar based on a usually reliable source. It may not be. Certainly, the big celebration – the Whistling International Festival and Competition – happens in September, but too bad. When I pick a topic and find multiple offshoots to go with it – quirky facts, interesting people, music, idioms, quotes, possibilities for a quiz, and sometimes toys and art – I stick with it. Plus, the whistling opening by Earle Hagen to The Andy Griffith Show (1960 – 1968) has always made me happy.
I hope you find these offerings fun, and perhaps even useful, and welcome your feedback, including your topic suggestions and any other ideas you may have for making each issue better. (Kathy@WiserNow.com)
The Quirky Quote
Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush. ~ Doug Larson
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The Quirky Facts
How whistling affects emotions depends on who’s whistling.
First are the casual whistlers who really do whistle while they work (à la the Seven Dwarfs) or while they simply walk down the street. Mark Twain wrote in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, “...[H]e had just acquired... a valued novelty in whistling... [H]e strode down the street with his mouth full of harmony and his soul full of gratitude. He felt much as an astronomer feels who has discovered a new planet - no doubt, as far as strong, deep, unalloyed pleasure is concerned, the advantage was with the boy, not the astronomer.”
Whistling is most often associated with pleasure. An exception can be seen in the movie “Bridge over the River Kwai.” The tune whistled by British POWs in the 1957 film about life in a World War II prison camp, is a symbol of their defiance and optimism in the face of adversity.
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Sometimes whistling can be a means of overcoming fear, as Anna makes clear to her son in the Broadway musical The King and I : “I Whistle a Happy Tune” (whenever I feel afraid).
Whistling can also be seen as sexy. In the movie, “To Have and Have Not,” starring Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart, after they share a heated kiss, Ms. Bacall’s character starts to walk out the door and says, “If you want me, just whistle. You know how to whistle, don't you, Steve? You just put your lips together and blow." You can see the scene here. As a side note: When Humphrey Bogart died of cancer, his widow (Ms. Bacall) had him buried with a whistle at his side.
One of the most upbeat whistling songs is Bobby McFerrin’s, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” It first became a chart-topping hit in 1988, and is still the song most closely associated with him.
But some of the most impressive and dedicated whistlers can be found at the Masters of Musical Whistling International Festival and Competition, (September 22-24, 2023) held, as always, in Louisburg, North Carolina, promoted as the world’s whistling capital. Competitive whistling was once dominated by American (and some European) men, but an increasing number of women and a significant number of Japanese whistlers have gained notoriety. The Japanese also host their own championships.
I am astounded by the versatility and beauty of the whistling competitors. I have put links to a few champions in Resources, but I encourage you to Google others.
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The Quirky Observations
Whistling voices and whistling toys and instruments have been a part of human culture for thousands of years, and the remaining 80 or so cultures that still communicate their language through whistling are fascinating. (See Resources for links.) Another ancient form of whistling comes from Peruvian vessels which are partially filled with water and then gently rocked to make unusual animal-like sounds. You can listen to a sample here. The whistling clay vessels, which have their origins in Inca and other pre-Columbian cultures, are usually made in the shape of animals, people, or mythical figures. These days, whistles can be made of almost anything.
One of the earliest rhymes I learned was: “I bought a wooden whistle, but it wooden whistle. So I bought a steel whistle, and it steel wooden whistle. But then I bought a tin whistle, and now I tin whistle!” As illustrated below, toy whistles do indeed come in wooden, tin, and steel (although those are usually used by referees and policemen), plus hundreds of plastic, ceramic, and other variations including whistling tops, water-filled warbling bird whistles, and even blow-it-out party favors.
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Then there are the many-holed and multiple varieties of ocarinas that are real musical instruments which unsuspecting souvenir buyers often get talked into buying only to find playing them is not as easy as the seller made it seem.
And we haven’t even begun to talk about the other memory-inducing whistles of tea kettles, singing birds, and trains and ships. Perhaps another time.
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The Featured Product - Music For Fun
The Visually Vibrant Exercises found in “Music for Fun” are all about music that amuses. Find there the joy of playing an instrument badly (Jack Benny, The Really Terrible Orchestra), playing unusual instruments (The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, The Vegetable Orchestra of Vienna), maligned instruments (accordion), and using your voice as an instrument (Bobby McFerrin, whistlers, barbershop quartets and other acapella groups, yodelers, and auctioneers). Among the 124 slides in these exercises are 7 word games from mondegreens to quirky country music titles, plus, reminiscing exercises on the music you grew up with and musical stars of the 1940s and 50s, an imaginative exercise on being a rock star, complaint choirs, and more.
If you are new to Visually Vibrant Exercises, this is a great one to start with.
The Questions
- Can you whistle? If so, are you good at it and do you enjoy it?
- Do you enjoy hearing others whistle? Does it depend on how good they are at it?
- Has any of this week’s content conjured up fond memories for you? Share them!
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The Quiz – Whistling Expressions
There are a surprising number of expressions having to do with whistling. The following 10 have been adapted from the Free Dictionary.
Can you match the expression to its definition?
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1. All the bells and whistles
2. Clean as a whistle
3. Don’t whistle before you are out of the woods
4. The whistle doesn’t pull the train
5. Wet one’s whistle
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6. Whistle in the dark
7. Whistle in the wind
8. Whistle stop
9. Whistleblower
10. Worth the whistle
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a. A brief stop on a longer trip, especially by a politician or simply a small town’s station along a railroad line
b. Being loud and boastful doesn’t prove your abilities
c. Completely free of dirt or well-behaved and completely clean in reputation
d. Don't proclaim a problem solved until you are completely sure that it really is
e. Have something to drink
f. Important or admirable enough to merit the effort
g. Many added features that are not required for the proper functioning of something
h. Someone who provides inside information in order to publicly reveal or call attention to corruption or some wrongdoing within an organization
i. Summon up courage in a frightening situation, make a show of bravery
j. Talk about something that is unlikely to happen
The Resources
Videos of a variety of expert whistlers:
Other interesting resources:
Unless otherwise noted, photo credits have been purchased from iStock. The exception in this issue is images of toys which were simply googled, and not credited because there are many duplicates. The “Whistle a Happy Tune” image is from the You Tube link cited.
Answers to the Quiz
1.g 2.c 3.d 4.b 5.e 6.i 7.j 8.a 9.h 10.f
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My multiple goals are to amuse and inspire you, to share what I and people whom I admire are doing, to stimulate your curiosity, and spur you to action. I hope you enjoyed this offering. I welcome your feedback. (Kathy@WiserNow.com) | | | | |
