ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Geert Chatrou - Whistler
It all started as a practical joke: Geert Chatrou's sister-in-law entered him in the International Whistler's Convention in Louisburg, NC. To save face, he went … and won!

Why you should listen

Geert Chatrou has been whistling as long as he can remember. He plays the recorder and flute, but prefers whistling -- using only his lips as an instrument. In 2004 he won the whistling World Championships, and returned in 2005 to successfully defend his title. The 2008 World Championships were held in Japan, and Chatrou proved to be the world's best once again.

Chatrou was part of a prizewinning documentary about the 2004 International Whistling Convention, made by Emmy winners Kate Davis and David Heilbroner. This documentary, called "Pucker Up: The Fine Art of Whistling," has been screened in over 40 countries. Together with the Dutch group Ocobar, Chatrou made his debut album, "Chatroubadour" in 2005, with all songs specially written to fit his virtuoso whistling. In 2008, Chatrou released his latest album, "Ornithology," which brings out the "whistlability" of different music styles -- from jazz to klezmer to classic to pop.

More profile about the speaker
Geert Chatrou | Speaker | TED.com
TEDxRotterdam 2010

Geert Chatrou: A whistleblower you haven't heard

Um assobiador que você não ouviu

Filmed:
2,646,868 views

No TEDxRotterdam, o campeão mundial de assobio Geert Chatrou apresenta a meticulosa "Eleonora" de A. Honhoff, e sua própria "Fête de la Belle." Em um fascinante interlúdio, ele fala sobre o que o levou à prática do assobio.
- Whistler
It all started as a practical joke: Geert Chatrou's sister-in-law entered him in the International Whistler's Convention in Louisburg, NC. To save face, he went … and won! Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:16
(Whistling)
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(Assobiando)
02:19
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
02:22
Thank you.
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Obrigado.
02:24
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
02:26
Thank you very much.
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Muitíssimo obrigado.
02:28
That was whistling.
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Isso foi assobiar.
02:31
I'm trying to do this in English.
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Estou tentando fazer isso em inglês.
02:34
What is a chubby, curly-haired guy from Holland --
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O que um cara gordinho e de cabelo crespo da Holanda -
02:38
why is he whistling?
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por que ele está assobiando?
02:40
Well actually, I've [been] whistling since the age of four, about four.
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Na verdade, eu assobio desde os quatro anos de idade.
02:44
My dad was always whistling around the house,
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Meu pai sempre assobiava pela casa,
02:46
and I just thought that's part of communication in my family.
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e eu achava que isso era parte da comunicação na família.
02:49
So I whistled along with him.
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Então eu assobiava com ele.
02:51
And actually, till I was 34,
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E até os 34 anos,
02:55
I always annoyed and irritated people with whistling,
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eu sempre incomodei e irritei as pessoas com meu assobio.
02:59
because, to be honest,
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Porque, para ser honesto,
03:01
my whistling is a kind of deviant behavior.
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meu assobio é meio que um comportamento depravado.
03:05
I whistled alone. I whistled in the classroom.
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Eu assobiava sozinho, eu assobiava na sala de aula,
03:08
I whistled on [my] bike. I whistled everywhere.
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eu assobiava na minha bicicleta, eu assobiava em todos os lugares.
03:11
And I also whistled at a Christmas Eve party
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E eu também assobiava na festa de Natal
03:14
with my family-in-law.
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da família da minha esposa.
03:16
And they had some, in my opinion,
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E eles tinham, na minha opinião,
03:19
terrible Christmas music.
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músicas de Natal horríveis.
03:21
And when I hear music that I don't like,
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E quando eu escuto música que eu não gosto,
03:23
I try to make it better.
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eu tenho melhorá-la.
03:26
So "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" -- you know it?
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Então "Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer" - sabem?
03:29
(Whistling)
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(Assobiando)
03:32
But it can also sound like this.
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Mas também pode soar assim.
03:34
(Whistling)
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(Assobiando)
03:37
But during a Christmas party --
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Mas durante uma festa de Natal -
03:39
at dinner actually -- it's very annoying.
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no jantar - é muito irritante.
03:42
So my sister-in-law
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Então minha cunhada
03:44
asked me a few times, "Please stop whistling."
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me pediu algumas vezes, "Por favor, pare de assobiar."
03:47
And I just couldn't.
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E eu não conseguia.
03:49
And at one point -- and I had some wine, I have to admit that --
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E a certa altura - eu tinha bebido vinho, tenho que admitir -
03:52
at one point I said, "If there was a contest, I would join."
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a certa altura eu disse, "Se tivesse uma competição, eu participaria."
03:55
And two weeks later
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E duas semanas depois,
03:57
I received a text message: "You're going to America."
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Eu recebi um torpedo: "Você vai para os Estados Unidos."
04:00
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
04:02
So, okay, I'm going to America.
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OK, eu vou para os Estados Unidos.
04:04
I would love to, but why?
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Eu adoraria, mas por quê?
04:06
So I immediately called her up, of course.
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Eu imediatamente liguei para ela, claro.
04:09
She Googled,
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Ela procurou no Google
04:11
and she found this World Whistling Championship
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e achou um campeonato mundial de assobio
04:13
in America, of course.
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nos Estados Unidos, claro.
04:17
She didn't expect me to go there.
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Ela não esperava que eu fosse.
04:20
And I would have lost my face.
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E eu teria "perdido a minha cara."
04:23
I don't know if that's correct English.
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Não sei se essa é uma frase possível em inglês.
04:25
But the Dutch people here will understand what I mean.
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Mas os holandeses aqui vão entender.
04:27
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
04:30
I lost my face.
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Eu perdi minha cara.
04:32
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
04:35
And she thought, "He will never go there."
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E ela pensou, "Ele nunca irá lá."
04:37
But actually I did.
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Mas eu fui.
04:39
So I went to Louisburg, North Carolina,
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Eu fui para Louisburg, Carolina do Norte,
04:41
southeast United States,
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sudeste dos Estados Unidos,
04:45
and I entered the world of whistling.
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e entrei no mundo do assobio.
04:48
And I also entered the world championship,
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E também entrei no campeonato mundial,
04:50
and I won there in 2004.
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e venci em 2004.
04:53
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
04:56
That was
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Isso foi -
04:58
great fun, of course.
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Foi super divertido, é claro.
05:01
And to defend my title --
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E para defender meu título -
05:03
like judokas do and sportsmen --
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assim como judocas e esportistas fazem -
05:06
I thought, well let's go back in 2005,
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eu pensei, 'Bem vamos voltar em 2005,'
05:08
and I won again.
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e eu venci de novo.
05:11
Then I couldn't participate for a few years.
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Então eu não pude participar por alguns anos.
05:13
And in 2008 I entered again
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E em 2008 e eu competi de novo
05:15
in Japan, Tokyo, and I won again.
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no Japão, Tóquio, e venci de novo.
05:18
So what happened now
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Então o que aconteceu
05:21
is I'm standing here in Rotterdam, in the beautiful city, on a big stage,
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é que estou aqui na linda cidade de Rotterdam, neste grande palco,
05:24
and I'm talking about whistling.
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e estou falando sobre assobiar.
05:26
And actually I earn my money whistling at the moment.
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E na verdade eu ganho dinheiro assobiando, no momento.
05:30
So I quit my day job as a nurse.
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Eu larguei meu trabalho como enfermeiro.
05:33
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
05:38
And I try to live my dream --
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E eu tento viver o meu sonho -
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well, actually, it was never my dream, but it sounds so good.
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bem, na verdade nunca foi meu sonho, mas soa bem.
05:43
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
05:45
Okay, I'm not the only one whistling here.
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OK, eu não sou o único assobiando aqui.
05:47
You say, "Huh, what do you mean?"
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Vocês dizem, "Hum, o que quer dizer?"
05:49
Well actually, you are going to whistle along.
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Bem, vocês vão assobiar comigo.
05:55
And then always the same thing happens:
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E então sempre as mesmas coisas acontecem:
05:58
people are watching each other and think, "Oh, my God.
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as pessoas olham umas para as outras e pensam, "Oh, meu Deus.
06:00
Why? Can I go away?"
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Por quê? Posso ir embora?"
06:02
No, you can't.
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Não, não podem.
06:06
Actually it's very simple.
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É bem simples, na verdade.
06:08
The track that I will whistle
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A música que vou assobiar
06:10
is called "Fête de la Belle."
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é chamada "Fête de la Belle."
06:12
It's about 80 minutes long.
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Tem mais ou menos 80 minutos.
06:15
No, no, no. It's four minutes long.
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Não, não, não. Só tem 4 minutos.
06:18
And I want to first rehearse with you your whistling.
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E eu quero primeiro ensaiar o assobio de vocês.
06:22
So I whistle the tone.
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Então eu assobio o tom.
06:24
(Whistling)
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(Assobiando)
06:26
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
06:28
Sorry. I forgot one thing.
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Desculpe, esqueci de algo.
06:31
You whistle the same tone as me.
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Vocês assobiam o mesmo tom que eu.
06:33
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
06:35
I heard a wide variety of tones.
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Eu ouvi uma grande variedade de tons.
06:41
(Whistling)
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(Assobiando)
06:56
This is very promising.
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Isso é muito promissor.
06:58
This is very promising.
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Isso é muito promissor.
07:00
I'll ask the technicians to start the music.
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Vou pedir para os técnicos iniciarem a música.
07:03
And if it's started, I just point where you whistle along,
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E quando começar, eu indico onde vocês assobiam comigo,
07:06
and we will see what happens.
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e vamos ver o que acontece.
07:13
Oh, hah.
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Oh, hah.
07:15
I'm so sorry, technicians.
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Desculpem, técnicos.
07:17
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
07:21
I'm so used to that.
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Estou tão acostumado com isso.
07:23
I start it myself.
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Eu mesmo começo.
07:26
Okay, here it is.
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Ok, aqui está.
07:28
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
07:30
(Music)
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(Música)
07:33
(Whistling)
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(Assobiando)
07:48
Okay.
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OK.
07:51
(Whistling)
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(Assobiando)
08:38
It's easy, isn't it?
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É fácil, não?
08:41
(Whistling)
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(Assobiando)
09:15
Now comes the solo. I propose I do that myself.
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Agora vem o solo. Eu proponho fazer isso sozinho.
09:21
(Whistling)
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(Assobiando)
11:34
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
11:45
Max Westerman: Geert Chatrou, the World Champion [of] Whistling.
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Max Westerman: Geert Chatrou, o campeão mundial de assobio.
11:48
Geert Chatrou: Thank you. Thank you.
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Geer Chatrou: Obrigado. Obrigado.
Translated by Fers Gruendling
Reviewed by Rafael Eufrasio

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Geert Chatrou - Whistler
It all started as a practical joke: Geert Chatrou's sister-in-law entered him in the International Whistler's Convention in Louisburg, NC. To save face, he went … and won!

Why you should listen

Geert Chatrou has been whistling as long as he can remember. He plays the recorder and flute, but prefers whistling -- using only his lips as an instrument. In 2004 he won the whistling World Championships, and returned in 2005 to successfully defend his title. The 2008 World Championships were held in Japan, and Chatrou proved to be the world's best once again.

Chatrou was part of a prizewinning documentary about the 2004 International Whistling Convention, made by Emmy winners Kate Davis and David Heilbroner. This documentary, called "Pucker Up: The Fine Art of Whistling," has been screened in over 40 countries. Together with the Dutch group Ocobar, Chatrou made his debut album, "Chatroubadour" in 2005, with all songs specially written to fit his virtuoso whistling. In 2008, Chatrou released his latest album, "Ornithology," which brings out the "whistlability" of different music styles -- from jazz to klezmer to classic to pop.

More profile about the speaker
Geert Chatrou | Speaker | TED.com