Among the many delights of being a volunteer for Distributed Proofreaders is having the privilege of working on some very beautiful and unusual old books. One such book is The Box of Whistles (1877), a short but fascinating study of the most exquisite pipe organ cases in Europe.
Author John Norbury, who did not actually play the organ but had long been fascinated by it, explains the title: "The Box of Whistles! what a quaint title! Yes, but a good one, I think, for this book, as the old organ of Father Smith's in St. Paul's, 'The Box of Whistles,' as Sir Christopher Wren contemptuously called it, was the first organ I ever saw, and which gave me my bent in the liking of things pertaining to the organ." A color lithograph of Norbury's own sketch of the original Smith organ in St. Paul's Cathedral, London (now the much-renovated Grand Organ), is the frontispiece to the book.
The first part of The Box of Whistles provides an overview of the different types of organ cases. Norbury then gives his opinion on what constitutes a good organ case, fearing that he "may a little shock some persons with my views," perhaps because he did not believe that the organ case should necessarily match the church's architectural period, as long as it is of high quality. He touches on the number and arrangement of pipes and the use of separate choir cases. And he expresses definite opinions on how organ lofts should be arranged and what accessories they should have: "A looking-glass, which should be a part of the organ, and not a shaving-glass hung up with string and nails, should be fixed so that the player can see down the church; and something better than fastening with a pin to the side of the desk a shabby bit of paper with the list of music, &c., might be arranged."
Then comes the true delight of The Box of Whistles: Norbury's notes on various organ cases in England and on the Continent, with 20 color illustrations from his sketches. He reserves the highest praise for the organ case at St. Janskirk (St. John's Cathedral) in 's-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands, which he describes as "perhaps the finest in Europe." It is indeed impressive - a monumental 17th-Century case in rich, dark wood, with elaborate carvings and a clock at its summit.
The Box of Whistles is a delightful tour of lesser-known but truly lovely works of art. Thanks to the volunteers at Distributed Proofreaders and Project Gutenberg, you can join that tour for free, anywhere, any time.
This post was contributed by Linda Cantoni, a Distributed Proofreaders volunteer.
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