Alpine Vibes

Alphorn playing and yodeling are an integral part of traditional cultural events in Switzerland. Questions about musical contexts inevitably arise. Is alphorn-­playing to be understood as “blown yodeling”? Did the natural tone series of the alphorn influence yodeling? Are both rooted in the centuries-old Kuhreihen, the songs herdsmen used to lure the cows for milking? The team of authors explores possible links between yodeling and alphorn music and analyzes evidence pointing to a common origin of the two musical practices. The study area originates from Switzerland and extends over the south of Germany and Austria. Music-aesthetic connections are discussed, historical and current arguments weighed. In the Austrian Wurzhorner yodels, the name already indicates a connection to the instrument, and in the Muota­tal “Bücheljuuz”, the yodel imitates the sound of the instrument so skillfully that the difference between voice and instrument is hardly noticed. However, not all types of yodeling have a musical relationship to the alphorn, and alphorn music is not always connected with yodeling. The study shows that there has been a tangible, albeit unsteady, musical interrelationship between alphorn and yodel for around 200 years.