Switzerland
Switzerland is landlocked with towering mountains, deep Alpine lakes, grassy
valleys dotted with neat farms and small villages, and thriving cities that
blend the old with the new.
Switzerland is a wealthy and orderly country. Its
mountain-walled valleys are more likely to echo the music of a local rock band
than a yodel or an alphorn. Most Swiss live in towns and cities, not in the
rural landscapes the world remembers from Johanna Spyri’s Heidi, which is the
country’s best-known literary work.
Switzerland was founded in 1291 by an alliance of cantons
against the Habsburg dynasty. In 1848 a new constitution was adopted, and the
present nation was formed. Internal conflict was quite common before 1848.
Since then, Switzerland has enjoyed relative domestic tranquility. It is a union
of more than 3,000 municipalities that are situated in 26 cantons. Ordinary
citizens participate at every level of politics. Swiss taxes are rather low by
European standards because voters can review and approve a broad range of
expenditures.
The Swiss blend of federalism and direct democracy is unique
in the world. This combination is considered central to the country’s political
and economic success. Switzerland is a major economic power. It has a long
tradition of financial service and high-quality, specialized manufacturers of
precision timepieces, optics, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals. They also are
known for specialty cheese and milk chocolates.
Alphorn
The German alpenhorn, or the longhorn, played by Alpine
herdsmen and villagers, sounded for intercommunication and at daily ceremonies
and seasonal festivals. It is carved or bored in wood and overwound with birch
bark. Some instruments are straight, reaching 12 feet in length. Since the
mid-19th century, especially in Switzerland, the bell may be upcurved. Others,
mainly in the eastern Alps, are trumpet-shaped. S-shapes also occur. The
musical range and the notation are usually those of a natural (un-valved) French horn in F
(about three octaves upward from written F below the bass staff). In the 19th
century, playing in trios and quartets was introduced.
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In 1827, the musicologist Joseph Fétis pronounced the alphorn
to be the Swiss national instrument. At the time, the instrument had more or less disappeared from the Alps and had become more of a tourist attraction. With Fétis' pronouncement, the alphorn became a national symbol
of Switzerland, much like the national flower, edelweiss.
In the 1970s, the alpine horn became an instrument of
experimental folk music. One of the more famous examples is that of Bernese actress Christine Lauterburg who would begin by yodeling and would then be joined by other musicians playing the alphorn and other instruments.
Christine Lauterburg Röseli Rock 05 Ds Vreneli vo Guggisberg
Since 1971, Ländler musicians have been meeting up every
four years at their Swiss Ländler music festival. They are organized as the
Swiss Folk Music Association. Ländler music is harmonious and is mainly simple
in form, which facilitates its ad-lib nature, much like a jam session in jazz.
Held in restaurants, the meetings of the musicians are known as Stubeten or
Musikantenhöcks. In 1972 the first concerto for the alphorn and symphony
orchestra, written by Jean Daetwyler, surprised the public. At these music festivals, jam-sessions
between jazz bands and country musicians would spring up, entertaining both the musicians and the crowds. This led to more experimentation between the alphorn and other musical instruments.
The alphorn has been a tradition at outdoor religious services. In 1973, the Swiss alphorn blower Anton Wicky added to that tradition by arranging hymns for
two alphorns or for alphorn and church organ. The alphorn moved from an outdoor instrument to one played inside churches. Since the alphorn harmonizes well with the organ and has good tonal quality in high
rooms, more church other styles of music were scored for alphorn and organ. In 1998
Jost Marty composed the first yodel mass with alphorn.
During the alpine summer the alphorn regularly was played in
the evening as a musical prayer. Today's alphorn players often use the slow
tunes for meditating. And many people listening to an alphorn melody interpret
it as sacred music. Recently old pastoral masses of the 18th century were
discovered and interpreted. They prove the early use of the alphorn in the
musical mass.
