Switzerland and the Alphorn

Switzerland

   

          Switzerland is a federated country located in central Europe. Switzerland does not have a capital as most countries throughout the world. The administrative capital is Bern and the judicial center is Lausanne. Switzerland is small in size with a modest population. It has a significant international presence in the world.

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.

Edelweiss

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.