Music - The International Language

Peoples of all cultures love music and song.

This article addresses two urban myths: that yodelling originated in the mountains of Austria, Bavaria and Switzerland and that it evolved as a means of calling from mountain to mountain.

Yodelling is fairly universal and is independent of terrain.  The greatest variation is in the choice of musical instrument to accompany the yodelling.  Modern musicians prefer guitars and electronic instruments.  Austrians tend to favor the piano accordian and acoustic guitar.  Other cultures favor the 'thumb piano' or lamellophone.

One type of lamellophone is the mbira of eastern and southern Africa.  In the following video, Tinashe plays the mbira and sings.  He doesn't yodel, but I've included his rendition of the song Zambesi just because it is so beautiful.




The next video is "Baka in the Forest - yelli, yodels, forest harp and water drums".  The yodelling could be straight out of a Swiss village.  As for the water drums - if you never heard them before, stand by to be amazed.



There is no way that I can write about yodelling without mention of Franzl Lang, der Jodlerkonig - the yodeller king.  Here he sings 'Einen Jodler hör i gern'.




The yodeller queen for me is jodlerkonigin Rosi Mairhofer.  In the next video, an un-named woman sings the incredible 'Die bless mei kuah'.  From comparing the video with my Rosi Mairhofer cassette tape I am confident that the singer in the video is Rosi Mairhofer.


The art of yodel is alive and well.  A new generation of skilled yodellers is with us.  The next yodeller gets my vote as the 21st century's Jodlerprinzessin: Taylor Ware.


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I wish I could yodel.  What fun to be able to yodel in a bar and get free drinks, or yodel in a public library and get thrown out.