The alphorn (; ; ) is a traditional lip-reed

wind instrument A wind instrument is a musical instrument that contains some type of resonator (usually a tube) in which a column of air is set into vibration by the player blowing into (or over) a mouthpiece set at or near the end of the resonator. The pitch ...

. It consists of a very long straight wooden

natural horn The natural horn is a musical instrument that is the predecessor to the modern-day (French) horn (differentiated by its lack of valves). Throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the natural horn evolved as a separation from the tr ...

, with a length of , a

conical bore In music, the bore of a wind instrument (including woodwind and brass) is its interior chamber. This defines a flow path through which air travels, which is set into vibration to produce sounds. The shape of the bore has a strong influence on ...

and a wooden cup-shaped

mouthpiece Mouthpiece may refer to: * The part of an object which comes near or in contact with one's mouth or nose during use ** Mouthpiece (smoking pipe) or cigarette holder ** Mouthpiece (telephone handset) ** Mouthpiece (woodwind), a component of a wood ...

. Traditionally the alphorn was made in one piece from the trunk of a

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. ''World Flora Online'' accepts 134 species-rank taxa (119 species and 15 nothospecies) of pines as cu ...

. Modern alphorns are usually made in three detachable sections for easier transport and handling, carved from blocks of

spruce A spruce is a tree of the genus ''Picea'' ( ), a genus of about 40 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal ecosystem, boreal (taiga) regions of the Northern hemisphere. ''Picea'' ...

. The alphorn is used by rural communities in the Alps. Similar wooden horns were used for

communication Communication is commonly defined as the transmission of information. Its precise definition is disputed and there are disagreements about whether Intention, unintentional or failed transmissions are included and whether communication not onl ...

in most mountainous regions of

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

, from the

Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...

to the

Carpathians The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians () are a range of mountains forming an arc across Central Europe and Southeast Europe. Roughly long, it is the third-longest European mountain range after the Urals at and the Scandinavian Mountains ...

History

The alphorn may have developed from instruments like the , a similarly shaped

Etruscan __NOTOC__ Etruscan may refer to: Ancient civilization *Etruscan civilization (1st millennium BC) and related things: **Etruscan language ** Etruscan architecture **Etruscan art **Etruscan cities **Etruscan coins **Etruscan history **Etruscan myt ...

instrument of

classical antiquity Classical antiquity, also known as the classical era, classical period, classical age, or simply antiquity, is the period of cultural History of Europe, European history between the 8th century BC and the 5th century AD comprising the inter ...

, although there is little documented evidence of a continuous connection between them. A 2nd century Roman mosaic, found in Boscéaz, depicts a shepherd using a similar straight horn. The use of long signal horns in mountainous areas throughout Europe and Asia may indicate a long history of cultural cross-influences regarding their construction and usage. The first documented use of the German word is in a payment recorded in the 1527 accounts ledger of

Saint Urban's Abbey St. Urban's Abbey () is a former Cistercian monastery in the municipality of Pfaffnau in the canton of Lucerne in Switzerland. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance. History The monastery was founded in 1194 on a land grant fr ...

Pfaffnau Pfaffnau is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Willisau (Amt), Willisau in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Lucerne (canton), Lucerne in Switzerland. In the municipality two different parts are existing, the villa ...

. Swiss naturalist

Conrad Gessner Conrad Gessner (; ; 26 March 1516 – 13 December 1565) was a Swiss physician, naturalist, bibliographer, and philologist. Born into a poor family in Zürich, Switzerland, his father and teachers quickly realised his talents and supported him t ...

used the words for the first known detailed description of the alphorn, in his ''De raris et admirandis herbis'' (1555); in his time, the word ''lituus'' was used for several other wind instruments, like the

horn Horn may refer to: Common uses * Horn (acoustic), a tapered sound guide ** Horn antenna ** Horn loudspeaker ** Vehicle horn ** Train horn *Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various animals * Horn (instrument), a family ...

crumhorn The crumhorn is a double reed , double reed instrument of the woodwind family, most commonly used during the Renaissance music, Renaissance period. In modern times, particularly since the 1960s, there has been a revival of interest in early mu ...

, or

cornett The cornett (, ) is a lip-reed wind instrument that dates from the Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque periods, popular from 1500 to 1650. Although smaller and larger sizes were made in both straight and curved forms, surviving cornetts are most ...

. In the early 17th century, music scholar

Michael Praetorius Michael Praetorius (probably 28 September 1571 – 15 February 1621) was a German composer, organist, and Music theory, music theorist. He was one of the most versatile composers of his age, being particularly significant in the development of ...

in his treatise ''

Syntagma Musicum ''Syntagma Musicum (1614-1620)'' is a musical treatise in three volumes by the German composer, organist, and music theorist Michael Praetorius. It was published in Wittenberg and Wolfenbüttel. It is one of the most commonly used research source ...

'' (1614–1620) depicts an alphorn-like instrument he called a ("wooden trumpet"), noting they are used by shepherds. From the 17th to 19th century, alphorns were used in rural areas of the Alps, for signalling between high pastures across the valleys and to communities on the valley floor. The alphorn sounds can carry for several kilometres, and were even used to collect together dispersed herds. Although use by herdsmen had waned by the early 19th century, a revival of interest in the musical qualities of the instrument followed by the end of the century, and the alphorn became important in tourism, and inspired Romantic composers such as

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

and

Gustav Mahler Gustav Mahler (; 7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic music, Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and ...

to add alphorn, or traditional alphorn melodies, to their pieces.

Construction and qualities

The alphorn is carved from solid

softwood Scots pine, a typical and well-known softwood Softwood is wood from gymnosperm trees such as conifers. The term is opposed to hardwood, which is the wood from angiosperm trees. The main differences between hardwoods and softwoods is that the sof ...

, usually

. Traditionally, the alphorn maker would find a tree growing on a slope and bent at the base providing the curved shape for the bell. The long trunk would be cut in half longways, the bore hollowed out, then glued and bound back together with outer layers of stripped bark. Modern instruments are made in several sections for more convenient handling and transport, each turned and bored from solid blocks of spruce. An integrated cup-shaped mouthpiece was traditionally carved into the narrow end, while modern instruments have a separate removable mouthpiece carved from hard wood. An alphorn made at Rigi-Kulm, Schwyz, and now in the

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen ...

, measures in length and has a straight tube. The Swiss alphorn varies in shape according to the locality, being curved near the bell in the

Bernese Oberland The Bernese Oberland (; ; ), sometimes also known as the Bernese Highlands, is the highest and southernmost part of the canton of Bern. It is one of the canton's five administrative regions (in which context it is referred to as ''Oberland'' witho ...

. The alphorn is a simple tube with no lateral openings or means of adjusting the pitch, so only the notes of the natural harmonic series are available. As with other natural labrosones, some of the notes do not correspond to the Western

equal tempered An equal temperament is a musical temperament or tuning system that approximates just intervals by dividing an octave (or other interval) into steps such that the ratio of the frequencies of any adjacent pair of notes is the same. This system ...

chromatic scale The chromatic scale (or twelve-tone scale) is a set of twelve pitches (more completely, pitch classes) used in tonal music, with notes separated by the interval of a semitone. Chromatic instruments, such as the piano, are made to produce the ...

, particularly the 7th and 11th partials. Accomplished alphornists can command a range of nearly three octaves, consisting of the 2nd through the 16th partials. The availability of the higher tones is due in part to the relatively small diameter of the bore of the mouthpiece and tubing in relation to the overall length of the horn. The well-known "

Ranz des Vaches A ''Ranz des Vaches'' (, ) or ''Kuhreihen'' () is a simple melody traditionally played on the horn by the Swiss Alpine herdsmen as they drove their cattle to or from the pasture. The ''Kuhreihen'' was linked to the Swiss nostalgia and Homesick ...

"
score
is a traditional Swiss melody often heard on the alphorn. The song describes the time of bringing the cows to the high country at milk making time.

Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. He gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano p ...

introduced the "Ranz des Vaches" into his masterpiece ''

William Tell William Tell (, ; ; ; ) is a legendary folk hero of Switzerland. He is known for shooting an apple off his son's head. According to the legend, Tell was an expert mountain climber and marksman with a crossbow who assassinated Albrecht Gessler, ...

'', along with many other melodies scattered throughout the opera in vocal and instrumental parts that are well-suited to the alphorn.

Brahms Johannes Brahms (; ; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor of the mid- Romantic period. His music is noted for its rhythmic vitality and freer treatment of dissonance, often set within studied ye ...

wrote to

Clara Schumann Clara Josephine Schumann (; ; née Wieck; 13 September 1819 – 20 May 1896) was a German pianist, composer, and piano teacher. Regarded as one of the most distinguished pianists of the Romantic music, Romantic era, she exerted her influence o ...

that the inspiration for the dramatic entry of the horn in the introduction to the last movement of his First Symphony was an alphorn melody he heard while vacationing in the

Rigi The Rigi (or ''Mount Rigi''; also known as ''Queen of the Mountains'') is a mountain massif of the Alps, located in Central Switzerland. The whole massif is almost entirely surrounded by the water of three different bodies of water: Lake Lucerne ...

area of Switzerland. For Clara's birthday in 1868 Brahms sent her a greeting that was to be sung with the melody.

Repertoire

Among music composed for the alphorn: *Concerto Grosso No. 1 (2013) for four alphorns and orchestra by

Georg Friedrich Haas Georg Friedrich Haas (born 16 August 1953) is an Austrian composer. In a 2017 ''Classic Voice'' poll of the greatest works of art music since 2000, pieces by Haas received the most votes (49), and his composition ''in vain'' (2000) topped the li ...

*''Sinfonia pastorale'' for corno pastoriccio in G (alphorn) and string orchestra (1755) by

Leopold Mozart Johann Georg Leopold Mozart (November 14, 1719 – May 28, 1787) was a German composer, violinist, and music theorist. He is best known today as the father and teacher of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and for his violin textbook ''Versuch einer grün ...

*Concerto for alphorn and orchestra (1970) by Jean Daetwyler *Concerto No. 2 for alphorn (with flute, string orchestra and percussion) (1983) by Daetwyler *''Dialogue with Nature'' for alphorn, flute, and orchestra by Daetwyler *''Super Alpen King'' for three alphorns and orchestra by Ghislain Muller (2001) VSP orkestra /

Arkady Shilkloper Arkady Shilkloper (; born 17 October 1956) is a Russian multi-instrumentalist ( horn, alphorn, flugelhorn, corno da caccia, didgeridoo, shofar, and others) and composer, currently living in Berlin. He is known as one of the best jazz performe ...

, Renaud Leipp *''Concertino rustico'' (1977) by

Ferenc Farkas Ferenc Farkas (; 15 December 1905 – 10 October 2000) was a Hungary, Hungarian composer. Biography Born into a musical family (his father, Aladár Farkas, was an Olympian and soldier who played the cimbalom and his mother played the piano) i ...

*''Begegnung'' for three alphorns and concert band, by Kurt Gable. *''Säumerweg-Blues'
(audio played by Kurt Ott)
among many compositions by Hans-Jürg Sommer
Alphorn Musik
*''Messe'' for alphorn and choir by Franz Schüssel
Alphorn-Center
* ''Erbauliche Studie für 12 Alphörner in Abwesenheit von Bergen'' by Mathias Rüegg (1998) *''Wolf Music: Tapio'' for alphorn and echoing instruments (2003) by R. Murray Schafer *''Le Berger fantaisiste'' for three alphorns and orchestra by Ghislain Muller,

, Renaud Leipp, Serge Haessler, VSP orkestra (2001) *''Bob Downes & The Alphorn Brothers'' (2015) by Bob Downes Open Music (CD rec. 2004) * Concerto for alphorn in F and orchestra by

Daniel Schnyder Daniel Schnyder (born March 12, 1961) is a Swiss jazz reedist and composer of both jazz and classical music. Schnyder learned to play cello before saxophone. He attended Berklee College of Music and the Conservatory of Winterthur. He has record ...

(2004) * ''Matterhorn'' (a prelude for alphorn and wind orchestra) by Robert Litton (2013) * ''Alpine Trail'' for alphorn and orchestra by

* ''Alpine Sketch" for alphorn and big band by Arkady Shilkloper * ''Lai nair'' for alphorn and contrabass by

John Wolf Brennan John Wolf Brennan (born 13 February 1954) is an Irish pianist, organist, melodica player, and composer based in Weggis, Switzerland. Career Brennan was born in Dublin, Ireland. His family moved to Switzerland when he was seven years old. He b ...

(2015) * ''Der Bergschuh'' for alphorn and marching band by Daniel Schnyder * ''Crested Butte Mountain'' for alphorn and wind band (or brass sextet, strings, or horn septet) by Arkady Shilkloper * ''Robin'' for alphorn and wind band (big band) by Arkady Shilkloper * Fanfare for four alphorns by Arkady Shilkloper * Tanz der Kuhe by Carlo Brunner/Lisa Stoll

In popular culture

*The alphorn is prominently featured in advertisements for

Ricola Ricola Ltd./Ricola AG is a Switzerland, Swiss manufacturer of Throat lozenge, cough drops, instant tea, tea bags, and Mint (candy), breath mints. The head office of Ricola is located in Laufen, Switzerland, Laufen, Basel-Country and has subsi ...

cough drops.

References

External links

*

Alphorn in concert
Concert and composition contest taking place annually in Oensingen, Canton Solothurn, Switzerland
International Alphorn Festival
at Nendaz, Canton Valais, Switzerland
VSP orkestra & Arkady Shilkloper
alphorn jazz & improvisations, composer / arranger
Ghislain Muller

, Pascal Beck {{Authority control National symbols of Switzerland Swiss musical instruments Natural horns and trumpets