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Yodel Song

This content was published on June 22, 2006 minutes

After the re-creation of the yodel song in the 1920ies by Oskar Friedrich Schmalz (1881- 1960), who combined traditional one voice songs with yodel refrains, it was more and more accompanied by accordion. This score was presented in 1947 for the first time on an National yodeling festival,

Since the 1933 yodeling festival it has been allowed to sing two voice yodel songs fort he competition. The leading composer of charmin yodelsong duets was the late Ernst Sommer and the yodel-duet Vreni Kneubühl and Jakob Ummel has been a legend over more than fifty years.

Only at 1958 the yodel competition the yodel terzett, the three voice yodel song, was allowed fort he first time. In our time one- to four voice yodel songs and choirs are usual.

The content of the texts always have been similar. They praise the alpine world, the nature and the wild plants, the farmers and herdsmen as well as peace and freedom.

In 1972 the famous yodeller Franz Stadelmann created a yodel song with a new program, the one about the protection of environment. In the same time the Bernese actress Christine Lauterburg learnt to yodel. She paraphrased traditional yodel songs, accompanied them with coin rolling or with electronic music. The so called Techno-Jodel was not appreciated by everybody.

There are more than 2000 compositions of Swiss yodel songs, mainly in german dialects, but also in french.

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In compliance with the JTI standards

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