(Mini-Tour of Bavarian-Flavored Revivals & Revisions)

 
 

There are two types of Swiss yodel: the ‘natural yodel’ and the ‘yodel song.’

The natural yodel has no words, is usually improvised and can have one to five separate voices. The yodel song combines traditional songs with yodel refrains. These are sung either solo or in choirs. Oskar Friedrich Schmalz (1881-1960), is credited with recreating the yodel song by combining traditional one-voice songs with yodel refrains and the accordion. There exist more than 2,000 compositions of Swiss yodel songs. They are mainly in Swiss German dialect, but also in French. The themes in yodeling are of love, nature and one’s region.