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WikiDwarfBOT at 22:43, 9 September 2022

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{{Short description|Long wooden musical horn}}
{{Infobox instrument
| name = Alphorn
| image = Alphorns Grindelwald.jpg
| image_size = 300
| alt = Charlotte Vignau. Modernity, Complex Societies, and the Alphorn. Rowman & Littlefield, 2013. P. 76.
| caption = [[Grindelwald]] Alphorn players
}}
[[Image:Bardentreffen 2009 2169.jpg|thumb|{{ill|Eliana Burki|de}} playing the alphorn at the Bardentreffen festival in [[Nuremberg]] 2009.]]

The '''alphorn''' or '''alpenhorn''' or '''alpine horn''' is a [[Brass instrument|labrophone]], consisting of a straight several-meter-long wooden [[natural horn]] of [[bore (wind instruments)|conical bore]], with a wooden cup-shaped [[mouthpiece (brass)|mouthpiece]]. Traditionally the Alphorn was made of one single piece, or two parts at most, and made from the wood of a [[red pine]] tree. Sometimes the trees would bend from the weight of snow during the wintertime, and this caused them to have the larger and bent mouthpiece at their ends.<ref name="THE MAKING OF AN ALPHORN">{{cite web |title=The Making Of An Alphorn |url=https://www.nendazcordesalpes.ch/en/alphorn/the-making-of-an-alphorn |publisher=Valais drink pure |website=www.nendazcordesalpes.ch/en |access-date=13 October 2021}}</ref> Modern Alphorns are sometimes made from three distinct parts that can be stuck together, this is to make them easier to transport via [[automobile]], or even carried by hand, and today are more frequently made from the wood of a [[spruce tree]] or [[fir tree]].<ref name="THE MAKING OF AN ALPHORN"/> It is used by mountain dwellers in the [[Swiss Alps]]. Similar wooden horns were used for [[communication]] in most mountainous regions of [[Europe]], from the [[Alps]] to the [[Carpathian Mountains|Carpathians]]. Alphorns are today used as musical instruments.

== History ==
[[Image:Alphorn player in Wallis.jpg|thumb|right|Alphorn player in [[Nendaz]], [[Valais|Wallis]], [[Switzerland]].]]

For a long time, scholars believed that the alphorn had been derived from the Roman-Etruscan [[lituus]], because of their resemblance in shape, and because of the word ''liti'', meaning Alphorn in the dialect of [[Obwalden]].{{Citation needed|date=June 2015}} There is no documented evidence for this theory however, and also the word ''liti'' was probably borrowed from 16th–18th century writings in Latin, where the word ''lituus'' could describe various wind instruments, such as the [[natural horn|horn]], the [[crumhorn]], or the [[cornett]]. Swiss naturalist [[Conrad Gesner]] used the words ''lituum alpinum'' for the first known detailed description of the alphorn in his ''De raris et admirandis herbis'' in 1555. The oldest known document using the German word ''Alphorn'' is a page from a 1527 account book from the former [[Cistercian]] abbey St. Urban near [[Pfaffnau]] mentioning the payment of two [[Batzen]] for an itinerant alphorn player from the [[Valais]].

17th–19th century collections of alpine myths and legends suggest that alphorn-like instruments had frequently been used as signal instruments in village communities since old times or earlier, sometimes substituting for the lack of [[church bells]]. Surviving artifacts, dating back to as far as ca. AD 1400, include wooden [[Brass instrument|labrophones]] in their stretched form, like the alphorn, or coiled versions, such as the "Büchel" and the "Allgäuisches Waldhorn" or "Ackerhorn". The alphorn's exact origins remain indeterminate, and the ubiquity of horn-like signal instruments in valleys throughout Europe may indicate a long history of cross influences regarding their construction and usage.

==Construction and qualities==

[[File:Seealpsee Juni2018 Alphorn.jpg|thumb|upright|Detail of the end of an Alphorn]]
The alphorn is carved from solid [[softwood]], generally spruce but sometimes pine. In former times, the alphorn maker would find a tree bent at the base in the shape of an alphorn, but modern makers piece the wood together at the base. A cup-shaped mouthpiece carved out of a block of hard wood is added and the instrument is complete.

An alphorn made at Rigi-Kulm, Schwyz, and now in the [[Victoria and Albert Museum]], measures {{convert|8|ft|m}} 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]]. [[Michael Praetorius]] mentions an alphorn-like instrument under the name of Hölzern Trummet (wooden trumpet) in ''Syntagma Musicum'' (Wittenberg, 1615–1619; Pl. VIII).<ref name="EB1911">{{EB1911|inline=y|wstitle=Alpenhorn, Alphorn|volume=1|page=723|first=Kathleen|last=Schlesinger|author-link=Kathleen Schlesinger}}</ref>

The alphorn has no lateral openings and therefore gives the pure [[Harmonic series (music)|natural harmonic series]] of the open pipe.<ref name="EB1911"/> The notes of the natural harmonic series overlap, but do not exactly correspond, to notes found in the familiar chromatic scale in standard Western [[equal temperament]]. Most prominently within the alphorn's range, the 7th and 11th harmonics are particularly noticeable, because they fall between adjacent notes in the chromatic scale.
[[Image:Harmonic Series.png|thumb|center|600px]]

Accomplished alphornists often command a range of nearly three octaves, consisting of the 2nd through the 16th notes of the harmonic series. 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]]" ([https://web.archive.org/web/19980214205945/http://www.lyoba.ch/culture/desalpe/ranz.htm#PARTITION score]; [http://www.bavarianinfo.ch/eng/bavarianinfo.html?sid=7020216&cKey=1183635931000&ty=st&rubricId=25004&siteSect=25001 audio]) 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. [[Gioachino Rossini|Rossini]] introduced the "Ranz des Vaches" into his masterpiece ''[[William Tell (opera)|William Tell]],'' along with many other delightful melodies scattered throughout the opera in vocal and instrumental parts that are well-suited to the alphorn. [[Johannes Brahms|Brahms]] wrote to [[Clara Schumann]] that the inspiration for the dramatic entry of the horn in the introduction to the last movement of his [[Symphony No. 1 (Brahms)|First Symphony]] was an alphorn melody he heard while vacationing in the [[Rigi]] area of Switzerland. For Clara's birthday in 1868 Brahms sent her a greeting that was to be sung with the melody.

==Music for alphorn==
[[Image:Fanfare 27BCA 01.JPG|thumb|The [[Fanfare du 27e Bataillon de Chasseurs Alpin|military band]] of the French [[Chasseurs Alpins]] uses alphorns.]]
Among music composed for the alphorn:

*Concerto Grosso No. 1 (2013) for four alphorns and orchestra by [[Georg Friedrich Haas]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.universaledition.com/Georg-Friedrich-Haas/composers-and-works/composer/278 |title=Georg Friedrich Haas |publisher=Universal Edition |access-date=28 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170208163014/http://www.universaledition.com/Georg-Friedrich-Haas/composers-and-works/composer/278 |archive-date=8 February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.eamdc.com/news/bavarian-radio-symphony-orchestra-debuts-concerto-grosso-nr-1-by-georg-friedrich-haas/ |title=EAM: Georg Friedrich Haas's ''Concerto Grosso No. 1'' Debuts with Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra |publisher=European American Music Distributors Company |date=25 February 2014 |access-date=28 December 2016}}</ref>
*''Sinfonia pastorale'' for corno pastoriccio in G (alphorn) and string orchestra (1755) by [[Leopold Mozart]]
*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 [[:fr:Ghislain Muller|Ghislain Muller]] (2001) [[:fr:VSP Orkestra|VSP orkestra]] / [[Arkady Shilkloper]], Renaud Leipp
*''Concertino rustico'' (1977) by [[Ferenc Farkas]]
*''Begegnung'' for three alphorns and concert band, by Kurt Gable.
*''Säumerweg-Blues'' [https://www.alphornmusik.ch/noten/alphorn-mit-orgel-klavier/saeumerweg-blues.php (audio played by Kurt Ott)] among many compositions by Hans-Jürg Sommer, [http://www.alphornmusik.ch Alphorn Musik]
*''Messe'' for alphorn and choir by Franz Schüssele [http://www.alphorn-center.de 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]]<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://caml.journals.yorku.ca/index.php/caml/article/view/2385/1590 |title=R. Murray Schafer |last=Biggs |first=Charlene |journal=CAML Review |volume=31 |issue=1 |pages=46–47 |date=2003 |publisher=[[Canadian Association of Music Libraries, Archives and Documentation Centres]]}}</ref>
*''Le Berger fantaisiste'' for three alphorns and orchestra by [[:fr:Ghislain Muller|Ghislain Muller]], [[Arkady Shilkloper]], [[:fr:Cor des Alpes|Renaud Leipp]], Serge Haessler, [[:fr:VSP Orkestra|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]] (2004)
* ''Matterhorn'' (a prelude for alphorn and wind orchestra) by Robert Litton (2013)
* ''Alpine Trail'' for alphorn and orchestra by [[Arkady Shilkloper]]
* ''Lai nair'' for alphorn and contrabass by [[John Wolf Brennan]] (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

==In popular culture==
*The alphorn is prominently featured in advertisements for [[Ricola]] cough drops, which are manufactured in Laufen, Switzerland<ref>{{cite web |title=By The Way ; Come Blow Your Horn |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/10/03/nyregion/by-the-way-come-blow-your-horn.html |website=nytimes.com |publisher=The New York Times |access-date=13 October 2021}}</ref>
*Brief scene in Rammstein's "Dicke Titte."

==See also==
*[[Bucium]], a type of alphorn used by mountain dwellers in [[Romania]]<ref name="The technology of Alphorn design – Vitali Vitaliev">{{cite web |last1=Vitaliev |first1=Vitali |title=The technology of Alphorn design |url=https://eandt.theiet.org/content/articles/2016/10/the-technology-of-alphorn-design/ |website=eandt.theiet.org/ |publisher=E&T (Engineering & Technology) |access-date=8 December 2021}}</ref>
*[[Didgeridoo]], an instrument of [[Aboriginal Australians|Aboriginal Australian]] origins, traditionally made from a hollowed out [[eucalyptus]] tree trunk
*[[Erke]], a similar instrument of Argentine Northwest
*[[Kuhreihen]], a type of melody played on an alphorn
*[[Tiba (instrument)|Tiba]], wind instrument made of wood or metal that originates in the [[Grisons]] canton in Switzerland; it was used by shepherds on alpine meadows in the [[Alps]]
*[[Tibetan horn]], long [[trumpet]] or [[Blowing horn|horn]] used in [[Tibetan Buddhist]] and [[Buddhism in Mongolia|Mongolian buddhist]] ceremonies
*[[Trembita]], a [[Ukrainian folk music|Ukrainian]] alpine horn made of wood
*[[Trutruca]], wind instrument played mainly amongst the [[Mapuche]] people of [[Chile]] and [[Argentina]]; produces a sound that is loud and severe, with few tonal variations

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Bachmann-Geiser, Brigitte, ''Das Alphorn: Vom Lock- zum Rockinstrument''. Paul Haupt, Berne, 1999. {{ISBN|3-258-05640-4}}
* Franz Schüssele, ''Alphorn und Hirtenhorn in Europa'', book and CD with 63 sound samples available at [http://www.alphorn-center.de Alphorn-Center], {{ISBN|3-927-78121-5}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Alphorns|Alphorn}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100807080633/http://www.salzburgerecho.com/seminars.html Third Annual North American Alphorn Retreat]
* [http://www.alphorninconcert.ch Alphorn in concert] Concert and composition contest taking place annually in Oensingen, Canton Solothurn, Switzerland
* [http://www.nendazcordesalpes.ch International Alphorn Festival] at Nendaz, Canton Valais, Switzerland
* [http://www.vsp-orkestra.com/index.php?lang=2 VSP orkestra & Arkady Shilkloper] alphorn jazz & improvisations, composer / arranger : [https://ghislainmuller.wixsite.com/ghislain-muller Ghislain Muller], [[Arkady Shilkloper]], Pascal Beck
{{Brass instruments}}{{Natural horns}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:National symbols of Switzerland]]
[[Category:Swiss musical instruments]]
[[Category:Natural horns and trumpets]]

Alphorn - Revision history

BoydMalizia at 16:06, 11 March 2026

WikiDwarfBOT at 22:43, 9 September 2022