LUCERNE, Switzerland (AP) — Yodel I He… What?! The famous yodeling voice that echoed through the Alps for centuries and has recently been transformed into popular songs and folk music may soon be echoing as far away as Paris.
The Swiss government is seeking a push from UNESCO, the United Nations cultural agency based in the French capital, to include the yodeling tradition on its list of intangible cultural heritage. A decision is expected by the end of the year.
Modern promoters insist that yodeling is far superior to the old mountain screams of suspender-wearing male pastoralists chanting in falsettos next to giant alphorns atop verdant hills. It is now a popular song form.
Over the past century, yodeling clubs have sprung up in Switzerland, building on tradition and broadening their appeal. Its timbre, technique, and tremolo are deeply ingrained in the international musical lexicon of classical, jazz, and folk music. American country crooners prominently incorporated yodeling into their songs in the late 1920s and ’30s.
About seven years ago, the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU in German) became the first university in Switzerland to teach yodeling.
“In fact, I think there are four languages in Switzerland, but I think there are actually five in Switzerland,” said HSLU Professor Nadja Rath, alluding to Switzerland’s official languages German, French, Italian and Romansh. Yodeling also exists in neighboring Austria, Germany and Italy, but Swiss yodeling is unique in its vocal technique, she says.
Early yodeling included a chorus of vowels without words, or a “natural yodel” with a melody but no lyrics. These days, “yodel songs” include verses and refrains.
According to the Swiss government, at least 12,000 yodelers are participating through the approximately 780 organizations of the Swiss Yodeling Association.
In Switzerland, yodeling is built on the “tone color of the voice,” and there are two types, Russ said. One is the “u” sound that comes from the head, and the other is the “o” sound that comes from deep in the chest.
Even within Switzerland, styles vary, with yodeling in the northern region near Appenzell being “melancholic and slow,” while those in the country’s central region are characterized by “more intense and shorter” notes.
What began as a predominantly male movement is now attracting a growing number of women in a country that only finalized giving all women the right to vote in the 1980s, later than most of its European neighbors.
Julien Vuilleumier, scientific advisor at the Federal Office for Culture, who is spearheading Switzerland’s request, said it was difficult to trace the origins of yodeling, which influences the image of the Swiss Alps.
“Some say it’s a means of communication in the valley, using very distinctive sounds that travel far. Others believe it’s a type of song,” he says. “What we do know is that yodeling has always been transformed and updated.”
UNESCO’s government-level Committee on Intangible Heritage in New Delhi is expected to take a decision in mid-December. This classification aims to increase public awareness of the arts, craftsmanship, rituals, knowledge and traditions that are passed down through generations.
This year’s total of 68 nominations also includes traditions such as: tanaka face powder In Myanmar. Ghanaian highlife music. Kyrgyz fermented drink Maxim. and the musical and dance traditions of El Jolopo, Venezuela.
This list differs from UNESCO’s World Heritage List, which provides protection for physical sites considered important to humanity, such as the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt.
Last year, Japan Famous sake — mellow sake — was one of more than 60 recipients on the Intangible Heritage List, along with the Nowruz Spring Festival in parts of Central Asia and the skill and knowledge of Parisian zinc roofers.
Russ, from the University of Lucerne, said candidates for the intangible heritage list are asked to specify the future prospects of their cultural traditions.
“We have come up with several projects to bring yodeling into the future. One of them is to bring yodeling to elementary schools,” said Russ, who grew up listening to yodeling himself. She says 20 school teachers in Switzerland know how to yodel and are trying it out in their classes.
“One of my goals in life is that when I die, every elementary school student in Switzerland will be exposed to yodeling in elementary school,” she said. “I think being on the[UNESCO]list is a very good chance for the future of yodeling.”
