Yodelling as a language of the heart

Natural yodeller Natalie Huber teaches the "oldest alpine language in the world" in a current course at the Zug Music School. There is no text or sheet music, and the students learn directly by ear. It's a fascinating insight.

On her website, Natalie Huber refers to what she has been teaching since February in the "Haus zum Lernen" on the St. Oswalds-Gasse in Zug's as "Juuzen und Johlen". "With simple sounds and melodies, we climb into a world full of yodelled melodies that do without lyrics and, for that reason, can tell so much more."

The word "yodelling" is more or less the umbrella term for these vocal expressions, she adds. And because you don't think in linguistic terms, but simply produce sounds from your body and larynx that gradually develop into whooping, rejoicing, wailing and singing, the professional natural yodeller also calls it the "language of the heart" in the title of her course description. These sounds will also be heard in Zug from 16 to 18 June, when the Federal Yodelling Festival (Eidgenössische Jodlerfest) will be held here.

Regional differences
Around 20 participants gather In the long Music Hall with its large grand piano on Wednesday evening, about a third of them men. Most of them are retired people, but a few younger ones join in and appear to be highly motivated. An older man named Fredi tells us that they learned about the "Muotathaler Naturjuuz" on the first two days of the course, and that today it is the turn of the "Appenzeller Jodel".

Yes, this is known as "Zauren", the teacher confirms – which is also without words, and is something like "another groove, another genre". Yodelling knows many regional differences. She also mentions the "Schrei-Juuz" and immediately demonstrates it - with a strong voice with many overtones.

The fact that Natalie Huber is not only an expert in natural voice development, breathing training and ear training, but also a federally certified alternative practitioner and Qi-Gong teacher, is noticeable everywhere during the 90-minute lesson.

She very carefully conducts a warm-up in which arms and ribs are stretched, rib cages are widened and spines loosened, the participants are made aware of the connection between sternum and chin, and the resonance spaces in the skull are widened. Very soon the whole room vibrates, the bodies, jaws and diaphragms shake. Breath and sounds come in, sighing, relieved, exhaling.

Something like happiness
And you can see it: the participants' faces open up, and their expressions become relaxed and animated. More and more sounds and tone impulses from the chest and head voice hum and flutter, and resound through the room, with the voices becoming more and more present.

Natalie Huber demonstrates the exercises            
The group listens intently to the teacher's explanations                   Photos: Mathias Blattmann

Natalie Huber then works with the singers on a polyphonic yodelling passage for some time: while one group ‘juuzes’ an already familiar melody, a second holds the bass line of root and fifth - "as if you were an alphorn", she says.

A third group takes over the second voice. It doesn't quite work yet, because everyone is working by ear. "The harmony can confuse you," comments the teacher, "but it can also make you happy."

You can hear how a natural juuz by Natalie Huber sounds here: https://youtu.be/aIGR_L_JRHE

Pure sound from harmonising the vibrations of one's own body in contact with others – this must be something like happiness, because the participants are now completely devoted to the tones, which are practised at various heights. And then on to the "most frequent change in Swiss folk music", a sequence of chord changes with three voices each.

And at the end, the Appenzell "Buebe-Zäuerli": Natalie Huber sings it and everyone records it on their mobile phones. "They then wish each other good luck and use the cowbells sound to drive away the evil spirits," as the yodel teacher describes it.

She also mentions the film "Guets Neus" by Thomas Lüchinger, in which the old, wild ritual of the New Year's Eve bells appears along with the melody.

Note
Further information on Natalie Huber's yodelling courses can be found here: www.musikschulezug.ch