Alphorn ?

Alphorn ?

What is the alphorn? In this section, you can find information concerning the alphorn, throughout the ages to present day.

The making of an alphorn

Wednesday, 11 March 2009 15:53

The sound of the alphorn

fabrication_1 The alphorn is a wind instrument in which a air is blown down and vibrates making the sound. Most musicians play in F sharp or F#. The shorter the horn the harder it is to play. In the absence of pistons, the instrument can play only simple sounds (harmonic) produced by the vibration of the lips on the mouthpiece. The sound is transmitted down the pipe of the horn and is amplified by the horn bell.

The complete vibration of the air passing throug the pipe produces the fundamental notes.

History of the Alphorn

Thursday, 08 January 2009 08:51

Origins
The origin of the alphorn is lost in times gone by.Some very ancient tales mention that shepherds in Europe and even as far as Asia used similar instruments, namely a kind of primitive trumpet-like device only playing a few notes.

1555
In Switzerland, you can trace it back to the writings of the Zurich naturalist Conrad Gessner, who described a sort of “litum alpinum” horn, eleven foot long, formed out of two long, rounded, hollowed-out pieces of wood tied one to the other with a piece of wicker. This instrument was used in central Switzerland, in Pilate, in order to herd the livestock.