The Alphorn: From the Swiss Alps to the Cascades

The famous Alphorn: people play it in the rain, in the snow. It is seen in meadows, by the lake sides; melodies heard echoing out of the forests. Also played in the midst of a classical concert performance. A simple piece of wood, raw yet delicate. It has served as the national symbol of Switzerland since the 19th century.

The Leavenworth Alphorn Group members are surely used to hearing the sound of people echoing the sound of “Ricola” in our downtown streets, as people first see them with their instruments throughout our little village.

During our local festivals you can see the Alphorn players moving about downtown; hardly able to miss, with their 12’4” long instruments reaching way up to the sky. An Alphorn weighs approximately 4 to 5 pounds, or as one young visitor once shouted while holding onto it: “It weighs as much as one of our chickens!” It is generally broken down into 3 pieces which easily stick together to play. After their local performances, Alphorn team members involve the guests watching, by having question and answer sessions, or having their photos taken with tourists and locals.

The Alphorn itself, with its’ calming sound, is an easy maintenance brass instrument. Yes, considered a brass instrument due to the fact it is only played using one’s lips (embouchure) and blowing into it. It is also referred to as a labrosone, a name coming from the Greek and Latin languages, meaning ‘lip’ and ‘sound’.  They generate a sound by a simple vibration of air in a tubular resonator and the players’ lips. Alphorns are mostly created from spruce and alder and designed from one piece of wood.

Locally, the first-known Alphorn player in Leavenworth was Bob Johnson, famous for his balancing act at the balcony of the Enzian Hotel’s Restaurant. Our resident players share a passion for the instrument, and many have lived in the European Alpine Region or visited the area in the past. The group plays mainly music from Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. Nonetheless, Frank Geiger, an Alphorn group member also composes music for the group. During their performances, members share a few anecdotes about the instrument, its’ history, and the current use in our country.

Upon doing my own research for this article, I found that there are many alpine legends and mythologies. Most indicate that alphorns had been used as a form of signaling devices or instruments between villages that are lying in the valleys of high mountains peaks of the Swiss Alps.

Alphorns are traditionally made from one tree, which is cut into sections, carved out, and reassembled as a horn. The coiled versions are referred to as "Büchel. Nonetheless, the alphorn's exact origins remain uncertain. Surviving relics and parts date back to as far as the 13th and 14th centuries. Although, in the second century A.D. at the Swiss Vaud, a scene of a shepherd with an instrument like an Alphorn named LITUUS has been discovered on a Roman mosaic. Generally, the horn can only be played in 8 tones. The largest Alphorn worldwide was built at the Bavarian Chiemsee Area, being 10.51 Meter (over 34 feet) long and is played by three musicians at the same time. In modern days Alphorns can also be made of carbon fiber.

The Leavenworth Alphorn Group holds an annual Alphorn Workshop in town, known as the Northwest Alphorn Workshop and Retreat. It is visited by fellow players from around the US, even from parts of Europe. Next year’s Leavenworth Alphorn Celebration will be held, May 27-28.You are invited to enjoy the alphorn at its finest! “Talented ensembles and soloists showcase the iconic alphorn,” says Tilton. He and his team invite all interested to join them for a weekend of alphorn concerts and performances, hosted by the Leavenworth Alphorn Association, and featuring participants of the Northwest Alphorn Workshop.

They are a nonprofit and volunteer community association, and always looking for new members, young and old. The Alphorns play at all the Leavenworth Festival activities and have even been seen doing a flash mob in town, appearing in all sorts of nooks and crannies in our little alpine like village. The original idea for an alphorn group came from Gary Thebault, a former Leavenworth resident and then owner of Pension Anna.

In 2015 a proposal to Projekt Bayern (Project Bavaria) for the alphorn purchase was drafted and submitted by Thomas Tilton who serves as president of the Leavenworth Alphorn Association. In response to Tilton’s proposal, Projekt Bayern purchased 4 horns, which made possible the founding of Leavenworth Alphorns, and are available for use by current and new members. At the time the group started with the purchase of four horns and was incorporated as a nonprofit organization in 2020. Tilton himself is a very active member of the Leavenworth entertainment industry: “We began performing as Alphorn Players in 2016, including Christmas Lighting Festival,” he explains during an interview. He has lived and studied in Regensburg, Bavaria and is fluent in the language, including many distinctive and witty Bavarian and Austrian expressions, generating much joy to many of our tourists visiting from Germanic countries.

Their website will give you all the information you might be looking for and for those of you interested in learning to play the horn and join the lively group you can get in touch with them at leavenworthalphorns.com.

Sources:https://larkinthemorning.com and https://br-klassik.de