A Brief History of Switzerland (Essay Example)

On August 1st of 1291, Switzerland emerged as a union of three states. Its formation was allied to attack against the Habsburg dynasty. The country later was able to become an independent nation in 1815. With the emergence of this country, it started to become known for its farming. 1/3 of its land is dedicated to the production of agriculture. Some popular things they produce are wheat, sugar beets, potatoes, apples, as well as grapes that are later used to make a variety of Swiss wines. Both farming in general and the way their communities are set up geographically have contributed to the development of Switzerland's culture, specifically its musical culture. Many of their traditional music and instruments were created from the ways farming communities would communicate if the alps made it hard to reach their neighbors.  

Yodeling was a usual form of communication used by farms and villages trying to send messages. It is purely vocal instrumentation and farmers also used it to call in flocks of animals just like they use the alphorn for the same purpose. The wooden labrophone, Alphorn, was documented in the mid 16th century. It became a favorite tool for calling animals due to the sound being able to reach up to 10km. Not all their traditional folk instruments stem from their farming culture though. The hackbrett for an example. This instrument traditionally consists of 25 sets of 5 strings. The strings are plucked with hammers and each instrument can either be played with one musician with two hammers are two musicians with four hammers. One more example of a Swiss-related instrument not made for farming is the Schwyzerogeli. Named based on the town it was developed in, Schwyz, this type of accordion made a significant impact on a style Swiss traditional folk-dance music, landler. 

Landler is dance music that is reserved for special occasions and festivals. It is played three-four times and there are many varieties of the Landler style as well are many different musicians playing the music. Some musical arrangements are meant to be played with two Schwzerogeli accordionists, landler trios, or even whole musical bands/groups. A style of Landler called Graubünden is played using two Schywzerogeli accordions, two clarinets, and one double bass.