The alphorn (German: Alphorn, Alpenhorn; French: cor des Alpes; Italian: corno alpino) is a traditional lip-reed wind instrument. It has a long, straight wooden horn that is 3 to 4 meters (9.8 to 13 feet) long, a cone-shaped inside, and a wooden cup-shaped mouthpiece. Originally, the alphorn was made in one piece from a pine tree trunk. Today, most alphorns are made in three sections that can be taken apart for easier transport and use, and they are carved from spruce wood. The alphorn is played by people in rural areas of the Alps. Similar wooden horns were used for communication in many mountain regions of Europe, including the Alps and the Carpathians.

History

The alphorn may have come from older instruments like the lituus, a straight horn used by the Etruscans in ancient times. However, there is not much written proof showing a direct link between these instruments. A mosaic from the 2nd century, discovered in Boscéaz, shows a shepherd using a horn that looks similar to the alphorn. The use of long, straight horns for signaling in mountainous regions across Europe and Asia suggests that different cultures may have shared knowledge about how to build and use such instruments over time.

The first written record of the German word "Alphorn" appears in a financial document from 1527, related to Saint Urban's Abbey in Pfaffnau. In 1555, Swiss naturalist Conrad Gessner gave the alphorn its first detailed description, calling it "lituum alpinum" in his book De raris et admirandis herbis. At that time, the word "lituus" was also used to describe other wind instruments, such as the horn, crumhorn, and cornett. In the early 1700s, music scholar Michael Praetorius included a drawing of an instrument similar to the alphorn in his work Syntagma Musicum (1614–1620). He called it a "Hölzern Trummet" ("wooden trumpet") and noted that shepherds used it.

Between the 17th and 19th centuries, alphorns were used in rural Alpine areas to send signals between high pastures and communities in valleys below. The sound of an alphorn can travel several kilometers and was sometimes used to gather scattered herds. By the early 19th century, the use of alphorns by herdsmen had become less common. However, by the late 1800s, interest in the instrument’s musical qualities grew, and it became important in tourism. Composers like Beethoven and Gustav Mahler included alphorn sounds or traditional alphorn melodies in their music.

Construction and qualities

The alphorn is made from solid softwood, such as pine or spruce. Traditionally, makers would choose a tree growing on a slope with a bent base to form the curved shape of the bell. The long trunk was cut in half lengthwise, hollowed out, then glued and wrapped with layers of bark. Modern alphorns are made in separate sections for easier handling and transport, each carved from solid spruce blocks. In the past, a cup-shaped mouthpiece was carved into the narrow end, while modern alphorns use a separate, removable mouthpiece made of hard wood.

An alphorn created in Rigi-Kulm, Schwyz, and now displayed in the Victoria and Albert Museum is 8 feet (2.4 meters) long and has a straight tube. Swiss alphorns vary in shape depending on the region, often curving near the bell in the Bernese Oberland area.

The alphorn is a simple tube with no openings or tuning mechanisms. It can only produce notes from the natural harmonic series. Some of these notes do not match the Western equal-tempered chromatic scale, especially the 7th and 11th partials.

Skilled alphorn players can play nearly three octaves, covering the 2nd through the 16th partials. The ability to reach higher notes is partly due to the relatively small diameter of the mouthpiece and tubing compared to the horn’s overall length.

The well-known "Ranz des Vaches" (score; audio) is a traditional Swiss melody often played on the alphorn. It describes the time when cows are moved to high ground for milking. Rossini included this melody in his opera William Tell, along with other tunes suitable for the alphorn. Brahms wrote to Clara Schumann that the dramatic horn entrance in the final movement of his First Symphony was inspired by an alphorn melody he heard during a vacation in the Rigi area of Switzerland. For Clara’s birthday in 1868, Brahms sent her a greeting meant to be sung with this melody.

Repertoire

Among music composed for the alphorn:

• Concerto Grosso No. 1 (2013) for four alphorns and orchestra by Georg Friedrich Haas
• Sinfonia pastorale for alphorn and string orchestra (1755) by Leopold Mozart
• Concerto for alphorn and orchestra (1970) by Jean Daetwyler
• Concerto No. 2 for alphorn (with flute, string orchestra, and percussion) (1983) by Daetwyler
• Dialogue with Nature for alphorn, flute, and orchestra by Daetwyler
• Super Alpen King for three alphorns and orchestra by Ghislain Muller (2001) VSP orkestra / Arkady Shilkloper, Renaud Leipp
• Concertino rustico (1977) by Ferenc Farkas
• Begegnung for three alphorns and concert band by Kurt Gable
• Säumerweg-Blues (played by Kurt Ott) among many compositions by Hans-Jürg Sommer, Alphorn Musik
• Messe for alphorn and choir by Franz Schüssele Alphorn-Center
• Erbauliche Studie für 12 Alphörner in Abwesenheit von Bergen by Mathias Rüegg (1998)
• Wolf Music: Tapio for alphorn and echoing instruments (2003) by R. Murray Schafer
• Le Berger fantaisiste for three alphorns and orchestra by Ghislain Muller, Arkady Shilkloper, Renaud Leipp, Serge Haessler, VSP orkestra (2001)
• Bob Downes & The Alphorn Brothers (2015) by Bob Downes Open Music (CD rec. 2004)
• Concerto for alphorn in F and orchestra by Daniel Schnyder (2004)
• Matterhorn (a prelude for alphorn and wind orchestra) by Robert Litton (2013)
• Alpine Trail for alphorn and orchestra by Arkady Shilkloper
• Alpine Sketch for alphorn and big band by Arkady Shilkloper
• Lai nair for alphorn and contrabass by John Wolf Brennan (2015)
• Der Bergschuh for alphorn and marching band by Daniel Schnyder
• Crested Butte Mountain for alphorn and wind band (or brass sextet, strings, or horn septet) by Arkady Shilkloper
• Robin for alphorn and wind band (big band) by Arkady Shilkloper
• Fanfare for four alphorns by Arkady Shilkloper
• Tanz der Kühe by Carlo Brunner/Lisa Stoll