Yodel All the Day Long: The Swiss Federal Yodeling Festival
Stunning, isn’t it? A photo from a day hike, where I could definitely imagine shepherds yodeling. (Though I didn’t hear any!) Les Paccots, Switzerland. April 19, 2025.
Just as with fondue, the origins of which produce heated debate between Switzerland and France, Switzerland may have the strongest word-association links with yodeling—but claiming it endemic to the area will only have other European countries up in arms.
What has little doubt, though, is that the Swiss have practiced the, er, sound for centuries. The first documented yodeling took place in Appenzeller, in northeastern Switzerland, way back in the mid-15th century.
The History of Yodeling in Switzerland
In the mid-15th century, yodeling existed almost exclusively as a way for herdsman to communicate across mountain peaks and shepherds to communicate with their flocks.
Only in the 19th century, historians say, did yodeling evolve into a form of music with actual composition and multipart harmonies.
Today, the Swiss Yodeling Association recognizes two forms of yodeling:
The “naturjodel” is spontaneous, emotion-driven vocalization.
The “jodellied” is more formal, with set lyrics typically about the countryside (i.e., mountain views, flowers, plants) and a standardized melodic refrain.
Yodeling Galore at the Swiss Federal Yodeling Festival
If you want to get your fill of the finest in yodeling, you can do no better than to attend the triannual Swiss Federal Yodeling Festival.
For the three-day festival, participants number well above 12,000 for more than 1,000 performances of yodeling in several different styles, yodeling solo and in groups, traditional flag waving, and Alpine-horn blowing. I’ve read in some accounts that more than 150,000 people attend the festival, but I’d imagine that includes people who simply stop in for a performance or two.
To give you an idea, here’s a short video:
Judges announce category winners on the festival’s final day, after which there’s a grand parade of participants through the hosting city’s center.
Take a Class: Learning to Yodel
If you live in Switzerland and want to learn to yodel, you’re in luck: There are group classes and private teachers galore.
In fact, the University of Lucerne even has a music degree specializing in yodeling.
To learn for fun and personal creative expansion—not a degree—you can get information on classes through the Swiss yodeling association and you can find music schools throughout Switzerland that offer yodeling classes on a regular basis via a web search.
And if learning to yodel doesn’t count for bragging rights among your friends and family, what will?
My Yodeling Experiences (or Lack Thereof)
Before you ask:
Yes, during my time in Switzerland, I have heard plenty of yodeling. It’s cultural heritage here, after all, festivals aside.
No, I have not taken a yodeling class and probably won’t. (Musically gifted, I am not.)
I have not yet attended the Swiss Federal Yodeling Festival, though if it takes place not far from me in the future, I absolutely will. Talk about an experience!
I might have more of a soft spot for yodeling than most other people, though: My father loved the musical “The Sound of Music.”