A Swiss Yodeling Series: "Jüüzli" of the Muotatal

Synopsis

These four films present a variant of an alpine singing type characterized by the swift alternation from chest voice to head voice, known since the nineteenth century under the German name of "yodel." In the Swiss German dialect of the Muotatal, a small valley in the Pre-Alps of central Switzerland, the local version of yodels is called Juuz (pronounced "yootz"), or in its diminutive form Jüüzli. Traditional yootzing is characterized by a specific local voice technique performed in the context of work and socializing, in contrast to yodelling at stage performances by singers whose voices are trained according to the esthetic of the Swiss Yodelling Association.