Sigma Alpha Iota

sai-national.org • Spring 2024 13 Alphn Love, Roses, and the Call of the Alphorn By Marcia Bornhurst Parkes, Ph.D. The Alphorn Societies of Western and Central New York convey a sense of love, peace, and hope even when they perform in a world filled with challenges. is article is about the people who gave birth to the Societies and those who continue to make the commitment to lead, grow, and promote the ensemble for the benefit of their audiences and each other. ey recognize the enduring importance of the alphorn in world history, and they know that the sound of the alphorn resonates not only across the countryside but deep within peoples' souls. Society members became friends over time and are grateful for their shared experiences and camaraderie while learning to play this unique instrument. Our founder, his supporters, members, and other Society leaders inspire people to value the joy of learning the alphorn. e alphorn is a unique folk instrument constructed of either wood, metal, or plastic. Society members play mostly wooden instruments pitched in F that were made in the United States or Europe. e music that alphornists perform oen depicts the scenery and people enjoying daily life as well as locations, animals, the joy of being outside with mother nature. e sound of the alphorn has been known to carry over many miles. e instrument consists of three long joints, each with a conical bore that graduates from a small to a larger diameter. At the end is a bell that oen includes artwork. In addition to the body of the instrument, a mouthpiece is inserted into the top of the narrowest of three instrument joints. e customary length can be approximately 11 feet 6 inches to 13 feet 2 inches. Traditional mouthpieces are made of wood such boxwood, a hardwood. Typical brass instrument mouthpieces may be used with an adapter in the receiver of the top joint of the instrument. To form the embouchure, lips are placed together as if saying the letter "M" and by holding that position. en, air is blown in a steady stream through the aperture, a small opening at the middle of the lips, and they should vibrate. One learns how to blow the air, control air speed, and relax or firm the lips so that a range of pitches can be produced. At times, some pressure is needed for higher pitches, and less pressure is needed for the lowest ones. People who can vibrate their lips and hear the pitches have the potential to play the alphorn. Most alphornists are able to produce tones on the harmonic series for their horn. For any alphorn, those pitches include octaves, thirds, and fihs with some ekmelic tones. To learn about the harmonic series, see page 67 in Wey ALPHORN continued on page 14 A group of original members of the Alphorn Society of Western, NY. A group of original members of the Alphorn Society of Western, NY. Glenn K. Call, Founder, is in the center. Glenn K. Call, Founder, is in the center.

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