Volkstümliche Musik
Encyclopedia
Volkstümliche Musik is a modern variation on the traditional music
of German-speaking countries in general and their Alpine regions in particular. It is sometimes instrumental, but usually presented by one or especially two singers and is most popular amongst older people in Germany
, Austria
, Switzerland
, South Tyrol
(Italy
) and Alsace
(France
).
Many titles are presented in dialects or colloquial language and invoke local and regional lifestyles and traditions, particularly dance
s. Alpine musical instruments, such as Alpenhorns, Zither
s, acoustic guitar
s, violas and harmonica
s are frequently featured, although most commercial productions nowadays employ drum machine
s and synthesizer
s. Yodeling
is also common.
Volkstümliche Musik features strongly in peak-time television
broadcasts on a number of German public TV networks
including ARD
and ZDF
and some radio networks. Commercial broadcasters tend to stay clear of it because it is not very popular with the commercially desirable younger target group
s up to 49 years of age, with the exception of Volksmusik TV which is the only Free-to-Air commercial broadcaster in Europe for Volkstümliche Musik and Schlager
. Volkstümliche Musik had some influence on Flower Power songs during the 1970s and is often mingled with Schlager
today.
Volksmusik was conceived for commercial reasons as a counterweight to youth-oriented rock
and pop music
. The adjective "volkstümlich" refers to the German and in particular the "Alpine" Folk Music, incorporating the dance and popular music of the 19th and early 20th centuries. The large popularity of this music genre has led to the development of "volkstümlichen" Hitparades and various radio and television broadcasts, some of the most popular include the "Musikantenstadl
", the "Grand Prix der Volksmusik
" and "Lustige Musikanten" with Marianne & Michael.
Not unlike Schlager
, Volkstümliche Musik is often belittled by younger or more sophisticated audiences as a massively commercialized product
created for the lower strata of society
. In this perception, it differs somewhat from its ancestor, the original folk music of the Alpine regions (Volksmusik
), which continues to be performed by many local groups and orchestras in the area.
Traditional music
Traditional music is the term increasingly used for folk music that is not contemporary folk music. More on this is at the terminology section of the World music article...
of German-speaking countries in general and their Alpine regions in particular. It is sometimes instrumental, but usually presented by one or especially two singers and is most popular amongst older people in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, South Tyrol
South Tyrol
South Tyrol , also known by its Italian name Alto Adige, is an autonomous province in northern Italy. It is one of the two autonomous provinces that make up the autonomous region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. The province has an area of and a total population of more than 500,000 inhabitants...
(Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
) and Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
(France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
).
Many titles are presented in dialects or colloquial language and invoke local and regional lifestyles and traditions, particularly dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
s. Alpine musical instruments, such as Alpenhorns, Zither
Zither
The zither is a musical string instrument, most commonly found in Slovenia, Austria, Hungary citera, northwestern Croatia, the southern regions of Germany, alpine Europe and East Asian cultures, including China...
s, acoustic guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s, violas and harmonica
Harmonica
The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
s are frequently featured, although most commercial productions nowadays employ drum machine
Drum machine
A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
s and synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
s. Yodeling
Yodeling
Yodeling is a form of singing that involves singing an extended note which rapidly and repeatedly changes in pitch from the vocal or chest register to the falsetto/head register; making a high-low-high-low sound.The English word yodel is derived from a German word jodeln meaning "to...
is also common.
Volkstümliche Musik features strongly in peak-time television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
broadcasts on a number of German public TV networks
Public broadcasting
Public broadcasting includes radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing and commercial financing.Public broadcasting may be...
including ARD
Das Erste
Erstes Deutsches Fernsehen , marketed as Das Erste , is the principal publicly owned television channel in Germany...
and ZDF
ZDF
Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen , ZDF, is a public-service German television broadcaster based in Mainz . It is run as an independent non-profit institution, which was founded by the German federal states . The ZDF is financed by television licence fees called GEZ and advertising revenues...
and some radio networks. Commercial broadcasters tend to stay clear of it because it is not very popular with the commercially desirable younger target group
Target Group
Target Group is a provider of software and outsourcing solutions to financial services and insurance companies. It specialises in delivering business solutions to the following markets: loans and mortgages, investments, general insurance, utilities and finance brokers.Target operates...
s up to 49 years of age, with the exception of Volksmusik TV which is the only Free-to-Air commercial broadcaster in Europe for Volkstümliche Musik and Schlager
Schlager
Schlager music is a style of popular music prevalent in Central and Northern Europe and the Balkans and also in France and Poland. In Portugal, it was adapted and became pimba music...
. Volkstümliche Musik had some influence on Flower Power songs during the 1970s and is often mingled with Schlager
Schlager
Schlager music is a style of popular music prevalent in Central and Northern Europe and the Balkans and also in France and Poland. In Portugal, it was adapted and became pimba music...
today.
Volksmusik was conceived for commercial reasons as a counterweight to youth-oriented rock
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
and pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
. The adjective "volkstümlich" refers to the German and in particular the "Alpine" Folk Music, incorporating the dance and popular music of the 19th and early 20th centuries. The large popularity of this music genre has led to the development of "volkstümlichen" Hitparades and various radio and television broadcasts, some of the most popular include the "Musikantenstadl
Musikantenstadl
Musikantenstadl is a live television entertainment program broadcast in the German language throughout Austria, Germany and Switzerland. It features Austrian and German popular folk music , international pop and folk music as well as interviews and comedy...
", the "Grand Prix der Volksmusik
Grand Prix der Volksmusik
The Grand Prix der Volksmusik is an annual regional song contest for folk music, first held in 1986. The countries taking part are Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy .-History:...
" and "Lustige Musikanten" with Marianne & Michael.
Not unlike Schlager
Schlager
Schlager music is a style of popular music prevalent in Central and Northern Europe and the Balkans and also in France and Poland. In Portugal, it was adapted and became pimba music...
, Volkstümliche Musik is often belittled by younger or more sophisticated audiences as a massively commercialized product
Kitsch
Kitsch is a form of art that is considered an inferior, tasteless copy of an extant style of art or a worthless imitation of art of recognized value. The concept is associated with the deliberate use of elements that may be thought of as cultural icons while making cheap mass-produced objects that...
created for the lower strata of society
Society
A society, or a human society, is a group of people related to each other through persistent relations, or a large social grouping sharing the same geographical or virtual territory, subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations...
. In this perception, it differs somewhat from its ancestor, the original folk music of the Alpine regions (Volksmusik
Volksmusik
Volksmusik is the common umbrella designation of a number of related styles of traditional music from the Alpine regions of Germany, Austria, Switzerland and South Tyrol...
), which continues to be performed by many local groups and orchestras in the area.
External links
- Radio Heimatmelodie - a radio format specialized on German Volksmusik and "volkstümlicher Schlager"
- Radio VHR - one major source of German Volksmusik and Schlager (online-stream)
- Radio Herz: Radio station from Toronto playing Volksmusik 24 hours a day via the internet
- Schlager/Volksmusik - various online-streams