Introduction to AAWM Music and Nature – Volume 1: On the analysis of yodeling traditions

In this first issue of AAWM Music and Nature, we present analytical studies of yodeling, focusing on aspects such as timbre, terminology, acoustics, and musical forms in various cultures. Yodel is a way of singing characterized by changes between chest voice and head voice, and a vocalization using syllables without lexical meanings. This technique is used in many kinds of music with manifestations specific to cultures, regions, and traditions, yet sharing sonic properties. In recent years since Plantenga’s Secret History of Yodeling Around the World (2002), yodeling has gained traction in ethnomusicological research (Hahmann 2017, Ammann et al. 2019, Wey 2019), yet a comprehensive adaptation of analytical methods to this phenomenon remains. With the special issue on yodel, we aim to bring together expertise from ethnomusicological, music-theoretical, and analytical perspectives to complete the framework.