This is my heartfelt endorsement of Peggy DeMers’ excellent English translation of “s’AlphornBüechli” (The Little Alphorn Book) by Alfred Lorenz Gassmann.

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The Little Alphorn Book is Gassmann’s collection of Alphorn music, history and tradition that could have been so easily lost but for his monumental effort. We owe him a great debt, and Dr. DeMers as well for her faithful translation.

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The Little Alphorn Book was first published in 1938. A. L. Gassmann was a music teacher and administrator in Berne Switzerland. His passion was Alphorn. He visited every corner of Switzerland collecting Alphorn melodies and folklore. The melodies in this collection include the traditional "all is well” signals played by the shepherds, the daily “milking time” calls to bring in the cows, the “Jutz” expressions of spontaneous joy, and the tragic and beautiful “Uf em Rossberg” composed by Gassmann himself after a rockslide on that mountain took many lives. The time that you spend with this book is fundamental in understanding where our instrument came from and what it means to the Swiss.

 

The characterful music is our main interest, but a feature of The Little Alphorn Book is the “Rules of Alphorn Blowing”. From the first “Put your Backside to the Mountain” (which is my free translation) it is full of charming and spirited folklore. It is a product of its time and some of the rules may be constraining to the modern player, but Gassmann reminds us that the Alphorn is at its best played outdoors, just after sunset when the air gets still, as the shepherds played it for their sheep. The only real rule of Alphorn blowing is to make the music beautiful, and evocative; to play what is in your heart.

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                —Bill Hopson

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"[Peggy DeMers'] work to make this an accessible resource has resulted in a landmark addition to our repertoire.”

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"I would advocate strongly for its inclusion in the library of any hornist."

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"DeMers has given us a wonderful resource to learn about a beautiful heritage of music and heart. Her work to make this revered collection of Swiss melodies accessible will allow the horn and alphorn communities to enjoy and preserve this rich legacy.”

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                —Dr. Natalie Grana, International Horn Call

 

"Congratulations, Peggy, on your newly published translation of A. L. Gassmann's The Little Alphorn Book. I have known of the original 1938 Swiss publication of this work for many years and have played through many of the traditional melodies he presents. Now it is finally available and possible for all English language readers to learn from his numerous opening chapters which delve deeply into the traditions, the craft, the fundamentals, the legends, and the magic that is this wonderful instrument. That you have formatted your book to coincide with the original edition's page layout for comparison is wonderful, and that you have published it with a spiral binding makes it most practical for all serious Alphorn blowers."

                 

                 —Douglas Hill, Emeritus Professor of Horn, University of Wisconsin–Madison

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"I couldn’t get enough of it!…Such an important piece of history that you’ve given us." 

 

                 —Sean Slatter, The Alphorn Podcast 

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"The Gassman is THE book for alphornists and THE book for preserving the ancient tunes from the homeland…like Bartok and Grainger did with their folksong collections. Two or three of the pieces in this book are the most famous alphorn melodies that everyone wants (and has) to play, that bring Swiss to tears, have been heard by billions over the years, and have had major impacts on classical composers and the course of classical music. The 'problem' with the book has always been the Swiss-German. Facebook groups and alphorn retreats are plastered with questions about translations of parts of the book. So this book will QUICKLY become a must–have for U.S. Alphornists. It’s going to be a big deal in a small community."

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                 —Dr. Heidi Lucas, Associate Professor of Horn, Indiana University of Pennsylvania

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"I haven't been able to put it down since it arrived!"

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                 —John Griffith, Co-founder, Midwest Alphorn Retreat

 

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