This is a blog about music, photography, history, and culture.
These are photographs from my collection that tell a story about lost time and forgotten music.

Mike Brubaker
{ Click on the image to expand the photo }

Music on Skis

20 December 2016



Zum Neuen Jahre
herzliche Glückwünsche!

To the New Year
hearty congratulations!



This charming illustration
of a horse pulling
a small band
of musicians on skis
comes from a vintage Swiss postcard.

It was posted
on 6 January 1938
and addressed
to Herrn Joh. Jos. Zihlmann
of Willisau, a small town
in the Lucerne canton, of Switzerland.
Herrn Zihlmann lived
at the landwirtschaftsschule
which was a vocational school
for agricultural occupations.






Salü Hanssep!
Habe deine Karte mit Freuden
erhalten. Bin immer lustig
u. fidel. Gerne wäre ich
am 3 Nov. in den 2 Kurs(?)
eingetreten, aber die Zeit erlaubte
es mir nicht. Wie lebst
Du immer, hoffentlich. bist  Du
gesund und fröhlich.
Viel Glück im neuen Jahr wünscht Du.
Alois Wechsler


Salut Hannseep!
Got your card with pleasure.
I am always funny and jolly.
I would be happy
on 3rd Nov. when the 2nd course
occurred but time
did not allow me.
Hopefully you always live
healthy and happy.
I wish you Good luck in the new year.
Alois Wechsler

{My thanks for any offers of better translations of Schweizerdeutsch}





The horse pictured on the card
looks to be stout enough
to pull three musical skiers
even while carrying a trumpeter.

 
 But horses come in different sizes
and even small ones
can trot pretty fast
through the snow.
Here is a thrilling video
of
a sport known as skijoring,that demonstrates what it's like
to ski behind a smaller,
but still very enthusiastic horse.
However the skier
is not playing an accordion
at the same time.


***


***





And for a special Swiss treat,
though without skis,
here is a video from August 2013
when 508 alphorn players
assembled on the Gornergrat ridge
to break the world record
for the largest alphorn group performance.
 


***



***


Click this link to hear
a more complete concert.


On the whole,
I think massed alphorns
are to be preferred
over massed accordions.
 
But that's just my opinion.





I wish everyone
much joy and happiness
in 2017!




This is my contribution to Sepia Saturday
which celebrates the best photos of the Holiday Season!

http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2016/12/sepia-saturday-348-christmas-new-year.html





2 comments:

Helen Killeen Bauch McHargue said...

That Alpenhorn concert must have been something to hear live. What an impressive sight! I was involved years ago with making the Guinness book with world's largest creme brulee. We had about 40 chefs and students and it was a zoo to coordinate. I cannot imagine the logistics of this performance. They all look pretty calm—that's the Swiss for you. I hope you have a wonderful holiday season. See you here in 2017.

Jofeath said...

The alpenhorn concert is beautiful and majestic! I think the translation should read : I would like to have come to the second course on 3rd Nov, but ...
Froehliche Weihnachten!

nolitbx

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