Ruedi Rymann
The Swiss yodeler who was a national icon
The Swiss yodeler who was a national icon
Ruedi Rymann
1933–2008
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
 
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Ruedi Rymann, who died of liver cancer at 75, was not well known outside of Switzerland. But he was one of his country’s most famous yodelers, and his rendition of the traditional song “Dr Schacher Seppli” was voted “Switzerland’s Greatest Hit” in a national poll last year.
“Rymann was a master of an age-old vocal technique that relies on a quick melodic shift between a falsetto head voice and a deeper chest voice,” said The Washington Post. Usually accompanied by an accordion, he endeared himself to his countrymen with his bell-like tenor, which embodied the melodic calls that herders bellowed off mountain walls to communicate with their cattle. His signature song was the lament of a lonely wanderer; among its lyrics are, “The world is a turbulent place / I’ve observed it many times: People hurt each other just because of that damned money / How beautiful it could be down here.” Rymann was a leading emissary for yodeling, demonstrating his technique to audiences in South Korea, Brazil, Japan and the United States.
“If you put aside the Toblerone and cuckoo-clock clichés, you would be hard pressed to find a more thoroughly Swiss archetype than Rymann,” said the London Independent. “By profession, he was a man of the land; his life revolved around laboring, farming, cheesemaking, and forestry work.” He also ran a local club devoted to swingen, the national form of wrestling, in which the combatants try to toss each other outside a circular bed of sawdust. In retirement, Rymann was a huntsman. “Fittingly, one of his best known songs was ‘Der Gemsjäger’ (‘The Chamois Hunter’).”
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
- 
 R&B singer D’Angelo R&B singer D’AngeloFeature A reclusive visionary who transformed the genre 
- 
 Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley Kiss guitarist Ace FrehleyFeature The rocker who shot fireworks from his guitar 
- 
 Robert Redford: the Hollywood icon who founded the Sundance Film Festival Robert Redford: the Hollywood icon who founded the Sundance Film FestivalFeature Redford’s most lasting influence may have been as the man who ‘invigorated American independent cinema’ through Sundance 
- 
 Patrick Hemingway: The Hemingway son who tended to his father’s legacy Patrick Hemingway: The Hemingway son who tended to his father’s legacyFeature He was comfortable in the shadow of his famous father, Ernest Hemingway 
- 
 Giorgio Armani obituary: designer revolutionised the business of fashion Giorgio Armani obituary: designer revolutionised the business of fashionIn the Spotlight ‘King Giorgio’ came from humble beginnings to become a titan of the fashion industry and redefine 20th-century clothing 
- 
 Ozzy Osbourne obituary: heavy metal wildman and lovable reality TV dad Ozzy Osbourne obituary: heavy metal wildman and lovable reality TV dadIn the Spotlight For Osbourne, metal was 'not the music of hell but rather the music of Earth, not a fantasy but a survival guide' 
- 
 Brian Wilson: the troubled genius who powered the Beach Boys Brian Wilson: the troubled genius who powered the Beach BoysFeature The musical giant passed away at 82 
- 
 Sly Stone: The funk-rock visionary who became an addict and recluse Sly Stone: The funk-rock visionary who became an addict and recluseFeature Stone, an eccentric whose songs of uplift were tempered by darker themes of struggle and disillusionment, had a fall as steep as his rise 


