Public guided tour «boundlessly airy. Folk music in Graubünden»

Folk music knows no boundaries. It has always been shaped by various influences and has accompanied work, everyday life and celebrations for centuries. In the military and at the Landsgemeinde, drums and whistles once sounded, while shepherds and hunters used signalling and luring instruments. In the 19th century, the strings and winds of the peasant bands in Graubünden played a colourful mix of Alpine dance melodies.

What we now refer to as "Ländlermusik" originated at the beginning of the 20th century with the advent of the hand organ in professional dance bands and first became popular in urban circles as modern popular music. In the course of the spiritual defence of the country during the Second World War, folk music was declared the Swiss national music. The "Graubünden style" of country music with clarinets, Schwyzer organ and double bass, which was widely disseminated by the media, became the standard, but lost touch with current trends.

Triggered by the folk movement, a new interest in old instruments, dances and songs awoke since the 1970s. Gradually, the folk music scene opened up to a variety of ways of playing. Today, it is both traditional and innovative, creative and experimental.