Austria: Yodelling tradition goes underground in Graz

For more than an hour, around 30 singers followed teacher Anna Maria Gutschi through Graz's Kaiser-Franz-Josef-Kai underground car park, gradually making their way to its deepest section in search of the richest sound. There, the acoustics proved particularly strong. Gutschi said the broad corridors and reflective walls generated echoes similar to those found high in the mountains.

The underground venue provides an unusual answer to Graz's geography. The city is not perched high in the Alps but sits in a broad, relatively flat basin surrounded by hills and low mountain ranges on their eastern edge.

No previous musical training was needed for the course, which brought beginners together with experienced singers. The Styrian Folk Song Association has also staged sessions in canals and petrol stations, drawing on the distinctive acoustics of unexpected locations to introduce yodelling to new audiences.

The practice originated in Alpine communities, where herders and farmers used it to communicate across valleys and between mountain pastures. After developing into folk music, yodelling spread to choirs, festivals and music schools, while also finding a place in unconventional urban venues such as underground car parks.