Alpine Hills alive with the sound of alphorns. Retiree visits Sugarcreek to learn to play

SUGARCREEK ‒ If you wanted to learn how to play the alphorn, a Swiss musical instrument, where would you go?

Sugarcreek ‒ the Little Switzerland of Ohio ‒ of course.

More on Sugarcreek: Yodeling, Steintossen and more fun things to do at the 2022 Ohio Swiss Festival

Linda Loncaric Arico, a retired college professor from Burgettstown, Pennsylvania, a community located between Pittsburgh and Steubenville, heard the alphorn played at a German festival several years ago.

"I was enamored with that mellow, creamy, rich sound. I thought, someday, I really would like to try that. Then when I retired, I thought, why not now?" she said. "I call several places, and nobody had a response. They just said, 'Oh, that's interesting. Good luck.' Then I thought, where would there be Swiss and German people? And I thought, Sugarcreek."

She called Becky Detwiler, curator of the Alpine Hills Museum in Sugarcreek, to see if she could play an alphorn. Detwiler agreed.

"She called back later in the week and said, better than just coming, I know a retired music teacher who would be willing to show you the ropes. I said, great," Arico said.

She met Fred Welsch, who retired in 1989 as director of the Garaway High School band and choir. He has been playing the alphorn for more than 30 years.

Friends of the Arts award: Welsch honored in Sugarcreek

Arico is not a professional musician, but she plays the trumpet in a community band in the Burgettstown area.

"She's a great musician," Welsch said. "She had so much basic knowledge about blowing a horn that it didn't take but a few minutes and we were on the same page."

"If I'm at all able to play well, it's because of him. He's the teacher," she said.

Arico was on hand Saturday at the museum while Welsch, clad in a traditional Swiss milking jacket, played the alphorn for visitors. She was unable to join him in playing because of an injury.

What's an alphorn?

The alphorn is a natural wooden horn, usually several feet long, with a cup-shaped mouthpiece. According to the website MySwitzerland.com, it was originally used by shepherds to call the cows from the pasture and into the barn at milking time. It is rarely used for its original purpose now, but it has become a symbol of the Alpine country.

The instrument Welsch was playing Saturday was made of spruce.

"Being wood, like it is, it gives it a real mellow sound that you can't get from brass," he said. "You can make it out of plastic or even PVC pipe, but it's just not the same sound."

The instrument is considered difficult to play because it has retained its original form, while other wind instruments have undergone technical advancements over time (finger holes and valves), according to MySwitzerland.com.

Imported from Switzerland

Welsch's first exposure to the alphorn came when Ranson Andreas, founder of Andreas Furniture in Sugarcreek, asked Welsch to teach him how to play the song "Edelweiss," on the instrument. All of the alphorns at the museum were imported from Switzerland by Andreas.

"When he brought his first alphorn over on an airplane he had to pay for a seat for the alphorn," Welsch said.

Now that Arico has learned how to play the alphorn, she has gone out and bought one of her own, an instrument imported from Germany.

"When my brother saw it, he said, 'What have you done?'" she said with a laugh.

Reach Jon at 330-364-8415 or at jon.baker@timesreporter.com.

This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Retired professor comes to Sugarcreek to learn to play the alphorn