Do you know what Yodeler or Iodelei is? It is a very famous form of singing in the Alps region (Germany, Austria) that uses phonetic syllables to create a sound that changes quickly and repeatedly. It is also strongly known as Tyrolean singing.
The Iodelei involves using the chest voice and then a high pitch or falsetto. This vocal technique is not only used in Europe but in cultures around the world.
This type of music is appreciated by many Japanese people, so much so that if you watch videos of singers like the King of Iodelei Franzi Lang, you will find many comments from Japanese.
In this article, we will see an example of a Japanese who appreciated this musical art and managed to achieve success singing alongside the King of Iodelei.
The story of the Japanese Yodeler Takeo Ischi
Takeo Ishii was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan. In high school, he was lonely and started listening to a lot of radio. Following his father, Takeo went to university for mechanical engineering, and in his free time, he learned to play the Zither and Dulcimer (instruments similar to harps).
He followed the King of Yodelay and began singing on Japanese television. Takeo Ishii went to study in Germany and during his time there, he went to Switzerland and sang in a brewery in Zurich. Soon he started making money from it, singing in front of the king and idol Franzi Lang. Over time, Lang took Takeo under his wing and he became famous and known as the Japanese Yodeler.
In Europe, Takeo began to be called Takeo Ischi (instead of Ishii) and soon met his wife Henriette in 1981, proposing to her at a Onsen in Japan and marrying in 1985. They had five children named Maximilian, Michael, Andreas, Lukas, and Julia.
He became famous for the chicken song, which unfortunately YouTube did not allow to be included here on the site, but you can search for New Bibi Hendl (Chicken Yodeling).
Now I want to understand why I like this song… It is very hilarious and contagious, they even made a funny video about the chickens:
Some say it was because of him that KFC began to dominate the fast food market.
What did you think of the Japanese Yodeler? If you liked it, share it with your friends and leave your comments.
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