The Appalachian dulcimer is an instrument whose origin is shrouded in the mists of the 19th century, when the descendants of German immigrants began modifying the scheitholt, a simple stringed instrument brought over from the old country. Not to be confused with the hammered dulcimer, the Appalachian dulcimer was originally a triangular or lozenge shaped stringed instrument played with a quill. Its modern form, with a shape similar to a violin, emerged from its rural mountain birthplace in the early 20th century.
The author, Ralph Lee Smith, edits a newsletter on the dulcimer, and obviously has a great love for the dulcimer, as well as an intimate knowledge of its history. Without the dedication of Smith and his readers, this instrument might easily be overlooked by fans and potential players. For example, in searching for the origins of the Appalachian dulcimer, Smith relied on readers as far afield as Kansas, private collectors, and descendants of 19th century luthiers, both amateur and professional, for photographs and clues. He was instrumental in bringing one player from a family prominent in the Virginia tradition of the instrument to a recent folk festival at Appalachian State University, where he received great appreciation for his playing, and promptly sold all of his instruments.
Several things intrigued me about the discussion of folk music in this book. The first was the number of people making instruments at home, and the sheer inventiveness involved in developing the instrument. Originally, the sound was carried from holes drilled in the body, but later a double layer of wood was added so that the sound board was raised off of the player’s lap. Similarly, early examples seem to be transitions from the slender scheitholt, with makers simply adding an amplifying box on the bottom, or even creating a handy-dandy covered box to protect the instrument. While reading about the development of this instrument, I longed for an accompanying CD, or some way of comparing the sounds made by these early instruments. The serious faces confronting me from 19th and early 20th century photographs seemed at odds with my notions of Appalachian dulcimer music, and I couldn’t help but wonder about the music that was made by these players on homemade instruments. Of course, not all the instruments were made by an old uncle up the road; two Kentucky luthiers produced around 1300 and 1500 dulcimers each, but there were obviously quite a few homemade instruments in use.
The second thing that intrigued me was the tension in the discussion of rural players and their urban and suburban descendants, people who took up the Appalachian dulcimer as a result of the folk revival of the 1950s. Smith tends to be somewhat dismissive of the modern players, keeping faith with the mountain folk who developed the instrument and its music. It’s clear that between the 1930s and the 1970s, when the Appalachian dulcimer disappeared from regional competitions in the Appalachian states, that the same people, the same families, were keeping this instrument alive. Several winners have prizes from both decades! At the same time, however, the future of any instrument as a going concern, a living tradition, is the people playing it now, wherever they live, and however they come to learn an instrument.
The isolation of the 19th century Appalachian immigrants produced this music, but isolation is a rare commodity these days, and contact with other players is resulting in all sorts of blending and mutating of “traditional” and regional styles.
And if the inventiveness of modern players is anything like that of earlier masters of the instrument, the music will continue to change! But perhaps I am being a bit hard on Smith, because this may be the subject of his next book, and one that this reviewer thinks would be well worth writing.
If you play the Appalachian dulcimer and want to know more about its history, or want to preserve the memory of an instrument played by elderlies in you family, this is the book for you. It is meticulously researched, and contains pictures of early instruments, makers and players, as well as references for home recordings by the Lomaxes, and other resources — all the information a musician treasures and often misses in books aimed at the general public. However, casual fans may find the history too detailed, and technically oriented.
(Scarecrow Press, 1997)
