Z Cherry Blog

Dulcimer Across the Eras

July 12th, 2008

American old-time music tradition has widely used the dulcimer. It is said that the instrument’s initial appearance are in the early 1800s. The dulcimer, according to such testimony, came from the Scots-Irish in the southern Appalachian Mountains and that’s why it’s also called a mountain dulcimer. The instrument became used as a parlor instrument as its sound volume was well-suited to small home gatherings. The Appalachian dulcimer achieved a renaissance in the 1950s urban folk music revival in the United States through the work of Jean Ritchie, a Kentucky musician who introduced the instrument to New York City audiences. Styles performed by modern dulcimer enthusiasts run the gamut from traditional folk music through experimental forms, although most perform in more or less traditional styles. Dulcimer festivals take place regularly in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Ireland.

Entry Filed under: Arts