Talk:Hammered dulcimer/Archive 1

Duplicate vs redirect
This page appears to be a duplicate of a section in dulcimer. I'm not sure whether it would be better to remove that section and link to this page, or change this page to redirect to dulcimer... but I think either would be preferable to the duplication. Thoughts, anyone? -- Ortonmc 03:58, 18 Nov 2003 (UTC)

I prefer redirection. -- Cyan 04:00, 18 Nov 2003 (UTC)

The dulcimer and hammered dulcimer are very different instruments despite their similar names, so I think separate articles would be best - they are basically separate subjects. I'll remove the duplicated stuff from dulcimer and point that article to here, therefore. --Camembert

A NEW Revision on Hammered Dulcimer History
History Of the Hammered Dulcimer by Paul Gifford

The hammered dulcimer has a history in the United States going back three hundred years. Almost extinct forty years ago, it has witnessed an amazing comeback. In its current revived form, however, there is little connection with the older tradition. This little article attempts to explain that tradition.

The instrument seems to have appeared independently during the 15th century, probably as a result of technological advances in the process of drawing wire. The availability of affordable tempered brass wire allowed experiments to be made which created the clavichord and caused changes to instruments already in existence. In France, the Latin/Greek word dulce melos (or in French, doulcemèr) was applied to several instruments, but the one that stuck was the metal-strung psaltery usually struck with two sticks. In Germany, someone applied four double courses of metal strings and a bridge to the "string drum," a long box with two heavy gut strings struck with one or two rods and used as a droning rhythm instrument, and created the Hackbrett ("chopping block"). In distant Persia, the santur, probably related to the already existing kanun (a plucked instrument, related to the European psaltery), appeared during this century. By the early 16th century, the form of the European dulcimer as we know ita trapezoidal box with courses of multiple wire strings resting over a bridge or bridge, one of which divides the length of the strings into the ratio of 2:3had evolved.

In its early years, the instrument was chiefly played as a pastime by aristocratic ladies (France and England) and by more middle-class city dwellers (Switzerland and Germany), but minstrels soon adopted it and spread it further. Under the Latin-Greek name cymbalum Hungarian clergy and students played it, and by 1600, minstrels were using it there and in Poland and Russia. It seems to have entered England during the 15th century through aristocratic connections with French courts, but in the 16th century entered a slight decline. At this time, the word was also applied to an end-blown flute or a double-reed instrument, and it was in this sense that translators of the Bible used the word "dulcimer" in the third chapter of Daniel. A renewed interest in the metal-strung dulcimer seems to have developed after 1660 in England. In this period it was very common in taverns in London, sometimes accompanying violins, and it also became a kind of cheap harpsichord as well, found in the homes of gentry and more prosperous city dwellers.

It was in this second social setting that the dulcimer spread from England to its Atlantic colonies by the early 18th century. References to it suggest it found a place in wealthier homes in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York City, and Philadelphia, though a professional player made a tour in 1752 through most of the colonies. It is also certain that Germans immigrating to Pennsylvania in this period brought the Hackbrett, which accompanied the violin at dances, as it had in Germany. Immigrants from Ireland probably also brought it to America. After independence, the instrument moved with the population to the newer settlements in the interior. Surviving instruments and literary references suggest that it was an instrument used in the parlors of wealthier families, at least before 1830. Unlike the more prestigious and desirable piano, it was cheaper and did not require a music master to learn it.

The makers of the dulcimer also tended to live in the interior, rather than on the seaboard cities, where manufacturers of pianos and other instruments tended to operate. Among the earliest known dulcimer manufacturers were Richard Vernon, of Jefferson County, Indiana, who shipped flatboat loads of his products down to New Orleans in the 1830s, and Philander Cogswell, of Steuben County, New York, active at the same time. By 1848, when the unknown C. Haight wrote and published a method, commercial production was fully underway. In the latter 1850s, two factories, producing hundreds of dulcimers per year, were located around Sherman, New York. Both located second factories on the Kentucky side of the Ohio River and had agents as far west as Missouri. Between 1850 and 1880, traveling salesmen and makers themselves sold thousands of instruments all over the country. The nature of manufacture and distribution was different from that of the piano, banjo, or guitar. Dulcimer makers and manufacturers were located in rural areas, rather than urban areas, and sold them directly or through salesman, rather than through catalogs and music retailers. Most of the purchasers were probably farmers who bought them for their children to play alone or to participate in family music making.

One common use of the instrument was as accompaniment to the fiddle. This style was prevalent in an area stretching from western New York State and northern Pennsylvania westward through northern Ohio and Indiana, parts of Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, and probably elsewhere, including Utah. There were few players in this region who played more than a few tunes on it; most played "chords" in four keys (A, D, G, and C major) and three rhythms (2/4, 3/4, and 6/8). This was adequate for most informal rural dance music, which was the instrument's main venue. Elsewhere, the dulcimer was mostly played as a solo instrument, although sometimes with other instruments, but "chording" was unknown. These areas included northern West Virginia, Tennessee, New England, and probably other areas. As reed organs and then pianos became affordable, the interest in the dulcimer declined, and by 1920 it was rare. Here and there, individuals continued to play it at square dances, family reunions, and neighborhood parties, and for their own amusement. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, a revival of the instrument began to take place, and it has continued unabated since.

Where did the hammered dulcimer come from?

According to some people, the hammered dulcimer is an ancient instrument which existed in Biblical times. This is due to the translation of the Greek word sumponyah in Daniel 3 as "dulcimer" in the King James version of the Bible (1611). Others think, because of Carl Engel's 1864 theory that a bas-relief known as the "Procession of King Assurbanipal" depicted a man playing a hammered dulcimer, that the hammered dulcimer existed in Persia in the 10th century A.D. But it did not exist in Nebuchadnezzar's time (605-562 B.C.), nor in Persia in the 10th century A.D. The latest research, including that of Paul Gifford in his recent book The Hammered Dulcimer, A History, supports the belief that the hammered dulcimer developed from two other instruments in roughly the mid-to-late 14th and early 15th centuries (mid-to-late 1300s and early 1400s) A.D.  In his book, Paul outlines what he considers the most likely origin of the hammered dulcimer - that it developed from the middle eastern psaltery and, separately, from the string drum. The psaltery is an instrument that dates from around the 11th century A.D., and is considered to be more like the instrument really referred to in Daniel 3 instead of the hammered dulcimer. Paul Gifford says, "Prior to 1000 A.D. it is difficult to verify the existence of a true psaltery in either the European or Islamic worlds." (p. 11) So, we date the psaltery from the 11th century A.D., though some evidence points to earlier instruments that may have been at least similar to the psaltery. The psaltery was an instrument that looked much like a dulcimer, but was plucked rather than struck. Why was the psaltery plucked rather than struck? Why couldn't these instruments in the Bible and in the bas-relief have been hammered dulcimers? One major reason is the kind of strings that were available for use at the time.

Strings for Melody Nick Blanton, in his article, "The Origin of the Hammered Dulcimer Finally Not Explained, Part II", for Dulcimer Players News, discusses the reasons why hammered dulcimers were probably not possible for practical melodic use until the mid-14th century. Nick says that to have a string that is suitable for striking with a mallet rather than plucking with fingers, it really needs to be a drawn wire. Beaten wire has varying characteristics, "...hard spots and soft spots, and thin spots. Uneven hardness and uneven diameter make for weak wire, that breaks easily; wire that was more suitable for genteel plucking but not hammering." He goes on to say that drawn wire can be made longer and cheaper, with a more consistent diameter and hardness than beaten wire, all of which makes it stronger, and therefore, more suitable for hammering. (I would suggest anyone interested in this subject should read Nick's article in full. It can be obtained by contacting Dulcimer Players News, I believe.) The strings available in Nebuchanezzar's time, and until the mid-to-late 14th century (mid-to-late 1300s) A.D., were first gut strings, then later on, beaten wire strings. Gut strings produced the loudest and best sound when either bowed or plucked. Nick discusses the beaten wire strings above. Therefore, it was not until drawn wire technology was developed that strings were available of consistent diameter, and therefore sufficient strength to be put under high tension and quality to produce a clear, loud enough sound with which to play melodies as we know today.

Two predecessors, two "original" dulcimers

Two versions of the dulcimer developed separately at about the same time, one in France and one in Germany. The version that developed in France descended from the psaltery which was also the predecessor of the harpsichord. This version was called the doulcemér in French, the name probably being taken from the Latin dulce melos which means "sweet song". The German version developed from the string drum. This string drum is, curiously enough, also the predecessor of the present day tambourin à cordes found today in the French Pyrenees which is played with one "hammer" to accompany flute playing by the same player. The string drum is the predecessor of the Hackbrett, the German version of the dulcimer known today. Apparently, the German version overtook the French version in popularity and became the predominant version. So, the origins of the dulcimer as we know it today were in Europe in the mid-to-late 1300s and early 1400s, making it roughly 650-700 years old.

Beyond Origins, or "Where's the dulcimer?"

Versions of the dulcimer can be found today all over the world, in Europe, in China, in Scandinavia, in Persia, in Egypt, in Mexico, and in the U.S. As a result, there is a variety of music that can be and is played throughout the world on the hammered dulcimer in its various forms.

In Europe

In Europe, though dulcimers have remained mainly folk instruments, at least 2 versions of the dulcimer were popular on the concert stage, the pantaleon (built by Hebenstreit) in the 18th century and the cimbalom (built by Schunda) in the 19th century.

In the United States In the United States, the hammered dulcimer enjoyed somewhat widespread popularity in the 1700s and 1800s. Having been brought to America by settlers, the hammered dulcimer became a popular enough instrument that Montgomery Ward and Sear & Roebuck sold them in their mail order catalogs in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The last Sears & Roebuck catalog to include dulcimers in their musical instrument section was the 1902 or 1903 edition. A decline in the popularity of the instrument began around the 1890s and continued until the 1930s. This decline was due to the influence of people such as Lowell Mason who pushed the superiority of European art music over traditional music for a "cultured" people, and the violin and piano as more suitable for that music than the dulcimer. But the playing of the hammered dulcimer never entirely died out, and the instrument was "revived" in the 1970s, I believe, by the efforts of Sam Rizzetta and others. The current design of the hammered dulcimer was greatly influenced by Sam Rizzetta's development work during that time. Today in the US, the instrument is enjoying a continuing popularity as people are becoming more interested in traditional ethnic musics or are intrigued by the wonderful sound of the dulcimer. There are a number of instrument designers and builders in the U.S. today, as well as in the U.K., and a great number of workshops and festivals including, if not centering on, the hammered dulcimer.

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I added Ukraine's name for their version of the instrument... I don't know how to wikify it though.--207.47.136.32 07:20, 8 April 2006 (UTC)

Tuning pins -- some external (commercial) links showing sizes
This one shows piano pin diameters.

This one shows a zither pin with a nominal 3/16" diameter, and here are some 5 mm pins. The inch-denominated pins are meant to fit in a 3/16" or 0.1875" hole, and are about a hundredth of an inch oversize, at 0.198"

__Just plain Bill (talk) 02:41, 25 September 2008 (UTC)

Jimbows
A picture of one currently exists at http://www.elderly.com/accessories/items/JB41.htm - this is a copyrighted picture. FoolesTroupe (talk) 03:54, 30 September 2008 (UTC)

Hammer dulcimer
I've heard of hammer dulcimers, but never hammered dulcimers.Unfree (talk) 05:34, 30 August 2009 (UTC)
 * Hm. The Internet seems to differ: 251k hits for "hammered dulcimer" and only 59k for "hammer dulcimer". The ones I've seen for sale are almost always sold as 'hammered'. &mdash;  Hello Annyong  (say whaaat?!) 05:37, 30 August 2009 (UTC)
 * The Smithsonian Institution prefers "hammer".Unfree (talk) 05:40, 30 August 2009 (UTC)
 * Not always. Per WP:UCN, we go by what they're best known as, not always what the formal name is, and in this case, "hammered" is a more common name. The name "hammer dulcimer" appears in the infobox on the side, so it's at least covered in the text. &mdash;  Hello Annyong  (say whaaat?!) 05:45, 30 August 2009 (UTC)
 * Bad example. That link only shows they have a book using "hammered" in its title.Unfree (talk) 05:51, 30 August 2009 (UTC)


 * Funny I don't see the common name "cembalo".Unfree (talk) 05:48, 30 August 2009 (UTC)


 * I find references to harpsichords and other instruments containing hammers, but harpsichords don't contain hammers! They're plucked-string instruments. Struck string keyboard instruments are called pianos. The patent office has a category named "plectrum piano" for keyboard instruments in which strings are plucked, but which feature the "soft-loud" control of a pianoforte. Unfree (talk) 06:06, 30 August 2009 (UTC)