Origins of the Mountain Dulcimer

by John Calkin

Originally published in American Lutherie #34, 1993



Note to readers: The following history was the product of a research grant. However, the granting institution had a falling out with the author and refused to publish the work it had paid for. The author, for his part, had spent all the money and really didn’t care if the paper was every published. Such wastefulness shouldn’t be tolerated in a free country. Since the author is a good friend of mine, I stole it from his care and present it to you here, much condensed and free of bothersome academic footnotes. I hope you find it informative.

— John Calkin

I was surprised and pleased to receive this grant from the ____ Foundation, since I was on the very verge of looking for a job. At once I moved my headquarters to a bench outside the Hunterdon County Public Library, where I spent the days doing research. Evenings I spent at Frank’s Tavern, ruminating over my days’s work. My Foundation advisor tracked me down there, and, upon learning of my progress, invited me to get out of town to finish my research. In under an hour I was packed and rolling toward the Southern Appalachian Mountains.