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Written in fRoots issue 203, 2000

GEREBEN
The Árgyélus Birdie
Pan PAN 176CD (1999)

Back in the days when there weren’t so many albums about and a few circulating imported copies of an LP could have a considerable effect, the exciting whizzing jangly strum of Richard Fariña’s Appalachian dulcimer, and the instrument’s use by Kentucky’s Jean Ritchie and others, prompted the making and playing of quite a few on this side of the Atlantic. However, despite its modal and dronal predispositions, the vogue for the instrument faded somewhat (perhaps because syncopated backbeats didn’t seem at the time to be the key to much of the British material), and here nowadays “dulcimer” more often means “hammered dulcimer”.
      The Appalachian dulcimer is a migrated variant of European fretted zither, kin to such as the Nordic hummel and langeleik, the Austrian “Harry Lime Theme” zither, and the Hungarian zither. This latter, called in Hungarian citera, has various forms but is often an item with multiple fretboards, an open back and not much of a sound-box, but Antal Rácz and Ferenc Túry worked on its design and technique, formed the band Gereben in 1978 and stimulated something of a citera revival.
      On the front of The Árgyélus Birdie Rácz is holding a single-fretboard zither with a head-scroll and long, basically rectangular soundbox with four sound-holes - essentially very similar to Appalachian dulcimer - and he plays it in a skilful zippy, scampery largely strummed style.
      The Hungarian traditional songs he plays and sings, their lyrics invoking the likes of birds, bears, blewits and bacon, have shapes and rhythms that suit his zither’s strengths. Dick and Mimi Fariña’s most memorable items often had hints of the Balkanoid about them, and the form and function kinship works both ways; one tune here has similarities to Old Joe Clark and Shady Grove.
      The current Gereben consists of Rácz on zither and vocals, with fiddler and lute-player (of the gutty, strong style rather than the Baroque-delicate) Ottó Römer, and Péter Molnár on double bass and gardon, the cello-shaped plucked/hit string-percussion instrument. One of the trio, the notes don’t specify who, plays what sounds like a darabuka, too
      It’s a very well-blending instrumental combination, making such appealing whizz-jangle-slap-boom grooves that it’s surprising it’s not been done to any noticeable extent by others, and it could be a spur to getting that neglected dulcimer down off the wall and back into action.


© 2000 Andrew Cronshaw
 

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