Description of dulcimer maker adds depth to double-ended dulcimer.
By Carilyn Vice
Jean Ritchie, famed dulcimer player and folk singer, writes of Will Singleton in at least two of her books: “Jean Ritchie’s Dulcimer People” and “The Dulcimer Book.” She says, “In Viper, where we lived, the dulcimer maker was Uncle Will Singleton.” His dulcimers were “usually oblong or gently curved in shape, generous in size. Uncomplicated and ample, like himself.”
She refers to him as “uncle” as he was “kin to the Halls,” and her mother’s maiden name was Hall. She paints a great picture of him with her words, “Uncle Will had a large kindly face framed by a shock of silky white hair, and a tremendous mustache to match. He was a big slow-moving man, easy of nature, always dressed neatly, even at home, with suspenders, the mark of a gentleman.”
Will Singleton Portrait by Doris Ulmann
Credit: Doris Ulmann (American, 1882-1934), Mr. Singleton, Dulcimer, Viper, Kentucky, c. 1933, platinum print, Berea College Art Collection, Berea, Kentucky. Used with permission.
- Doris Ulmann was a socially progressive, pioneering photojournalist, born in New York City in 1882. She collaborated with Allen Eaton of the Russell Sage Foundation to take the photographs for his book “Handicrafts of the Southern Highlands,” published in 1937 (available for free download).
- In 1933 and 1934 she traveled in the Appalachian mountains with folk singer John Jacob Niles, taking photographs of the people and places she saw. In August of 1934 she became ill and returned home to New York, where she passed away on August 28.
- In the introduction to his book, Eaton writes of Ulmann, “Few persons have ever undertaken a work and pursued it with clearer purpose and stronger will. Always frail, never enjoying good health, she continued to push on despite the entreaties of friends to rest awhile, until she had covered most of the territory … and had secured many more subjects than had appeared possible. The quality of her work speaks for itself.”
- The Doris Ulmann Foundation took custody of her work upon her death, developing the photographs and using many in Eaton’s book, fulfilling her wish that “these human records shall serve some social purpose.”
- Much of Ulmann’s work is viewable online in two places: University of Oregon Libraries’ Special Collections and Berea College Art Collection.
This description appears in both of the above-mentioned books. She states that she never asked him where he learned to make the dulcimer, and believes he made his own pattern up after seeing Ed Thomas’ dulcimers, and left the double curve off to make them easier to build. Most of his dulcimers have diamond-shaped sound holes and inlaid diamond designs. Heart-shaped sound holes were used in some of his later dulcimers.
It is very interesting to me that in the small town of Viper there was the musical Ritchie family and Uncle Will Singleton. Some thirty miles away, in Hindman, Kentucky, another great dulcimer maker lived, Jethro Amburgey, a woodworking teacher at the Hindman Settlement School.
At family gatherings, a yearly Hall reunion, 200-300 people would gather, each family bringing their own dinner basket. I have to share Jean Ritchie’s description of these get-togethers as I don’t want to rephrase it –
“Oaks rustled and bees buzzed, babies cried gently, old ladies fanned, the dulcimer droned and remembered.”
Jean Ritchie
In the book “Jean Ritchie’s Dulcimer People,” she recalls Uncle Will’s style of playing as like that of her father, using a noter and turkey-quill pick. Uncle Will and his wife, Aunt Vesta, sometimes played together on a courting dulcimer, and Jean remembers Uncle Will singing Aunt Vesta’s favorite song, “We’re Floating Down The Stream Of Time.” It is tabbed out on 3 pages from Jean with help from her son Peter, a “grand old song” in a major tuning.
Now that I have brought up a courting dulcimer, I will tie this in with the Will Singleton courting dulcimer I was fortunate to purchase, thanks to Ralph Lee Smith. Ralph received an email from James Floyd who wrote, “Nov 19, 2011. I found this dulcimer today at an estate sale in Pensacola, Florida. The label inside says W C Singleton – Viper KY – Box 75. It is a single neck 6 string with 3 wooden tuning pegs on each end. I will attach a picture. Any info would be greatly appreciated.”
Ralph writes back the next day, “Dear James. Thank you very much for sending me pictures of the most interesting dulcimer made by Will Singleton of Viper, Kentucky!
“Jean Ritchie’s family and the Singleton’s were Viper neighbors… eight dulcimers made by Singleton are described in L. Allen Smith’s book, “A Catalogue of Pre-Revival Appalachian Dulcimers.” And five of them are illustrated. No two of the illustrated ones are alike. One of them has a double fretboard as yours has, but all strings on this instrument are pegged at one end.
“However, for a Singleton dulcimer with a peg head at both ends that strongly resembles yours, see the instrument held by Singleton in a picture… in “Handicrafts of the Southern Highlands” by Allen H. Eaton, published 1937. YOU SHOULD LOOK AT THIS! I wonder if you have that instrument!”
Ralph also writes, “In all our days of snooping and collecting, I don’t think we ever got a shot at a Singleton. I would be grateful if you could tell everything you know about it as I would like to describe and illustrate it in my history column in Dulcimer Player News. Best Wishes, Ralph.”
Photo by Carilyn Vice.
So, Ralph emailed several collectors and I was very pleased to end up with it. Of course, I had to buy the Eaton book. The Singleton photo is also in “The Dulcimer Book” by Jean Ritchie.
I know, for those who may not be totally into the history of makers of dulcimers, I have gone on and on and on. However, I find it interesting how people and makers all must have been spreading the word around and exchanging ideas about dulcimer patterns, what woods to use, spaces on fretboards, and even how to make a courting dulcimer.
Looking at it, you would think it would be impossible for two people to play, as the instrument is only 6 1/2 inches at the widest part. I think it is a very amazing dulcimer and I love having it in my collection.
More than 35 years ago, Vice started collecting dulcimers. Today, her collection has about 50 pieces. Reach her at carilynvice@gmail.com.
Archives
Ralph Lee Smith wrote the long-running “Tales and Traditions” column for DPN. He mentions this Singleton dulcimer in his column in Vol. 38, No. 1 (Winter 2012). You can read this article here.
