ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. —  An ancestor to the piano and hugely popular during the Middle Ages, the classic sound of the Dulcimer is experiencing a renaissance with contemporary music enthusiasts right here in New Mexico, as well as across the Nation.

The hammered dulcimer is thought to have developed independently in the 16th century, in France from the psaltery, and in Germany from the string drum. It gained wide popularity as the instrument of the day, and then spread from England to the American colonies by the early 18th century. It found its way into frontier areas and was popular in 19th-century lumber camps (sometimes called a lumberjack piano). As reed organs and then pianos became affordable, interest in hammered dulcimers waned, and by 1920 they were fairly rare. By the 1960s, they were all but extinct worldwide. The ensuing folk revival saw the instrument reintroduced in numerous cultures, and interest continues to grow today.Irma and Scott Reeder of the New Mexico Dulcimer Association played in studio and there will be an opportunity to hear a concert featuring up to eight dulcimers on Saturday, Jan. 20 at 12 p.m.  The performance will take place at the Library at Lomas and Tramway, and admission is free.

The 501(c)(3) non-profit New Mexico Dulcimer Association has produced the annual New Mexico Dulcimer Festival since 2010, to benefit the local, regional, and national music community. The festival offers music workshop, including the those for Mountain dulcimer and hammered dulcimer.  The workshops are designed to instruct students in some of the many playing styles and techniques, from historically traditional to contemporary, for the absolute beginner to the advanced player. Supporting our mission statement, the Association also offers workshops on other folk instruments each festival. Past auxiliary workshops have included autoharp, banjo, bodhrán (Irish frame drum), bowed psaltery, Celtic harp, fiddle, guitar, harmonica, mandolin, tin whistle, ukulele, singing, songwriting, Jewish folk melodies, clogging, performance anxiety and Palliative music therapy.

For more information, visit their website.