In 1966, while a student at Western Washington University, Robert Force first heard the “sweet music” of the Appalachian Mountain dulcimer. He went to a local violin maker, showed him a picture, and asked him if he could build one for him. So it was that Force, living on the West Coast, began his love affair with an instrument which had its roots in the Scotch/Irish heritage of the pioneers who settled the eastern mountain range that gives this indigenous American instrument its name.
Over the next five years, Force sought other players and perfected his playing style. In North Carolina, he met Albert d’Ossché, whose techniques and music closely paralleled his own. They began a collaboration which would span more than 20 years, until d’Ossché’s death, and that would revolutionize the world of dulcimer music.
The music of Force/d’Ossché is more than just basic melodies. The melody is most certainly there, but the rhythm and dynamics of the arrangements are what make their music sing. These, the real foundations of the music, are what truly speak to the soul of the listener.
The CD, Wellyn: The Double Dulcimer Magic of Robert Force & Albert d’Ossché, reveals the full range of sound that the dulcimer is capable of creating. Primarily an instrument used to play folk music, in the hands of Force/d’Ossché, it takes us far beyond that genre. Wellyn spotlights the innovative playing style Force and d’Ossché have brought to the dulcimer world, and it offers an interesting combination of original and traditional pieces.
The title song, an original piece by Force, is a prime example of the driving style of music so characteristic of the duo. It moves from major to minor, and is played using an unusual full-barre style, not at all traditional, and an indication of the future wave of new compositions for the dulcimer.
All of the cuts on this CD are compelling in their originality of style and substance. The more familiar pieces, ‘Dixie,’ ‘Waltzing Matilda,’ and ‘Wabash Cannonball,’ were a particularly pleasant surprise when treated to the Force/d’Ossché style. This CD promises to delight every listener.
Besides playing both the mountain dulcimer and the hammered dulcimer, Lynn Holberton writes feature articles for the newsletters of both the Cincinnati, Ohio, Dulcimer Society and the Hills of Kentucky Dulcimer Club.
Robert Force is director of Washington State University’s North Olympic Peninsula Learning Center.