The Passing of Jean Ritchie

[Gregg E. Schneeman & Jean Gaffey]

 http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/03/arts/music/jean-ritchie-who-reviv...  If you look at one of the photos with this article about Jean Ritchie's life you might notice a Bowed Psaltery in the back ground. Jean and I crossed paths at different folk events often enough that she remembered my name and encouraged my Bowed Psaltery fixation. Before I even tried to play an instrument I was a folk record fan of her, Richard Farina, and other Dulcimer players. In 1972 while hitchhiking around America I passed thru Columbus Ohio long enough to buy my first Dulcimer, a Musical Traditions made in NYC, ended up back in Pasadena, turned on a T.V., and there's Jean Ritchie playing her Dulcimer accompanied by a Guitar player! They finished, the guitarist put it down, and without a word picked up a little small triangular stringed instrument he played with a bow in the cello position a few notes, sang acapella,  put it down, and they went on to play some more with the Guitar and Dulcimer. He might have already said what it was but I missed that part!  Years later I got a chance to ask her who that was. She said "Oh Gregg I've been on television so many times with so many people she couldn't remember who that was!"  So I still don't know who that first BP player I ever saw was! Her support for taking the Bowed Psaltery seriously was probably more important than most people realize. Jean Ritchie along with her newly wed husband photographer George Pickow, Alan Lomax, and Peter Kennedy went to Padstow England and filmed the "OSS OSS" traditions in this very important historical footage that makes me feel happy and tearful at the same time every time I watch it! https://youtu.be/ISO1QmG_VE4 ... at one point Jean can be seen looking out a window.

[Brenda Mangan]

What a nice story, Gregg. How great that you knew her personally. Thanks for sharing this, I didn't know about her connection with the bowed psaltery.