In search of an Old World cousin of the banjo, the BRC founder spent dappled days of autumn tracing the meanderings of the cobalt blue Danube River through eastern Europe. In Budapest, he briefly paused his quest to play harmonica with a friendly Gypsy fiddler. (Click all photos to enlarge.)
While visiting a farm for show horses near the Austrian border, the BRC founder and fellow travelers enjoyed the up tempo music of an Hungarian folk band during the dinner hour. A masterful musician feverishly played the cimbalom– a forefather of the American hammer dulcimer. After the meal, a tiny old man (seated center far behind the quartet) shared his memories of living under the heavy bootheels of the German and then Soviet occupying forces during his youth.
In the cobblestoned medieval city of Cesky Krumlov, a Czech trio dressed in 16th century garb performed lilting Renaissance tunes during an evening feast at the end of the tour.
Alas, the trip proved to be a cavalcade of violins. But, no banjos were found- like the one held by the unknown picker in this archival photograph of rural Americana . Can you identify the fiddler?
Answer: Bill Monroe`s fondly remembered Uncle Pen.
