Songs of the Earthly Pilgrimage: Medieval and World Folk Music on the Appalachian Mountain Dulcimer

The one great story that unites all the songs on this album is the medieval vision of human life as an earthly pilgrimage from birth until death and into eternal life. On this journey, one will experience not only battles, internal and external, but also times of joy, and even profound encounters with the sublime. Each song, in its way, pays tribute to an aspect of this timeless journey through medieval and World folk expressions. All the songs are played entirely on the Appalachian mountain dulcimer, a traditional American instrument. Sharing these songs on the mountain dulcimer is meaningful to me not only because many of these pieces strike me as the kind of music that would have been played on the zither ancestors of the mountain dulcimer but also because these songs are deeply associated with stories I have loved throughout the years. My hope is that these songs from my journey might be as small beacons for you on your own pilgrimage…

- Jessica Comeau