John Fulaytor playing fiddle and Joe Fulaytor on cimbalom. According to Gerry Milnes, the brothers had a “gypsy* band” (their term) that traveled through the coal camps of WV, playing at Hungarian enclaves for weddings and christenings.” The band played traditional Hungarian Roma folk music, incorporating the sounds of the cimbalom, which is a dulcimer-like instrument played with cotton or leather-tipped spoon-shaped hammers. Photograph by Gerry Milnes, Aug 1989, Barrickville, WV.
archive reference: GM S1488.
Project description:
The Milnes Collection contains audio-visual recordings made and collected by the Augusta Heritage Center’s former Folk Arts Coordinator, Gerald Milnes. Throughout his career with Augusta, Milnes conducted field work to amass a large collection of photographs, oral histories, music, and event recordings. He recorded the bulk of the collection from the early 1970s to 2013, but the collection also includes tapes and photographs with earlier dates that others sent to him.
*The term “gypsy” is used here as part of the self-identified description of a traveling band with Hungarian Romani ancestry. Donald Cohen, who wrote “Two Voices, One Soul: Roma Music of Hungary and Romania” discusses the origins of this music on folkworks.com. Lexicologists suggest that the term is offensive and recommend using the word with caution, if at all. Substituting the words “Roma” or “Romani” is considered more appropriate in modern writing and speech.
