Shetland fiddle music
Summary
Shetland fiddle music centers on the islands’ dance tunes, distinctive fiddle practices and a continuing body of locally composed music. It includes contemporary ensemble development as well as solo and archival playing.
Contemporary and trending
Current recordings and concert performances keep this repertoire in circulation. The listening collection includes recent and worthwhile earlier versions, with performer and version credits retained; it does not treat an upload date as a composition date. Aly Bain, Catriona Macdonald, Fiddlers’ Bid, Kevin Henderson, Jenna Reid and Chris Stout provide useful entries into different generations and settings.[1]
History
Local dance and social music developed through island communities and outward maritime connections. Named players, composers, teachers and bands have sustained and changed the repertoire across generations.[2]
Musical characteristics
Bowing, rhythmic lift, phrasing and the relation between melody and accompaniment distinguish performances. Reels and other dance tunes coexist with lyrical slow airs and newer compositions; not every tune played by a Shetland fiddler originated in Shetland.
Geography and communities
The Shetland archipelago is the core musical landscape. Teaching, festivals and touring extend its reach internationally. Orkney has its own traditions and is not simply part of a Shetland fiddle field.[3]
Artists
Aly Bain, Catriona Macdonald, Fiddlers’ Bid, Kevin Henderson, Jenna Reid and Chris Stout provide useful entries into different generations and settings.
Recording entrances
Willie Hunter; Violet Tulloch; Aly Bain — Willie Hunter with Violet Tulloch and Aly Bain[4]; Aly Bain; Peerie Willie Johnston — Aly Bain and Peerie Willie Johnston playing Margarets Waltz[5]. These are particular versions, not a claim that every work by each performer belongs here.
Related genres
Scottish traditional; Scottish Gaelic song; Scots song.
References
- ↑ Shetland in seven fiddle tunes.
- ↑ Shetland in seven fiddle tunes.
- ↑ Shetland in seven fiddle tunes.
- ↑ Willie Hunter with Violet Tulloch and Aly Bain — primary release/performance credits.
- ↑ Aly Bain and Peerie Willie Johnston playing Margarets Waltz — primary release/performance credits.
Third-party material retains its credited licenses.
Source: Shetland fiddle music — https://wiki.muglobe.com/wiki/Shetland_fiddle_music