Shetland Fiddlers' Society

Shetland Fiddlers' Society is a traditional-music organization based in Shetland, Scotland. It brings together fiddlers who perform regularly for Shetland folk dancing and appear at public cultural events, including Shetland's Folk Festival and the Accordion and Fiddle Festival. The society is principally a performing and educational association rather than a commercial consumer brand, and its identity is closely tied to the distinctive repertoire, dance traditions, and community culture of the Shetland Islands. The organization originated during the Hamefarin of May 1960. The Hamefarin was a major post-war homecoming organized for approximately 150 Shetlanders who had emigrated and settled in places including Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the United States. A week of events was arranged across the islands, with a Grand Variety Concert and a Shetland Concert held at the Garrison Theatre in Lerwick. Both concerts opened with a large ensemble of approximately forty fiddlers recruited from across mainland Shetland and trained during the preceding winter by the influential Shetland musician and teacher Tom Anderson. The massed ensemble was warmly received and soon attracted requests to perform elsewhere in Shetland. It was also invited to play during a planned royal visit by Queen Elizabeth II. In response to the demand for further performances, the musicians formally constituted the Shetland Fiddlers' Society on 29 June 1960, with Anderson as its leader. Journalist Magnus Magnusson, covering the royal visit for The Scotsman, gave the ensemble the affectionate nickname “Da Forty Fiddlers.” The name remained associated with the group for many years, although membership later fluctuated. The society's stated purposes are cultural preservation, public presentation, and education. It seeks to preserve and develop traditional Shetland fiddle playing, provide concerts and other public performances for the enjoyment and education of audiences, and teach musicians the traditional style. Weekly practice meetings have remained an important part of its activity. Anderson left the society in 1980, but the organization continued to perform and support the transmission of Shetland fiddle music. Recording has been another important part of the society's public legacy. Its discography includes albums issued from the 1960s through the 2010s, documenting ensemble performances and the changing membership of the group. A 50th-anniversary tune book, associated with The Fiddle Frenzy Collection, collected tune sets from the society's earlier recordings. The society therefore functions both as a live community ensemble and as a repository of recorded Shetland repertoire. Its continuing significance lies in connecting local musicians, social dancing, public performance, and the preservation of a regional musical tradition.

The Shetland Fiddlers' Society emerged from a large-scale musical presentation staged during the Hamefarin in May 1960. The Hamefarin brought home around 150 Shetlanders who had emigrated to countries including Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the United States. The return event included concerts and social activities across the islands, with major performances at Lerwick's Garrison Theatre. Tom Anderson, a leading Shetland fiddler and teacher, gathered about forty players from mainland Shetland and trained them during the preceding winter. The ensemble performed as “massed fiddlers” at the opening of both the Grand Variety Concert and the Shetland Concert. The performances proved highly popular, generating requests for appearances around Shetland and an invitation connected with Queen Elizabeth II's planned royal visit. The musicians responded by establishing a formal society on 29 June 1960, appointing Anderson as its leader. The ensemble became widely known by the nickname “Da Forty Fiddlers,” reportedly given by journalist Magnus Magnusson of The Scotsman. Although the number of participating musicians later declined or changed, the nickname remained an important part of the group's public identity. The society developed a continuing role in local cultural life through performances for Shetland folk dancing, concerts, festivals, and other public events. Its objectives combine preservation and education. The society aims to maintain and develop the traditional art of Shetland fiddle playing, present the music for public enjoyment and instruction, and educate musicians in the regional style. Regular practice meetings have supported this community-based model of transmission. Anderson remained associated with the society until leaving in 1980, after which the organization continued independently. The society has also preserved its work through recordings. Releases include Da 40 Fiddlers Entertain from 1964; Shetland Fiddlers on Stage - Vol. 1 from 1976; Shetland Fiddlers Vol. 2 from 1978; Welcome to the Hamefarin from 1985; Come Again – You're Welcome! from 1993; Eenie's Spring from 1996; Da Bride's a Bonny Ting from 2004; and Da Reel Thing from 2014. A 2013 compilation, 50 Years of the Shetland Fiddlers' Society, drew on seven earlier recordings and was connected with the society's 50th-anniversary publication. The broader Shetland Fiddlers release from 1973, reissued in 2002, compiled recordings involving several traditional-music performers and groups. Today, the society is best understood as a continuing cultural association rather than a conventional commercial brand. Its importance comes from sustaining a regional musical practice through ensemble playing, dance accompaniment, public performance, recordings, and the passing of repertoire between generations.

• 2014

  Da Reel Thing released

  [1]Shetland Fiddlers' Societyen.wikipedia.org

  The society's listed discography reaches the 2010s with the release of Da Reel Thing.

• 2010

  50th anniversary

  [1]Shetland Fiddlers' Societyen.wikipedia.org

  The society marks five decades of activity with a commemorative tune-book project.

• 1980

  Tom Anderson leaves the society

  [1]Shetland Fiddlers' Societyen.wikipedia.org

  The founding leader departs, while the society continues its activities.

• 1964

  First listed album released

  [1]Shetland Fiddlers' Societyen.wikipedia.org

  Da 40 Fiddlers Entertain becomes the first listed recording in the society's discography.

• 1960

  Massed fiddlers perform at the Hamefarin

  [1]Shetland Fiddlers' Societyen.wikipedia.org

  Approximately forty Shetland fiddlers trained by Tom Anderson perform at major Hamefarin concerts in Lerwick.

• 1960

  Society formally established

  [1]Shetland Fiddlers' Societyen.wikipedia.org

  The musicians establish the Shetland Fiddlers' Society on 29 June, with Tom Anderson as leader.

A community-rooted cultural organization positioned around the preservation, teaching, and public performance of traditional Shetland fiddle music.

• Album · 1964

  Da 40 Fiddlers Entertain

  The earliest listed album by the society, documenting the ensemble's traditional Shetland fiddle performance style.

• Album · 1976

  Shetland Fiddlers on Stage - Vol. 1

  A later recording presenting the society in a stage-performance setting and preserving its ensemble sound.

• Album · 1985

  Welcome to the Hamefarin

  A recording connected by title and repertoire to the Hamefarin tradition from which the society originated.

• Album · 2014

  Da Reel Thing

  A 2014 album representing the society's continuing recording activity and its focus on traditional Shetland fiddle music.

• Compilation and tune book · 2013

  50 Years of the Shetland Fiddlers' Society

  A commemorative project associated with the society's 50th anniversary, compiling tune sets from seven earlier recordings and documenting the ensemble's recorded heritage.

• 2010

  Anniversary publicationOther

  Background

  The society reached its fiftieth anniversary and had accumulated a substantial recorded repertoire.

  Action taken

  It produced a commemorative tune book associated with The Fiddle Frenzy Collection and its earlier recordings.

  Aftermath

  The publication helped document the society's repertoire and historical recording legacy.

  Source

• 1960

  Formal creation of a standing fiddle societyStrategy

  Background

  The massed-fiddler ensemble assembled for the Hamefarin received strong public interest and requests for further performances.

  Action taken

  The musicians constituted the Shetland Fiddlers' Society on 29 June 1960 and appointed Tom Anderson as leader.

  Aftermath

  The new society became a continuing vehicle for concerts, dance accompaniment, musician education, and preservation of Shetland fiddle traditions.

  Source

• 2010

  Shetland Fiddlers' Society marks its 50th anniversary[1]Shetland Fiddlers' Societyen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The society commemorated five decades of activity with a tune book collecting sets associated with its earlier recordings.

• 1960

  Shetland Fiddlers' Society is formed after the Hamefarin performances[1]Shetland Fiddlers' Societyen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Following the successful massed-fiddler performances during Shetland's Hamefarin celebrations and invitations to perform elsewhere, the musicians formally established the Shetland Fiddlers' Society on 29 June 1960.

1. 1Shetland Fiddlers' Societyen.wikipedia.org