| A Brief History of Scottish Fiddling |
The word, "Fiddle," most likely comes from the name of the early Roman stringed instrument,
the vidula, and then through the old English word, fithele, and into modern English and Gaelic
as fiddle and fidhel (pronounced fi' ull), respectively.*
Fiddlers were first mentioned in the royal court records of Scotland starting in 1497 with King
James IV's household payroll (roughly five fiddlers total!).*
Originally, fiddlers played the fiddle, an oval or guitar-shaped stringed instrument that had a
flat front and back. It was played with a short bow that more closely resembled the archer's
bow with a reversed curve than today's bow. Eventually, viols, with their cleaner and more
resonant sound, mostly replaced the old fiddles, but both instruments were rendered obsolete
with the introduction of the violin in the 1700's. Its far superior sound quickly became the
instrument of choice for musicians who continued to play the old fiddle music. (The modern
violin bow had also been adopted.) Despite the instrumental switching, the use of the term
"fiddle" has been maintained through today. As a term, it is now used interchangeably with
"violin," and better indicates the style of music the musician plays on the violin.*
Fiddling in Scotland was primarily a social art, with most villages as well as the towns having a
fiddler who played for dances, weddings, and other special occasions. Often individual lairds
took fiddlers under their patronage.
Following the 1745 Rising, the same proscription that forbade the wearing of the kilt also
heavily discouraged the playing of the bagpipes, and so the fiddle came to the fore. At this
time in the Highlands, very little music was actually written down. Traditional tunes of the
pipes and the fiddle were preserved by being passed on aurally from one fiddler to another,
often from father to son. In the Lowlands, tunes were passed on both aurally and in
manuscript form. The late 1700's and early 1800's were a heyday for publication of Scottish
fiddle collections including those of popular fiddlers such as Neil Gow, Robert Mackintosh,
and William Marshall.
Within the breadth of the Scottish fiddle repertoire, not only do tunes exist that are meant just
for listening such as airs and slow strathspeys, but a wonderful variety of lively jigs, reels, and
graceful strathspeys also exist and are meant to accompany dancing. As music is a stimulus to
any form of dance, no music is more fitting and inspiring to its purpose than music written
especially for Scottish dancing.
The technique of Scottish fiddling is somewhat different from the classical violin approach.
Unique bowing, phrasing, ornamentation, and accent are required by the light, fast jigs (6/8
time), reels (2/4, 4/4, or “cut” time), and hornpipes (3/2 or 2/4 time), and the powerful, yet
graceful, strathspeys (4/4 time).
It was the fiddle that came with the Scottish immigrants to America, and in the Appalachian
Mountains one readily hears the influence of Scottish jigs and reels in the Old-Time and
Bluegrass music of today.
(* from Mary Anne Alburger's "Scottish Fiddlers and their Music," & with input from Melinda Crawford and Laura Risk)
the vidula, and then through the old English word, fithele, and into modern English and Gaelic
as fiddle and fidhel (pronounced fi' ull), respectively.*
Fiddlers were first mentioned in the royal court records of Scotland starting in 1497 with King
James IV's household payroll (roughly five fiddlers total!).*
Originally, fiddlers played the fiddle, an oval or guitar-shaped stringed instrument that had a
flat front and back. It was played with a short bow that more closely resembled the archer's
bow with a reversed curve than today's bow. Eventually, viols, with their cleaner and more
resonant sound, mostly replaced the old fiddles, but both instruments were rendered obsolete
with the introduction of the violin in the 1700's. Its far superior sound quickly became the
instrument of choice for musicians who continued to play the old fiddle music. (The modern
violin bow had also been adopted.) Despite the instrumental switching, the use of the term
"fiddle" has been maintained through today. As a term, it is now used interchangeably with
"violin," and better indicates the style of music the musician plays on the violin.*
Fiddling in Scotland was primarily a social art, with most villages as well as the towns having a
fiddler who played for dances, weddings, and other special occasions. Often individual lairds
took fiddlers under their patronage.
Following the 1745 Rising, the same proscription that forbade the wearing of the kilt also
heavily discouraged the playing of the bagpipes, and so the fiddle came to the fore. At this
time in the Highlands, very little music was actually written down. Traditional tunes of the
pipes and the fiddle were preserved by being passed on aurally from one fiddler to another,
often from father to son. In the Lowlands, tunes were passed on both aurally and in
manuscript form. The late 1700's and early 1800's were a heyday for publication of Scottish
fiddle collections including those of popular fiddlers such as Neil Gow, Robert Mackintosh,
and William Marshall.
Within the breadth of the Scottish fiddle repertoire, not only do tunes exist that are meant just
for listening such as airs and slow strathspeys, but a wonderful variety of lively jigs, reels, and
graceful strathspeys also exist and are meant to accompany dancing. As music is a stimulus to
any form of dance, no music is more fitting and inspiring to its purpose than music written
especially for Scottish dancing.
The technique of Scottish fiddling is somewhat different from the classical violin approach.
Unique bowing, phrasing, ornamentation, and accent are required by the light, fast jigs (6/8
time), reels (2/4, 4/4, or “cut” time), and hornpipes (3/2 or 2/4 time), and the powerful, yet
graceful, strathspeys (4/4 time).
It was the fiddle that came with the Scottish immigrants to America, and in the Appalachian
Mountains one readily hears the influence of Scottish jigs and reels in the Old-Time and
Bluegrass music of today.
(* from Mary Anne Alburger's "Scottish Fiddlers and their Music," & with input from Melinda Crawford and Laura Risk)