When the new National Museum of Scotland galleries open in 2011,
you'll discover a brand new area, Performance and
Lives, dedicated to performance traditions throughout the
world, including an exploration of the musical traditions of
Scotland.
Traditional music has enjoyed a renaissance in recent years,
with contemporary musicians combining modern inspiration with folk
roots to create their own new sound and reaching larger audiences
than ever before.
Our bagpipe collection is world-famous and already well
displayed, so the new gallery presents an opportunity to
enrich our collection of Scottish fiddles. A decision was therefore
made to commission a fiddle from a Scottish maker for the reopening
of the Museum.
Who made the fiddle?
There are many fine fiddle-makers in Scotland, but when it came
to commissioning the instrument, one name stood out, the Shetland
maker Ewen Thomson (left).
Ewen was born on Fair Isle in the Shetland Islands and raised in
a musical family. He credits his grandfather with encouraging him
to take up violin-making and, at the age of sixteen, he attended
the Newark School of Violin-making in Nottinghamshire. On his
return to Shetland, he set up his own workshop making and restoring
violins, violas and cellos. His fiddles are renowned for their
superior craftsmanship, and are much sought after, played by top
musicians in both the folk and classical genres.
Inspired by the landscape around him, he incorporates a little
of his surroundings into his fiddles, making his own varnish from
local materials. Each hand-crafted instrument is unique in its own
way: “I don’t have an interest in an exact copy;” Ewen explains, “I
like to make my own.”
Susan Lewandowski, Assistant Curator of Ethnomusicology at
National Museums Scotland, commented: “We are thrilled to have one
of Ewen’s fiddles in the national collections. His work is held in
high esteem by some of Scotland’s finest musicians. This commission
represents a fantastic opportunity to capture just one strand of a
vibrant contemporary music scene which has roots imbedded in a rich
and long-reaching tradition.”
Ewen Thomson said: “I can’t quite believe that my fiddle is to
be displayed in the National Museum of Scotland. I’m delighted that
Shetland’s musical tradition will be represented in the new gallery
and hope that millions of visitors from home and abroad will enjoy
seeing it.”
Where is the fiddle displayed?
The fiddle is displayed in the Performance and Lives gallery.
Shetland Young Fiddler of the Year 2009
Chapman Cheng tries out the Shetland fiddle.
Not only will you be able to see the fiddle on display, but
you’ll also be able to hear selected recordings in the gallery.
The fiddle’s music will also be available through our innovative
new interactive game, World Music Composer, which will give
visitors the chance to mix their own tunes using the Museum’s
collection of audio files.
January saw the fiddle’s first live performance at a free
concert in the Shetland Museum and Archives in Lerwick. It will
also be played in the National Museum of Scotland throughout
2010.