Dr. Tom (Tammie) Anderson MBE, (1910-1991) was a renowned Shetland fiddler and teacher. He was affectionately known to his peers as "Muckle Tammie" (Big Tommy).
Dr. Tom Anderson was known to many in Shetland as the saviour of Shetland's musical heritage long before he died.
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Born on 29 August, 1910 on a croft ("Moorfield") at Eshaness in the north of Mainland, Anderson learned to play the fiddle from his grandfather. Although he made his living as an insurance agent, his paramount work was in the conservation of traditional Shetland fiddle style of playing - playing and passing the style on to younger generations. He was the oldest child of James Anderson (b. 26 Sep 1879, Hamnavoe, Northmavine) and his wife Harriet Margaret Johnson (b. 24 Apr 1882, Avensgarth, Northmavine).
He married Barbara Morrison, a teacher, (b. 17 Oct 1901, Garderhouse, Sandsting) on the 10th of December 1929 at the United Free Church, Ollaberry. They had one child, James John Laurence, who died while still an infant.
His career as a musical mentor really took off when he retired in the early 1970s and began teaching traditional fiddle playing in local schools. Today, hundreds of pupils all over Shetland have studied fiddle in school as a direct result of his efforts.
Tom was taught to play the fiddle by his grandfather. Although Tom worked as an insurance salesman, music was his passion. It's said that when he was out on his tours collecting premiums, he always had his fiddle in the back of the car so that whenever he came to a house where a fiddler lived, once the business was out of the way, out came the fiddles. In this way he got to know a great many players, and learned many tunes.
During the post-war years he dedicated much time to recording tunes from fiddlers throughout Shetland. In 1960 he was instrumental in the formation of the Shetland Fiddlers' Society, and in the early 60's he brought together the best local fiddlers to form the The Forty Fiddlers.
During this time he gave lessons to many young fiddlers, including Aly Bain. When he retired in the early 1970s Tom started teaching fiddle in schools, passing on his knowledge and passion for traditional music to hundreds of children, many of whom have gone on to play in local bands, or just play for fun, while a few have taken the music further afield, but either way they carried forward Tom's passion.
Anderson's passion for his life’s work earned him international renown, an MBE in 1977, and an honorary doctorate in 1981 from Stirling University.
In 1977 Tom was awarded an MBE in recognition of his contribution to music, and in 1981 he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Stirling University. In 1981 Tom formed Shetland's Young Heritage, a group formed from his pupils, to carry forward the music. From this group Catriona MacDonald has gone on to achieve international acclaim.
From an early age Tom was writing music, and throughout his life wrote roughly 500 tunes, mostly dedicated to Shetland place and people. Perhaps one of his most famous tunes was 'Da Slockit Light' which was inspired by the depopulation of the area of Eshaness where he was born. Each time the occupants of another croft moved out, or died, another light was 'slockit', (Shetland for extinguished).
"I was coming out of Eshaness in late January, 1969, the time was after 11 pm and as i looked back at the top of the hill leading out of the district, I saw so few lights compared to what I remembered when I was young. As I watched, the lights started going out one by one. That, coupled with the recent death of my wife, made me think of the old word ‘Slockit’ meaning, a light that has gone out, and I think that was what inspired the tune.” – From a tape recorded interview with Tom Anderson by a student in 1970.
Tom Anderson died on the 20th of September, 1991 at the Montfield Hospital, Lerwick.
Tom left a musical legacy to Shetland, not only in his archive of recordings and sheet music, but in the skill and passion which he brought out in so many of his pupils. He was also author of a number of books, including the seminal 'Da Mirrie Dancers', published by the Shetland Folk Society in 1970.
The sheet music for 'Da Slockit Light' is available @:
This article incorporates text from the article Tom_Anderson on Shetlopedia, which was licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License until September 14, 2007.