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  • Arthur Scott Robertson
 Scottish Instrumentalists
Arthur Scott Robertson

Arthur Scott Robertson (1911-2000) was born in Bressay, Shetland, and was influenced to take up the fiddle by a neighbour, 'old' Willie Hunter. He took lessons in Lerwick from Gideon Stove but, like many fiddlers from Shetland, he loved Scottish fiddle music, and he veered away from the native Shetland style and immersed himself in the music of James Scott Skinner and William Marshall.

During the 1930s Robertson travelled to Aberdeen to take lessons from J Murdoch Henderson; when Henderson introduced him to Hector MacAndrew, there started a life-long admiration of what has been called the North-East style of fiddle playing. It was in this genre that he won the Scottish Fiddle Championship competition of 1969. His first recording followed a couple of years later. Robertson was also a prolific composer, publishing his collection Musical Reflections in five volumes in the 1980s. Some of Arthur Scott Robertson's recordings are listed below.


Scottish Fiddlers to the Fore Scottish Fiddlers to the Fore (BBC Records REB 84M, 1970)

Side One:
Maclean of Pennycross/Maggie Cameron/Duntroon; Countess of Crawford/Marquis of Huntly's Reel; Greig's Strathspey/Beeswing Hornpipe

Arthur Scott Robertson (fiddle) with Unknown (piano)

Champions Choice Scotland's Champion Fiddler (Spectrum Records FLP 5015, c1971 - re-released 1975)

Side One:
Clan McColl/Monymusk/The Rejected Suitor; The Dean Brig of Edinburgh/Banks Hornpipe; The Braes of Castle Grant/Struan Robertson; Mrs Helen N Robertson/Lady Ann Hope/Sullom Voe; Rose Wood/Leaving Lismore/74ths Farewell to Edinburgh; Vagaland; Shetland Polka/Bob Bissett of Glenlyon/Ian and Isobel of Balnearn
Side Two:
Farewell to Gartly/The beeswing Hornpipe; leaving Glenurquhart/The Devil In the Kitchen/The High Road to Linton; The Marquis of Huntly's Snuff Mill/Dr Keith/Dr Neil Cadenhead; The Burning of the Piper's Hut/Lady Margaret Stewart; The Lightfoot Hornpipe/Castles In the Air/The Trumpet Hornpipe; Kinrara/The Second Star Hornpipe; Master Francis Sitwell
Arthur Scott Robertson (fiddle) with Neil Scott Robertson (piano)

Champions Choice Champions Choice (Spectrum Records FLP 5020, n.d., c1972)

Side One:
The Bonnie Lass o' Bon Accord/Tulchan Lodge/The Burn o' Forgue; Mrs Maj Stewart of Java/25 KOSB's Farewell to Meerut/Jenny Dang the Weaver; Captain Campbell/Mrs MacPherson of Inveran; Scott Skinner's Compliments to Dr Donald/Sandy Cameron/Gavin McMillan; Lament for Sir Harry Lumsden/The Fiddler's Cramp; Mull of the High Mountains/Whistle O'er the Lave O't/The Flowers of Edinburgh; The College Hornpipe/The Rocket Hornpipe/Adrian Stuart
Side Two:
The Blackthorn Stick/The Rollicking Irishman/The Irish Washerwoman; Rose Wood/Leaving Lismore/74th's Farewell to Edinburgh; The Rakes of Kildare/Robbie's Wedding/Tom O' Browland; Morag of Dunvegan/Mrs Charles Sutherland/Charles Sutherland; The Mason's Apron; Fyvie Castle/Johnny Cope; JO Forbes of Corse/The Champion Hornpipe; Farewell to Huntly/Blair Drummond/Marquis of Tullibardine

Arthur Scott Robertson (fiddle) with Neil Scott Robertson (piano)

Champions Choice Champions Choice (Greentrax Recordings, 1991)

Side One:
The Rovers Return/Robbie Bairnson/Laxo Burn; Sedorwood/Hamefarin Polka; Clivingarth/Ruth Salter/Arthur Scott Robertson; Anne S Robertson/Compliments to Sean MaGuire; Rhoda in Rhyme/William J Birnie/Bill Brian; Grunafirth/Nellys Favourite/Adrian Stuart; Lament for a Lady/Hector MacAndrew/Sandy Edmonstone; At The Edge of A Time/Joyce Fordyce Sellar; Leaving St Ola/Rev and Mrs Derick Henderson/Mr and Mrs Duncan Dallas; The Luthier and His Wife/Itinerating Jane/Curly Jamieson; Alec T Bain/the Modest Fiddler/The Modest Fiddlers Wife; Peerless Fritz Kreisler/The Andy Ross Strathspey/The Scottish Solo Fiddler; Helen R Roberston/Children in the House/Davanna; Anne S F McWilliam/Neil S Robertson; Patrick Sellar/Mrs Mary Bevan/John Campbell Bevan

Arthur Scott Robertson (fiddle) with Neil Scott Robertson (? piano)

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