Wedding at Highgate House
This Saturday we were pleased once again to return to Highgate House - a wedding venue very near to Northampton where we play several times a year.
Although we’ve played many times at Highgate as a full string quartet, this particular wedding was a more intimate gathering of around 70 guests and a string duo was chosen to accompany the ceremony, then provide background music for the drinks reception and wedding breakfast.
One of the aspects of providing a string duo for a wedding that needs quite careful thought is the music we can offer for just two instruments. Just taking two of the parts from a string quartet arrangement and playing them on their own would sound empty and a bit strange, so we have worked hard to creatively arrange many pieces for string duo (for both combinations of violin with viola and violin with cello). There are many chamber works which are specifically written for string duo, but whilst these are really beautiful in their own right, wedding guests do generally appreciate a broad mixture that includes popular classics, light music and well loved favourites. Pieces that are traditional wedding music such as Air on a G String, Pachelbels Canon, Jesu Joy of Mans Desiring and Arrival of the Queen of Sheba can still sound really stunning on just two instruments when the quality of musicianship is high.
With dry weather on Saturday we were able to play outside under a shaded area in the gardens and then move inside to play during the wedding breakfast. As the bride and groom had chosen the violin with viola combination, this made moving location very easy as we only had to pick up our music stands, folders and walk straight to the new area and start playing again. Luckily at Highgate House, there is a minstrels gallery in the main function room which is absolutely ideal to fit two players onto - the sound projects beautifully and we could certainly be heard by all the guests.
With many people finding creative ways to get married on a budget, the cost of a good string quartet can seem like an added expense and although it’s often possible to find cheaper groups (often music students or recent graduates), this may mean compromising on quality, experience, professionalism and size of repertoire. For this reason, a string duo is an increasingly popular option for those who want to have a professional standard of classical music for their weddings, but who need to keep the budget under control.
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