String Quartet for a Wedding at the Old Hall, Ely, Cambridgeshire
On Saturday, our string quartet were engaged to play for a wedding held at the Old Hall near Ely in Cambridgeshire. Although we are not really a Cambridgeshire string quartet, it is a relatively easy journey for us to this venue. We began by playing a selection of classical pieces as the guests arrived and [...]
Wedding at the Grove, Hertfordshire
On a Saturday in May we played for an evening wedding breakfast at The Grove Hotel on the outskirts of Watford. As the event started at 5pm we were able to comfortably travel up from our earlier wedding in Surrey. We set up on the dance floor in front of the top table and despite the [...]
Wedding in the Sculpture Gallery, Woburn
Last Friday, we were delighted to return to a regular local venue, the Sculpture Gallery at Woburn Abbey in Bedfordshire. We arrived early and set up on the main platform at the end of the gallery. We played a mixture of popular and more sedate classical numbers until the arrival of the bridesmaids. For their [...]
Playing it by Ear…..
Playing in a string quartet can be one of the most satisfying ways of making music. All four parts have the opportunity to be ‘heard’ (as opposed to an orchestral string section where this rarely happens), yet there is a constant blending and give and take. The other three parts assume a role more important [...]
Lute Book Lullaby – Sweet Was The Song the Virgin Sang
This beautiful melody is often entitled ‘Sweet Was the Song’ but is also known as the ‘Lute Book Lullaby’ as it originates from William Ballet’s collection of lute music which dates from 1600 and is now housed in the library at Trinity College in Dublin. It is an important collection that gives us an insight [...]
It Came Upon The Midnight Clear…..
The fourth carol on the album ‘It Came Upon The Midnight Clear and other carols’ is the title track itself. The words of this carol were written in 1849 by the Unitarian minister Edmund Sears from Massachusetts and these words spawned two separate melodies. In the United States it is widely known set to a [...]
Wedding at Ettington Chase Hotel, Warwickshire
Last Saturday, myself and Tim (viola) played for a wedding at the Ettington Chase Hotel near Stratford upon Avon in Warwickshire. We started by providing music for the guests arrival and continued to play at various points throughout the ceremony. For the reception drinks, many guests opted to enjoy some late October sunshine whereas the [...]
Music for the Battle of Britain Dinner
On the 15th September, we were delighted to be asked to return to a local Military Barracks to perform for their annual dinner to commemorate the Battle of Britain. The combination of violin and cello were specifically asked for as space was limited and the range provided by these two instruments is considerable. The event started at [...]
Wedding in Great Brington and Reception at Dodmoor House
Last Saturday we played for a wedding in the beautiful church of St Mary’s in the little village of Great Brington in Northamptonshire. We played as guests entered the church and performed Pachelbel’s Canon for the entrance of the bride. For the signing of the register we played Boccherini’s minuet and Bach’s Sheep May Safely [...]
String Duo for a wedding Reception at the Three Horseshoes, Radnage
Yesterday, Julia and I performed as a violin / cello string duo for a wedding reception held at the Three Horseshoes in Radnage. It was a warm, sunny day and we were positioned in an enclave within the marquee which was perfect both for the drinks reception and the wedding breakfast. We mainly played a [...]
