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 rest [...]
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 [...]
Wedding Reception at the Three Horseshoes, Radnage
Yesterday, Julia and I performed as a violin / cello 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 selection of [...]
Corporate Dinner - University of Warwick
On Tuesday evening, the quartet were engaged to play for a conference dinner at Scarman House which is part of the University of Warwick. The first hour of the evening involved playing on a raised area whilst the delegates enjoyed pre-dinner conversation and drinks. The selection of music we played was varied with many different [...]
By special arrangement….
We are frequently approached by prospective brides and grooms to arrange a song or track especially for their wedding day. As this process can take several hours a small fee is attached to it, but as a lot of effort will go into making this unique arrangement sound stunning it’s important that it is heard [...]
Travellers Tales at St Mary’s
On Saturday evening (after performing at a wedding in Hertfordshire during the afternoon), we gave our first concert in the 13th century Church of St Mary the Virgin, in Eaton Bray - Bedfordshire. The church had previously hosted a jazz event and has a choral concert planned for later in the year, but it was [...]
