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One of the most memorable parts of your wedding in Williamsburg is, of course, the music you will choose. Before you make any decisions about what kind of group or how many players you will need, wedding planning begins by considering the event as a whole. Will it be indoors our out? At a plantation? In an historic building or on historic grounds? In the intimate garden or courtyard of an Inn? Or a far-out event on board a paddle wheel boat or other unusual location.
Look at your location to determine how large a group of players you will need (and have ROOM for). Is there perhaps a period theme or style of music that you would like, to complement the surroundings? What kind of atmosphere you would like to create? Weddings tend to have a more formal or introspective and Romantic quality of music, but depending on the personality of the couple, the pre-ceremony music can successfully set a different kind of stage just as easily—one of joy; one of music for a Colonial theme wedding to match your surroundings; or one to emphasize an Ethnic heritage, for example. Wouldn’t it be fun to insert a few measures of something like “Anchors Away” or “My Wild Irish Rose” into the recessional music, if there was an appropriate song to reflect something personal about the new couple? With a quartet, such things are quite possible, can make the ceremony especially personal and memorable, and make a wonderful transition into your new married life, where bits of both previously separate lives are now going to be entwined.
A wedding ceremony is a solemn and binding event, for which most people want classical music. Used in this sense, the word classical simply means music that has stood the test of time and has been loved by all, ever since it was written—like Handel’s “Messiah”. Couples looking for elegance often have a group of string players perform for half an hour prior to the ceremony, as well as for seating the parents and bringing in the wedding party. In churches, they often switch to the pipe organ just for the Bride, to set her music apart from everything else. (No group can compete in volume with a pipe organ that pulls out all the stops!) Other couples abhor the sound of the pipe organ, and want the strings to handle the entire ceremony, which works perfectly fine, and can be further enhanced, if desired, by bringing in a trumpet player to play along with them for the pro and recessional music. For outdoor wedding sites or in places that do not have the possibility of using the organ, you must depend solely on the group for all your music. But what kind of players should you get, and how many?
Gimme Four!
 | The standard configuration for a string group playing classical music
is the quartet (like a quarter – 25 cents, four per dollar, four
players). This combination of 2 violins, a viola and a cello roughly
compares to the soprano, alto, tenor and bass of a church choir, and
has great range and blend—which is why there is music written for that
combination by almost every major composer from Bach to the present. A
string quartet will need a space of about 7 by 9 feet in which to set
up, and they will sit in two rows, facing each other, so that they can
communicate as they play--a necessary ingredient for good ensemble. |
Balconies in churches can also work, if the pews can be removed to
allow them the proper amount of space. Placing them all in a row along a wall will not work—the last and the first cannot even see each other to know when to start or stop! And you must be mindful that they can see the center aisle even when the wedding party is lined up and all the guests are standing, or they won’t know when to stop playing the wedding march music! If you have the space for them and can afford it, though, a quartet is always the best choice no matter where your event is located.
How about Three?
If space and/or budget are a major consideration in planning your wedding in Williamsburg VA, you might want to consider a trio: a violin, a viola, and a cello (like the soprano, tenor and bass in the church choir simile). There is not nearly as much available repertoire written for trios that is suitable for weddings, and very little of it is available on recordings for you to listen to. Most of the standard selections used for seating the parents, bringing in the wedding party and the Bride have been transcribed for string trios, though, and you can choose what you would like for those parts, if you are willing to let the group you hire choose the pre-ceremony music for you. Your group knows the music on their repertoire sheets, and can then choose the pre-ceremony selections to blend with what you pick, to make a lovely and flowing musical background. A trio, of course, is only 75% as loud as a quartet, and if your ceremony is in a large cathedral or outdoors where there is no stage or shell to reflect the music back towards the guests, you will need to keep in mind how many guests there will be, how long a walk you will have from where you enter, and whether or not you and your guests will be able to hear the music. Outdoors, if the wind is blowing strongly and everyone is seated on top of a bluff overlooking a gorgeous vista, this becomes another factor. Churches, even large ones, are usually built with acoustics in mind, and are not as great a problem as playing outdoors, unless there are carpets and pew cushions which absorb sound. Trios work most successfully for smaller weddings or in sheltered or semi-enclosed spaces where there is simply not room for a quartet. The trio will set up in a triangle, and will need a space of about 6 x 8 feet in order to accommodate their chairs, stands, and the cello.
How About a Double?
Duets (violin/viola or violin/cello—like soprano & tenor, or soprano & bass) can also be very beautiful, but work best for small, intimate weddings, such as might be held in one’s home with maybe 25 -50 guests. Outdoors, duets simply cannot generate enough sound to produce the kind of fullness and volume one would hope to have for the entrance of the Bride and the recessional. The duet literature is even more obscure than trio music, so you would again need to be willing to allow the players to choose the pre-ceremony music for you, based on what you have chosen for seating parents, bringing in the wedding party and Bride. Most commonly used pieces for this have been reduced to their bare-bones elements to make the most of each of the 2 instruments playing the duet. Both trios and duets may have more trouble accommodating your requests for a particular kind of music or music from a particular style period, since there is simply not the quantity of music available for them to play. And of course, the ever popular Pachelbel Canon (which is really a kind of a ‘round’), is glorious with four players, not really all that bad with three, but does not work very well with only two!
Hey, We’re on a Budget, Here! What about just a Violin?
One violin alone is something like one person singing just by themselves. Imagine the round, “Are you Sleeping”, but nobody else comes in, just one person sings or plays it. In general, since the violin is a ‘single line’ instrument, it sounds best with an accompaniment—either from an orchestra, a piano, organ, keyboard instrument like the harpsichord, or even an accordion. If you only have money for a single instrument, you would be better off investigating a solo harp for elegance, a pianist with a keyboard and battery pack who can set up anywhere, or even solo guitar, if your ceremony will not have many guests. Harps can be quite loud, but usually will not play outdoors; guitars are very portable, but quite soft unless amplified.
Once you have selected the number of players you would like, you will want to contact several groups that match your needs, and ask them for audio samples and references and a list of their repertoire. Don’t be shy—you wouldn’t hire a caterer without tasting their cooking! And once you have the information, do contact some of the referenced folks who have used the group in the past and see what they have to say about them. Ask hard questions—did they respond to questions about repertoire or other issues during the preparation time? Were they dressed tastefully? Were they on time? Did the guests enjoy the music enough to comment about it? Were there things they wished had gone better or differently? After you have chosen a group and have a written contract with them, the more input you have about what is played, the more the ceremony will reflect your personality and not theirs. The only caveat is to remember that the purpose of the wedding is to have the ceremony—not give a concert for your guests! And finally, remember that price is not the only consideration—romantic weddings in Williamsburg are a once-in-a-lifetime event, and you want experienced people who not only sound fantastic, but who can handle anything that comes up and will keep playing so that nobody knows there has been a glitch; people that you feel comfortable working with, who are concerned about making it personal and special for YOU. Follow these tips, and you will have a ceremony that sets the stage for many years of harmonious living together!
Belle Art String Quartet
14266 Scotchtown Road
Beaverdam, VA 23015
804-227-3363
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