Music for Special Occasions

There are a vast array of special occasions that we play for:- parties, anniversaries, christenings, fund raising, society functions........... the list is endless. There are few rules about what kind of music should be played and when. The most important thing is to have the music you enjoy.

Below are some notes on the characteristics of different kinds of music group, for you to consider in addition to your liking for their kind of music.

STRING QUARTET OR FLUTE & STRING QUARTET

4	Repertoire	Baroque, classical, romantic, light, shows, films, light jazz arranged for quartet or smaller ensemble
4	Ambience	Civilised atmosphere - mostly formal, or Palm Court, or Lounge music
4	Appropriate venue size	Anything from the a room in a private house to a concert hall. Great flexibility.
4	Appropriate audience size	We have played for events with 2 guests, to 300 people
4	Amplification	None
4	Set up time	15 minutes
4	Playing outside	Yes, shelter from the elements needed.
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HARP

4	Repertoire	Concert harp is Baroque, classical, romantic, light music. Occasionally with vocals, particularly with the Celtic Harp.
4	Ambience	Civilised atmosphere - mostly formal, or Palm Court, or Lounge music
4	Appropriate venue size	Large private house room / medium hotel room to the hall of a stately home
4	Appropriate audience size	2 to 80 guests
4	Amplification	None
4	Set up time	30 minutes. Good access required
4	Playing outside	Sometimes, good shelter from the elements essential.
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CLASSICAL GUITAR

4	Repertoire	Baroque, classical, romantic guitar music
4	Ambience	Civilised atmosphere - mostly period, or intimate romantic
4	Appropriate venue size	Anything from the a room in a private house to large hotel room, or medium room in a stately home.
4	Appropriate audience size	We have played for dinner parties of 2 guests, to 60 people
4	Amplification	None
4	Set up time	15 minutes
4	Playing outside	Yes, shelter from the elements needed, and good acoustics.
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FOLK, CEILIDH, BARN DANCE BANDS

4	Repertoire	Irish, Scottish, English, Welsh, American, Scandinavian, Eastern European folk
4	Ambience	Ceilidhs: - A wonderful evening, where everyone gets involved and has a thoroughly good time. Suitable for all ages. Folk music /singing:- informal background music, or pub atmosphere, or period music, depending on the group.
4	Appropriate venue size	For un-amplified music to listen to, a small room upwards to any size of venue with amplification. For a Ceilidh, a small village hall with 40 guests, to a large hall with 350 dancers.
4	Appropriate audience size	Music to listen to - any size. Ceilidh - 40 to 350
4	Amplification	None for very small venues with good acoustics, but normally amplified
4	Set up time	45 minutes with amplification
4	Playing outside	Normally, no, but can do with adequate shelter from the elements.
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JAZZ BANDS

4	Repertoire	Any period of jazz from the 1920s to the present day, Dixieland, Swing, Rhythm & Blues, Blue Note, Jazz/ Fusion/ Funk, Latin Jazz & Bossa Nova
4	Ambience	Widely varying, from boisterous to smokey lounge jazz, from fun to anguish.
4	Appropriate venue size	Any size, depending on size of music group.
4	Appropriate audience size	Any number
4	Amplification	Yes
4	Set up time	30-45 minutes
4	Playing outside	Normally, no, but can do with adequate shelter from the elements.
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SOPRANO

4	Repertoire	Baroque, classical, romantic, light, shows, light jazz soprano repertoire
4	Ambience	Special musical interludes
4	Appropriate venue size	Large room in a private house to hall in a stately home, to a church, good acoustics necessary.
4	Appropriate audience size	We have played for dinner parties of 6 guests, to 300 people in a Cathedral
4	Amplification	None. NOTE: some form of accompaniment is required
4	Set up time	10 minutes
4	Playing outside	Normally, no.
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Don't forget the influence of the venue on the success of your event. The acoustics of the venue and number of guests influence the kind of music group that is appropriate, and the location of the musicians who are playing un-amplified instruments [string quartets, harpists, etc]. [Jazz & Folk bands are normally amplified, and can artificially compensate for bad acoustics to some extent].

What a lot to think about, and what's more, you quite possibly don't know a lot about the whole subject of live music in it's various genres and what is involved from the point of view of the musicians. There's also the whole history of the kind of music, be it Jazz, String Quartet or Ceilidh, all of which has a bearing on the music as you perceive it now. Music has been used in celebrations of all kinds right back to the days of Ancient Egypt and before, and has been the way to mark everything from a Birthday to a Wedding Anniversary as a special event. So if you fancy some bedtime reading around the subject, have a look at these articles on everything from Jazz to how or string quartets coped with the results of global warming to make sure that the special events that the bands have been hired for, happen, despite the weather. Have a mooch through some musical musings about what it is like to be a string quartet or barn dance band musician and find out about the history of the thing you're about to commit your life to, your wedding. Then there is some light reading in the fantasies section that was all written late at night after a drink or two (hence title), but covers anything under the sun, from what is music about, the instruments of the orchestra, the on about the concepts of ceilidh and barn dance entertainment, the range of string quartet music, and how jazz has developed. Just about anything to do with music, parties and weddings that came to mind in the wee small hours. You can see what a strange mind I have! Then lastly, it struck me that it might be interesting for people to see the sort of events that our music groups have been hired for over the past few years. Remember, this is just a small random selection to give you an idea of the counties, towns where people hire live music for their important events.