This morning my string quartet played in a church. One of our members is the organist at a lovely little church in Chicago. We had to pass by the Chicago Marathon to get to the church. There were about 45,000 runners today!
We played the last movement of a string quartet by Mozart. This movement is fugal and it seemed appropriate for church. Also, it was easy enough for us to play it perfectly.
Playing in public is different from playing in someone's house! The sound is different, especially in a church, and there is more pressure to perform well. Luckily, we did well! As we practiced and played today, we thought about some of the things needed to play in an ensemble:
- Everyone must feel the beat together. It's easier to say this than to do it!
- Everyone must change notes together. This requires extreme sensitivity and listening.
- Everyone must maintain the same tempo throughout. We should try not to drag or speed up.
- "Fast" tempo is not always the answer -- "style" is something that can make the music sound lively and interesting.
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