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Other Wedding Music


Malcolm Farr

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Jesu, Joy of man's desiring ranks a close third, as far as I am concerned.

 

Our boys hated it so much, they hid the copies (which we found about eighteen months later).

 

Unfortunately, to cover the gap, my boss decided, rather than replace the copies, he would purchase For the beauty of the earth, by Rutter.

 

Now our boys hate that one, too....

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Jesu, Joy of man's desiring ranks a close third, as far as I am concerned.

 

Our boys hated it so much, they hid the copies (which we found about eighteen months later).

 

Unfortunately, to cover the gap, my boss decided, rather than replace the copies, he would purchase For the beauty of the earth, by Rutter.

 

Now our boys hate that one, too....

 

Goodall Psalm 23. I had a run of 5 weddings in a row - every bloody Saturday in August - same ****ing piece. Even the toaster objected - the pedals at one of the middle services decided that transposition was in order. But only of the pedals, and random intervals, anywhere up to a 4th. Quite disconcerting, because you start off thinking you just misplaced your feet. Then you start watching your feet, and it's just downhill from there...

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Guest Roffensis

I can't believe the attitude of some people towards organ music. Even my parents, for example, just think it's a load of noise. And I've never played them any Messiaen!

 

One couple asked me of the Widor....."where's the tune?"

 

I thought that was a classic. Perhaps my greatest accolade for bad taste was to play "feed the birds" during Communion on a very fiery Willis with full swell in the middle at "all the Saints and Apostles look down as she sells her wares. Although she can't see them she knows they are smiling each time someone shows them they care"....or something like that....have I said this before??? And the Can Can in overdrive went down well during the slimming club once in the crypt I might add. It was a very evo church.......and I was younger :huh:

R

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I had an exchage of views with the printer just before our wedding. We exited to Vierne 1, last moemvent (played superbly and not 're-interpreted in any way). When we received the proofs of the service sheet, 'Final' had been changed to 'Finale'. I ammended this and sent the proofs back. They returned with the 'e' put back in. At this point I rang them up. After having tried to explain that there was no mistake and that the word in question was French, not Italian, I was told,

 

'I think that you'll find that there's a 'e' on the end when it's used as a musical term'.

 

I know that there is something deeply unattractive about pomposity and superciliousness, but sometimes you just have no choice.

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  • 2 months later...
Guest delvin146

I can't stand weddings either. I always give the bride ten minutes grace but once that ten minutes is up, I do a quick burst of "She'll be coming round the mountain", (with mixtures and tremulants), and left-foot pedalling finishing on an added sixth chord for utmost taste. This is followed by a deathly silence, (usually), from the congregation as often they can't quite work out what's going on. The organ goes off at that point.

 

When she eventally arrives and once the signal has been given for the bridal chorus at the back, they get one chance, and one chance only. Once a bride decided to stop for some more photos once she had started processing, then somebody handed her some flowers and somebody shouted "stop". Unfortunately the music ran out well before she got to the front, which was quite embarrasing for her really.

 

The best was during my youth some years ago now, when one rather vicious bride's mother got the response, "shut up you silly old bag". The look on her face was classic.

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I always give the bride ten minutes grace but once that ten minutes is up, I do a quick burst of "She'll be coming round the mountain"
Ha! Nice one. I must remember that. :)

 

I've often wondered whether the ISM rates for weddings (small church £55, major church £72) make allowance for "extra time". I assume they do. Not that anyone down here pays anything like those fees.

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Guest Lee Blick
I can't think of anything more depressing than playing Bridal Chorus and Wedding March three times in the space of an afternoon.

 

I am more than happy to be paid for three wedding in one afternoon :)

 

It's playing 7 'Crimonds' in a row at a crematorium that does my head in. At least a wedding is a happy occasion and no-one will notice if you play the odd bum-note.

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I can't think of anything more depressing than playing Bridal Chorus and Wedding March three times in the space of an afternoon.
If I actually played it as a march I'd find it depressing, but I find it quite fun to up the tempo and play it more or less as a dance in 2/2 time. It's how orchestras do it, more often than not. It invariably bemuses the rabble, which is an added bonus.
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I can't stand weddings either. (snip)

 

The best was during my youth some years ago now, when one rather vicious bride's mother got the response, "shut up you silly old bag". The look on her face was classic.

 

-----------------------------

 

I just live for moments of social outrage like this!

 

Some years ago, I was not only invited to play the organ, but also got an invitation to the reception of quite a society-wedding.

 

Long after the reception was over, and the bride and groom had left, (to do whatever it is that brides and grooms do after receptions), everyone settled down to watch the quickly edited video of the happy-event.

 

Self-consciously, I listened to the errors in my voluntaries, but everyone smiled sweetly, so I guess they didn't notice. Then the bride's mother entered, followed by the bridegroom's mother. As the camera homed-in in the bridegroom's mother taking her place in the front pew, the voice of the bride's mother could be heard clear as bell, "My God dear! Talk about mutton dressed as lamb!"

 

I left shortly after air turned rather dense, but I do hope they re-edited the video!

 

:)

 

MM

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Jesu, Joy of man's desiring ranks a close third, as far as I am concerned.

 

Our boys hated it so much, they hid the copies (which we found about eighteen months later).

 

Jesu, Joy of man’s despairing is a piece that I’ve sung so much that I fully understand where your boys are coming from.

 

Form my own wedding it was “Set me as a seal” and “Lord for thy tender mercies sake”. Of the Walton my old choir said “nice piece, bitch to sing”. A couple of cathedral ringers (should that be singers?) helped it along. Fabulous day. :D

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I've always thought "My beloved spake" by Patrick Hadley and "Who shall win my lady fair?" by Pearsall rather appropriate for a wedding - at least, that's what I would like... Whether that would be enough to convince me to marry someone is a moot point, though...

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It's playing 7 'Crimonds' in a row at a crematorium that does my head in.

Playing 'Lord of all Hopefulness' at every single wedding (to Slane, inevitably) does the same for me. It's so ubiquitous I'm starting to wonder whether it's actually a compulsory part of the Common Worship service.

 

(As for 'She'll be coming round the mountain', I like it! I have a little rule that I'll improvise on Adeste fideles after 15 minutes, with the "other" words implied. But fortunately no-one's yet pushed it that far.)

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Guest Lee Blick

Give me Joy in my Heart is sort of bearable if you soup it up a bit. I've always wondered why there are smiles from the congregation with the verse: "Give oil in in my lamp, keep me burning". Perhaps it is the warmth of Christ's love. :D

 

I Danced in the Morning, is a 'hymn' I loath, but quite fun if you jazz up the chorus with some syncopation to confuse them.

 

Adeste fideles after 15 minutes

 

Imrovising, waiting for the Bride if she is more than 15 minutes late often ends up with like that (very subtly of course, pedal reed marking out the melody) :P

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Imrovising, waiting for the Bride if she is more than 15 minutes late often ends up with like that (very subtly of course, pedal reed marking out the melody)  :P

 

At St. Jame's Cathedral, Toronto, the policy is that if the service is delayed for more than 15 minutes, the musicians and clergy will simply cancel the ceremony and leave. They usually have to fit in three to four weddings on a Saturday afternoon so delays are very problematic. But I have not been to any of these so I have no idea what the organist will do to fill in the gap.

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At St. Jame's Cathedral, Toronto, the policy is that if the service is delayed for more than 15 minutes, the musicians and clergy will simply cancel the ceremony and leave.  They usually have to fit in three to four weddings on a Saturday afternoon so delays are very problematic.  But I have not been to any of these so I have no idea what the organist will do to fill in the gap.
"Goodbye-ee, goodbye-ee, wipe the tear, baby dear, from your eye-ee"...?
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  • 3 weeks later...
Guest Roffensis

At a recent wedding at my church they were busy taking photographs and seemed to be settling in for the whole day, brides mother photagraph X20 with grooms adopted half sister in law from Ringwould etc etc, so I played Copland's Episode (having finally found a copy) which worked remarkably well in emptying the church so I could get home for Dr. Who. We don't have a verger as it's RC.

 

Richard :blink:

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