Hi there! Sorry to invade your thread as I know some of you know an awful lot more about organs than me. I stand in for our regular organist at church and can play the hymns but haven't got any further than that yet but its quite fun.
Anyway. To the point. Our organist is on holiday and I have just found out I need to play for a wedding, short notice. So will brush up on my bridal march! There's only one hymn so it doesn't sound like there'll be a lot involved.
My question is, I'm guessing they may be expecting me to be playing some tunes as people are arriving and waiting. Have you any wonderful (and very simple) ideas?
I've never played for a full wedding service before so any other tips or things I should know?

The list is endless for pre-service muzak but consider:
Handel: Air from the Water Music
Pachelbel: Canon in D
J.S.Bach: Air on a G string
Handel: Largo (from "Xerxes")
J.S.Bach: Jesu, joy of man's desiring

In short - anything softish with a good recognisable tune will go down well.


If the congregation talk loudly whilst you are playing before the service, make the organ louder and start a battle with them. Then, just as they are shouting at each other over full organ, stop playing immediately and watch their discomfort as they realise how loud they got.

Resist the temptation to shout out when the priest calls for anyone to admit cause or just impediment why the couple may not lawfully marry.

Find the prettiest member of the congregation and try to catch her eye. You get 5 points if you manage this. If you wink at her and she winks back, you get another 10 points. If she comes to talk to you after the service, you win another 15 points. Finally, you get 25 points if you manage to get her phone number. Lose 50 points if she is over 65.

Good luck!

Well, where to start ? You should probably need to play for 10-15 mins before the bride arrives, but dont forget to have plenty of stuff with you as she is quite likely to be late !
Then you will probably need to have a similar amount of time whilst they sign the register before you begin with the Mendelssohn Wedding March or whatever you are playing.

Its difficult to know what to suggest you play as I dont know what music you have, but almost anything is suitable. I guess you must have some stuff you play before a normal Sunday service when you are standing in. If you only have piano music, then something slow and baroque in style should suit.

...and if she is, and is still the prettiest in the congregation, she gets 500 pts!

Seriously, some good suggestions so far. If you have time / chance to shop, there are plenty of easy wedding albums available too.

Ah, we have two threads Organ Novice, can the mods combine, please !

Thanks a lot for the suggestions so far. Sorry about the duplicate thread not sure how that happened! Never mind I suppose I'll get the hang of it!

Just as a red herring, one Saturday before Christmas I was asked to play fo a wedding (I was 15 at the time). The bride was very very late, about half an hour in the end. I had played most of the music I had brought two or three times over, so starting improvising a bit on Christmas Carols. I made quite a bit out of Adeste Fideles, then suddenly realised it could be construed as 'Why are we waiting!'
This is the sort of thing that can go wrong !
(PS I also one played 'Sheep may Safely Graze' for a funeral, and was told afterwards the man in the box had been a butcher all his life)

Where are you based Pianotimes? In various parts of the UK there are schemes to provide assistance, and in some cases mentoring, for pianists getting to grips with the organ.

Work out how much of the Bridal March you can play in the time it takes to walk up the aisle, how to repeat or jump to the end and practise it looking over your shoulder or in the mirror or whatever.

No one warned me about this and I kept my father and stepmother waiting 'til the Queen of Sheba had put her feet up (apologies to those who have posted in the past about this piece in this context)

"Resist the temptation to shout out when the priest calls for anyone to admit cause or just impediment why the couple may not lawfully marry."


Quite so. That's the Best Man's job!

P4

Thanks again for all your advice! Keyhorn - that sounds possibly interesting will send you a pm if thats ok. (never done that before! so will try.)
I can see you fine organists have a sense of humour.
You may be amused to know that whilst cooking spaghetti carbonara the other evening my husband and I were having a giggle about the hymn they've chosen and thinking up some alternative words... see if you can guess, it starts like this
all hymns bright but slightly dull...

(to anyone who loves this hymn there is absolutely no offence meant...)


"Find the prettiest member of the congregation and try to catch her eye. You get 5 points if you manage this. If you wink at her and she winks back, you get another 10 points. If she comes to talk to you after the service, you win another 15 points. Finally, you get 25 points if you manage to get her phone number. Lose 50 points if she is over 65."
Mr PT might be a little confused and concerned, but it gave me a good giggle in a bad week so thank you Mr Bouffant!

As a pianist who does not know much about organs yet I'm going to keep things nice and simple as you have suggested. Further rummagings around the organ stool have unearthed an easy play book including bridal march, handels air, bachs jesu joy etc. Just the ticket I think! Had a good practice this morning and tried out some different stops and played things through a few times. Wish me luck. I know I would always prefer to hear my piano students play something simple well than struggling to play something too hard for them so I'm going to do the same.

What have I let myself in for!....
Secretly quite excited to be playing the wagner bridal march for the very first time but I'm sure the novelty could wear off!

Good luck with it anyway, let us know how things went

All went well as it could on the organ thanks, kept it simple and no major problems.
There was some slightly 'raucous' hymn singing from a few of the gentlemen in the congregation which was rather entertaining (more fun than mumbling I suppose!) Wonder how their singing was after a few more beers later on...! The minister was slightly unimpressed at their lack of reverence! ooops. Thanks again everyone.

Sounds like it went off well - good for you!

I'd rather there be raucous singing than no singing at all. Sometimes people are just too timid (even though their tongues wag readily enough when they should be still.

See if you are asked to do any more, and then set up an off-shore bank account.

It sounds like you have been reading Charlie Booker in today's Grauniad...

When one of my wife's cousins got married a few years ago, at St Dominic's (the Priory) in Hampstead, I'm sure no-one sang at all. Accordingly I didn't open my mouth, for fear of offending local custom. I don't think the organist was bothered one way or t'other.

P4

I'd be interested to know more about this. My daughter has been thinking about trying out the organ as part of her Duke of Edinburgh award. It wouldn't be until January at the earliest as she can't start her silver award until then and I don't want any distractions before she takes grade 8 piano in December! We live in Surrey.

This might be of interest if you are in the Guildford diocese.

Thanks very much. I think I'll ask for the syllabus and find out a bit more. At this stage I'm not sure how it is different from just approaching someone direct for lessons.

I know a couple of possible tutors and we already have easy access to an organ (the nearest church is two minutes walk away and I have the key). I will check with the organist and churchwardens, but don't think anyone would object to my daughter practising it whenever she fancied even if she wasn't having formal lessons.

Hmm. I can hear her now playing and singing something from the "Glee" Songbook that she was given for her birthday last month. Not quite what I had in mind when I told her to do her piano practice.