What arrangements do Board Members use of these two well-known pieces?

I play the Wagner 'Bridal Chorus' from either Edwin Lemare's or W J Westbrook's arrangments.

The version of the Mendelssohn 'Wedding March' that I normally use is by Christopher Edwin Willing - now long out of print. Willing was Chorus Master at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden. His version is full and very exciting - lots of notes, though quite tricky to play. I also have W T Best's arrangment and that is effective too. He has an especially imaginative way of dealing with the middle section that is so difficult to bring off on the organ. (The repeated chords in the left hand with the melody in the right hand.)

Barry Williams

F. Cunningham Woods

Robert Ashfield. Two reasons: 1, they're straightforward, unfussy arrangements and 2, they're both in the same book for convenience!

Rawsthorne.

Wasn't my fault, guv - the book was already there and I've just carried on where the previous person left off.

The Oxford Book of Wedding Pieces, but I avoid the Wagner if I possibly can ! Horrible piece. For our wedding, Mrs wanted the Mendelssohn, but I refused to have the Wagner. She came in to Bach. (E flat 'Praeludium pro Organo Pleno' that often precedes the St Anne fugue). Well its our 38th anniversary today, family circumstances mean its the first anniversary we will not see each other.

I use an old Novello Wedding book for the Mendelssohn, with bits added here and there.

For the Wagner, for ease of use, I actually just used the CH Trevor Manuals Only Wedding book, rearranged for whatever resources the organ had available. As its something that rarely gets beyond about 4 lines, its never been an issue. The one time I knew we would need more (as the bride said she wasn't going to enter until she'd heard quite a bit of the music, to add to the drama), I used the excellent arrangement in the Dover Pubs Great Transcriptions for Organ, though can't remember who arranged it. It sets the wedding music in the context of the whole prelude, and has some very colourful moments.

To echo other comments, I studiously try to persuade people NOT to have the Wagner, and while we're on the subject, the Handel Queen of Sheba as well, for moral, as well as musical reasons.

PS For own wedding, we had the Gigout Grand Choeur to come into, much better piece of music, though needs a good set of reeds to make it effective!

"...the Handel Queen of Sheba as well, for moral, as well as musical reasons."

Coming in to the Queen of Sheba and going out to the Grand March from Aida might mean that the bride comes in as a queen and goes out as a slave!

Barry Williams

Please explain? At the end of the day it is just a tune to 99.998% of the population. Indeed, it is one so divorced from its original context that it even makes appearances in Civil Weddings - occasions where music of a 'religious' nature is prohibited in law.

I would never play moral/artistic censor to the bride and groom. If they are _sure_ that is what they want, then by virtue of the large fee I am receiving, I would not seek to force my own tastes upon them. If they are _unsure_ then of course, one would always promote a wide range of possibilities and see what does it for them...

Just as a red herring on the moral side - at one church where I played, the Minister wanted 'There is a Green Hill Far Away' to the tune of 'The House of the Rising Sun'. The tune works well, but the said house was supposed to be a den of iniquity in New Orleans

The hymn tune 'Passion Chorale', usually used to "O Sacred Head Sore Wounded" started life as a secular song to words of "My heart is rent asunder by a maiden's tender charms". Similarly, the tune 'Innsbruck', often sung to "The duteous day now closeth" was originally used for a song about the red light district of the town of its name.

I am interested in the law that forbids religious music at secular marriages. I have not come across that piece of legislation yet. Given what we know about the origins of, for example, the Mendelssohn Wedding March, it would be quite difficult to enforce. This goes back to the cleric in Kent who opposed the local secular wedding venue because folk preferred that to his 'modern' wedding services.

It is very difficult to provide a music service for weddings with integrity. Clearly, members of this Board take their duties seriously, which is nice.

I know of one organist who gets fees exceeding £250 a time for playing at a secular wedding venue.

Barry Williams

It is certainly a more liberating kind of gig than a church ceremony, in my experience...

She's hardly a good role model! Once I explain that, it puts a few off.

On musical grounds, its not a piece you can choose to finish or round off as one needs to do 'on the way in'.

In my experience, very, very few couples are 'sure' of what they want. Most have some ideas, but they almost always lack any imagination or depth of experience. They bring their 'ideas', but that normally means 'the only ones they know'!

All of it? She must have walked VERY slowly down the aisle.

David.

Is it common to play an Ave Maria as the bride leaves?
I ask, because we rang for a wedding today, and didn't get given an order or service, so when we went up, we left the door open, expecting to hear a wedding march but we heard a rather sombre piece, not sure what it was, but I think it was an Ave Maria, and assumed it was the signing of the register, but then as nothing else happened, we went down to look, and no one was left in the church!

"To echo other comments, I studiously try to persuade people NOT to have the Wagner, and while we're on the subject, the Handel Queen of Sheba as well, for moral, as well as musical reasons."

For a wedding at one of 'my' churches yesterday, I played 'Q o S' during the registry. In planning, both bride-to-be and her intended victim were really keen to have it played. The combined forces of both sets of parents however, declared refusal to have it mentioned in the Order of Service.
I suggested that we should instead have the Second Sinfonia from Handel's Solomon, which was very similar and carried a much more dignified air to its title. Agreement was unanimous. (I had already 'wised-up' the happy - now even happier - couple).

Can somebody explain to me how it is that a transcription of a pretty little orchestral interlude, composed three hundred years ago, carries any moral impact related to poor old Queen Nicaule, who must be three thousand years old if she's a day? A bit of a stretch innit?

Chris Baker - The Incompetent Organist - Durham UK

It was a little tongue in cheek, but it helps to reinforce how unsuitable the music is for a procession in anything either than a decent sized church, or unless the bride wants to wait at the door.

I was out with my rambling club yesterday, and during a tea stop at Portland Bill the conversation turned to the choice of wedding music, particularly hymns. One of those present had recently attended the wedding of two fellow rambling club members, whose service included 'Jerusalem' (a reasonably appropriate choice for a couple who'd met through a shared love for walking on England's mountains green). That prompted me to give a rendition of the scene in Four Weddings and a Funeral when the late Charlotte Coleman sang "Amidst those dark satanic mills" out of tune and sync. The said rambler looked at me blankly and said, "What are you saying?" "Satanic mills." "Really? Are those actually the words?" I was astounded that someone who must have attended a fair few weddings in her time did not recognise those much-quoted lyrics.

A thought: If William Blake didn't approve of cotton mills, where did he get his underwear from? Perhaps he didn't wear any.

My favourite wedding piece is Grieg's Wedding Day at Troldhaugen, but I don't suppose that would work on an organ.

I'm doing my best to make it work on the organ with the help of an organ transcription I bought recently.

It'll be a while yet before it's ready owing to a tricky little mid section and I can't give it a lot of time with my other committments.

I've played for 11 weddings in the last few weeks alone and they have ALL had the Wagner and Mendelssohn because the parish clerk didn't dare recommend anything else knowing the dodgy state of health of the incumbent organist (now hopefully recuperating but I fear the worst!)

Cool - maybe you could post us a recording?
I also love another one of ol' Edvard's Lyric Pieces - Bell Ringing (Klokkeklang) - but I suppose two Griegs in one wedding service is overdoing it, unless I marry a Norwegian. (Anyone got Alexander Rybak's phone number?)

OOh, sounds cool. Whose transcription?!



Can you have too much Grieg?!

There is an excellent arrangement of Wedding Day at Troldhaugen by Cyril Christopher which I have used many times.

I also have arrangements of Sarabande and Morning, the Gavotte from the Holberg Suite and two Marches - very playable and all quite delightful.

Now! I find that I have a redundant copy of 'Morning' arranged by Willi Nagel published by Sikorski.

If anyone would like to have this, please send me an email and I will gladly post it - free.

Barry Williams

The organist at our wedding got his Elgar all mixed up and we ended up leaving the church to Land of Hope and Glory! I didn't notice at the time as I was too busy arguing with my new husband about which side of the font we were going to go as it was slap bang in the miidle of the aisle. We got a few comments about our unusual choice of music and had to admit that it wasn't what we requested.

Yes, mine is a Cyril Christopher - Peters edition (or Edition Peters, as it calls itself).

I don't think I shall be likely to post a recording (of myself, at least) because am completely untechie and haven't the faintest idea how to do such things, nor do I possess the relevant equipment.

If any of our more illustrious players would care to display their facility on here I would be the first to applaud.